WESTWARD TRAILS Life on the Trails

Mormon Trail

Mormon pioneers leaving Nauvoo in 1846. Nauvoo, located in Illinois, was founded in 1839 by the leader of the Mormons, Joseph Smith. Smith named the town Nauvoo, because it was an ancient biblical word meaning “How beautiful upon the Mountains”. The Mormons worked hard, shared their goods and prospered. The Mormons though also made some enemies. Some people reacted angrily to the Mormon teachings. They saw the Mormon practice of polygamy-allowing a man to have more than one wife at a time-as immoral. Others objected to their holding common property together. An anti-Mormon mob in Illinois killed Joseph Smith. Brigham Young, the next Mormon leader, moved his people out of the United States, His destination was Utah, then part of Mexico. The Mormons followed part of the Oregon Trail to Utah. There they built a new settlement by the Great Salt Lake. Mormon pioneers leaving Nauvoo in 1846. Joseph Smith

Located on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, Council Bluffs was settled in 1846 as the main outfitting point on the Mormon Trail. It was here where thousands of Mormons spent the winter of 1846, before embarking toward the west on the Mormon Trail. The city was also a major “jumping off point” for people embarking on the Oregon and California Trails. In 1863, Council Bluffs was made the eastern end of the Union Pacific Railroads. Today, Council Bluffs is an important economic center, home to agricultural companies and riverboat casinos.

Great Salt Lake City was founded by Brigham Young and members of the the Mormon Church in 1847. It marked the end of the 1,300 mile long Mormon Trail. The Mormons were looking for an isolated place to practice their religious beliefs without being persecuted, and they had also been expelled from Missouri and Illinois. Immediately, the settlers began building their church, which was completed 40 years later. The settlers organized a new state, which they called Deseret. Congress denied their petition for statehood and instead created the Utah Territory. Salt lake City (the “Great” was dropped) was named capital of the territory in 1858. Brigham Young The Great Salt Lake

Daily Life on the Trail Morning Routine Meal Preparation First, they start the fire. Second, the women make breakfast. Then they would pack up all the supplies and head off on the trail. Daily Life on the Trail Meal Preparation If lucky, they would have quail or buffalo. They usually ate bacon. Pioneers cooked their meals over an open fire. Jobs Along the Way Women washed clothes. Men hunted, traded, and dealt with the livestock. Women were the family doctors. Animals Horses were rejected to go on the trail. Horses could not live off prairie grass. Oxen were the most common. Mules were the second common.

Daily Life on the Trail Continued What did a Family Need for Food? Evening Routine Build another fire to keep them warm. Prepare the evening meal. Eat our dinner. Write in our journal. Sleep and be ready to travel in the morning. Entertainment Many items of entertainment were brought along on the trip. Adults had musical instruments, cards, and checkers. Dances became important social events along the trail. Children then had few toys, so they had to entertain themselves. Some were lucky enough to have marbles. Others made their own toys from household items. What did a Family Need for Food? A family of four needed more than 1,000 pounds of food during the trip. Each person needed at least 200 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon, 10 pounds of coffee, 20 pounds of sugar, and 10 pounds of salt. All this plus farm equipment and furniture were loaded into the tiny wagon. The cotton cover on the wagon was coated with linseed oil to help make it rain resistant, and the cover protected cargo from the weather and the constant dust on the trail. Both ends of the cover usually were tied shut. Distance Traveled People traveled about 12-15 miles in one day. Oxen traveled about 2 miles an hour.

Death and Disease Nearly one in ten who set off on these trails did not survive. The two biggest causes of death were disease and accidents. The disease with the worst reputation was cholera, known as the "unseen destroyer." Cholera crept silently, caused by unsanitary conditions: people camped amid garbage left by previous parties, picked up the disease, and then went about spreading it, themselves. People in good spirits in the morning could be in agony by noon and dead by evening. Symptoms started with a stomach ache that grew to intense pain within minutes. Then came diarrhea and vomiting that quickly dehydrated the victim. Within hours the skin was wrinkling and turning blue. If death did not occur within the first 12 to 24 hours, the victim usually recovered.

THE END! Could you have made the journey west?