Conestoga Wagon was about the size of a modern Surburban. It could carry 8 tons of material (most of the material though was thrown out eventually) and had to be towed by 4-6 oxen or 6-8 mules/horses. Smaller wheels in front made it easier to turn Bucket of grease hung here to grease down wheels

TOOLS POUNDS ax 15 shovel 12 hatchet 9 hammer 7 hoe 3 anvil 150 grinding stone 75 animal trap 15 rope 4 Personal Items Pounds doll 2 jump rope 1 marbles 1 family Bible 2 books 2 hunting knife 1 bag of clothes 40 fiddle 2 snowshoes 8 rifle 10 pistol 7 first aid kit 3 Food Pounds flour 150 tea 10 salt 50 sugar 50 coffee 100 bacon 40 dried fruit 100 dried beans 100 cornmeal 10 spit peas 100 oatmeal 8 vinegar 25 pickles 50 dried beef 25 salt pork 5 assorted spices 5 barrel of water 350 vegetables 5 Household Goods Pounds coffee grinder 5 rug 40 bedding 20 mirror 40 dutch oven 70 butter churn 40 table and 4 chairs 200 piano 900 organ 2000 baby cradle 75 wooden bucket 10 bedpan 2 butter mold 1 rocking chair 50 pitcher and bowl 5 cooking stove 700 cooling utensils 2 stool 10 spinning wheel 80 lantern 4 clock 1 10 candles 1 set of dishes 40

Wagon Trains were usually led by a “Captain”. The Captain was usually an experienced trail guide. Sometimes the Captain was chosen because he was the richest person in the train or had the most family members in the train. The Wagon Trains learned that to keep from choking each other’s dusk, the spread out over a big area. To lead the Wagon trains forward the Captain would yell “Forward Ho!”

Caravans would only travel ten to fifteen miles per day. On rainy and muddy days they might only travel one mile! It would take them five to seven days just to travel the distance we can drive a car in a single hour. The people would have to get up very early each morning in order to prepare for their daily travels. It was usually dark on these mornings. They would have to start the fire, prepare breakfast, gather the livestock, reload the wagon, and hitch the oxen or mules before getting started. The caravans often traveled 7 days a week, but some choose to travel 6 days a week in observance of the Sabbath. The trains that traveled only 6 days often arrived to their destination faster and in better health.

Children had lots of chores that included milking their cows, fetching water from a stream or a river that was nearby, helping their parents cook food, washing dishes, collecting buffalo chips (pooh) or wood for the fire, shaking out dusty blankets and quilts, and hanging beef jerky to dry in the sun. Plus they walked most of the way!!!!

Cholera (biggest killer) is an acute intestinal infection caused by toxigenic Vibrio cholerae. Infection is acquired primarily by ingesting contaminated water or food; person-to-person transmission is rare. Indian Attack: Rare but feared. A myth is that the settlers put their wagons in a circle to fend off attacks at night. While this did happen, the main reason was to put the cattle inside the circle so they wouldn’t wander off. Accidents: Wagons running over people. Failed water crossings. Horses bucking off their riders. Accidental gunshot wounds. Mortality Rate: Never really can be known, but most historians say that it was the same as the population that decided not to go west.

Dried Fruit- A staple on the trails west. This allowed for the Pioneers to get the nutrition they needed without fear of spoilage Saltines- To represent in a good way the hardened bread that the pioneers had to deal with. Beef Jerky- A substitute for Salted Beef. Salt was the preservative in an era without freezers and refrigerators Pickles- Cucumbers soaked in a brine made them last longer, but still gave them the nutrition Vegetables- A luxury that settlers had at the beginning of the journey.