What key problems would pioneers face when travelling West?

Why was the journey west so difficult? To recap the key problems settlers faced on the journey West To examine key case studies of early pioneers (first farmers)– the Donners, Sagars and Goulds

The Plains is the flat bit in the centre. As it is thousands of miles from the sea the temperature differences between winter and summer are huge! There are often droughts in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter. Freak weather conditions like tornadoes (twisters) and massive hailstorms with hailstones the size of golfballs are not uncommon!

In the east -the LOW PLAINS - longer prairie grass grows. The further south in Texas (TX), Oklahoma (OK) and Kansas (KS) the drier and hotter it gets. In the west in Montana (MT), Wyoming (WY) and Colorado (CO) the grassland is short - this is the HIGH PLAINS near the Rocky Mountains. In the east -the LOW PLAINS - longer prairie grass grows.  

Some problems for people living here are: Shortage of water Shortage of wood Strong winds Harsh weather

Case Studies In your groups research your case study 1’s - P62: The Sagers 2’s - P64:The Goulds 3’s - P66: The Donner Party

Your task In your groups you need to create a 5 minute role play on the journey west Each group will have a different case study – the Donners, the Sagars or the Goulds You will then present your case study to the rest of the class

What was the most difficult element of the journey west?