On the trail, water is a commodity that we must continually refurnish, so it is with great joy when we find a water source.
Two rivers that we come across on our way west have totally opposite offerings to us.
The Big Blue River, a tributary of the Kansas River is a romantic, peaceful place with a "large spring of water, as cold and pure as if melted from ice". It gushes from a ledge of rocks on the bank falling some 10 feet into a clear basin. It's name is said to be engraved on the rocks around the river as "Alcove Springs".
On the other hand, the Platte River, recorded as a mile wide and an inch deep is described as "bad to ford, destitute of fish, too dirty to bathe in, and too thick to drink". The Platte Rivers runs from the Rocky Mountains to Missouri.
Next time we meet danger on the trail...
Showing posts with label Travel in American Western Frontier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel in American Western Frontier. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Circle of Safety
After a long day of dusty rough trails, the wagon master has determined it is time to camp for the night, and just like most of what happens on the wagon trail, it is never just a matter of pulling back the reins and climbing in the wagon for some much needed shut-eye...
Where the wagon train will stop for the night is based on providing the most safety for the families. Indians and wild animals were a very real threat through the prairie, while further west the problems remain the same with terrain added on.
We are told to lead our wagon into a circle in the same position we have in the wagon trail. It isn't as easy to drive wagons into a tight circle as it would seem. First the wheels offer like turning radius, and the horses have to be unhitched and wagons moved close together.
Our wagons are then interlocked together by the iron tongue of our wagon and each successive wagon, extending under the rear wheels of the wagon before us. Once all wagons are interlocked the chains are applied through the wheels and running through all the wagons in the circle.
Before the last wagon is locked together the livestock and horses are rounded up inside the circle. Once all the animals are safe inside the circle to graze, our women began to start the huge campfire that will warm us, cook our supper and breakfast, and provide us light for the evening.
The wagon master assigns a couple of guards to watch the outside rim of the circle and we are as safe as can be in numbers.
Safety was the number one concern on the wagon trail and the circle of wagons remains one of the best ideas the pioneers had. In fact, there are only a handful of recorded Indian attacks that succeeded against the wagon circle. The Indians incurred extensive casualities with such strategy - faced the pioneer men behind the safety of their wagon.
Next time it is chow time on the Wagon Trail....
Where the wagon train will stop for the night is based on providing the most safety for the families. Indians and wild animals were a very real threat through the prairie, while further west the problems remain the same with terrain added on.
We are told to lead our wagon into a circle in the same position we have in the wagon trail. It isn't as easy to drive wagons into a tight circle as it would seem. First the wheels offer like turning radius, and the horses have to be unhitched and wagons moved close together.
Our wagons are then interlocked together by the iron tongue of our wagon and each successive wagon, extending under the rear wheels of the wagon before us. Once all wagons are interlocked the chains are applied through the wheels and running through all the wagons in the circle.
Before the last wagon is locked together the livestock and horses are rounded up inside the circle. Once all the animals are safe inside the circle to graze, our women began to start the huge campfire that will warm us, cook our supper and breakfast, and provide us light for the evening.
The wagon master assigns a couple of guards to watch the outside rim of the circle and we are as safe as can be in numbers.
Safety was the number one concern on the wagon trail and the circle of wagons remains one of the best ideas the pioneers had. In fact, there are only a handful of recorded Indian attacks that succeeded against the wagon circle. The Indians incurred extensive casualities with such strategy - faced the pioneer men behind the safety of their wagon.
Next time it is chow time on the Wagon Trail....
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Wagon Master/Captain
Wagon Trains without a master or captain would have been like any group without order - chaos. So before our journey begins, a wagon captain must be chosen. For most wagon trains, like ours, a single wagon captain and a couple of "deputies" was all that was required, although there is record of complete governments created for a single wagon train.
The wagon captain was responsible for most decisions on the trail - from when the started, when the train stopped, and where it stopped. His was the choice of where the train would set up camp for the night. His was the consequences for disputes and "trouble" between the members of his train.
To that end, each wagon captain assigned each family wagon a specific spot in the order of the train, and saw to it that each time the wagon train stopped and started the order was kept as assigned. Even the placement of each wagon in the nightly campfire circle was pre-determined by the wagon captain.
Obviously the wagon master was a sort of mayor, keeping order and assigning order.
He was not always well though of after the journey came to an end, but he was usually elected prior to the trip by popular vote.
We take our place in line and the wagon train set out - wheels slowly creaking along and by the end of the day we will have covered between 10 and 15 miles. A good first day.
Next time we make our first stop along the trail...
The wagon captain was responsible for most decisions on the trail - from when the started, when the train stopped, and where it stopped. His was the choice of where the train would set up camp for the night. His was the consequences for disputes and "trouble" between the members of his train.
To that end, each wagon captain assigned each family wagon a specific spot in the order of the train, and saw to it that each time the wagon train stopped and started the order was kept as assigned. Even the placement of each wagon in the nightly campfire circle was pre-determined by the wagon captain.
Obviously the wagon master was a sort of mayor, keeping order and assigning order.
He was not always well though of after the journey came to an end, but he was usually elected prior to the trip by popular vote.
We take our place in line and the wagon train set out - wheels slowly creaking along and by the end of the day we will have covered between 10 and 15 miles. A good first day.
Next time we make our first stop along the trail...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Take A Peek Inside!
Almost ready to start our journey but today we are packing the wagon...We have many possessions that we must choose whether it is benefical to take or leave behind. We will discover along the way that some things we have chosen to take will have to be left alongside the trail as well.
Attached to the side of the wagon is our double barreled, precision lock shotgun, always handy in reach for hunting or protecting the family.
Bedding Supplies - blankets, feather beds, ground cloths, pillows, tents, poles, stakes and ropes
Cooking Utensils - dutch oven, kettle, skillet, coffee grinder, coffeepot, teapot, butcher knife, ladle, tin tableware, water keg, matches, spider (3 legged skillet)
Food - flour, bacon, coffee, baking soda, corn meal, hardtack, dried beans, dried beef, dried fruit, molasses, vinegar, pepper, eggs, salt, sugar, rice, tea.
Weapons - rifle, pistol, knife, hatchet, gunpowder, lead, bullet mold, powder horn, bullet pouch, holster
Clothing - wool sack coats, rubber coats, cotton dresses, wool pantaloons, buckskin pants, duck trousers, cotton shirts, flannel shirts, cotton socks, brogans, boots, felt hat, palm leaf sun hat, green goggles, sunbonnet
Tools - set of augers, gimlet, ax, hammer, hoe, plow, shovel, spade, whetstone, oxbows, axiles, kingbolts, linchpins, oxshoes, spokes, wagon tongue, heavy ropes, chains.
Medical and Handy Supplies - surgical instruments, liniments, bandages, campstoolm chamber pot, washbowl, lanterns, candle molds, tallow, spyglasses, scissors, needles, pins and thread.
Luxury Items - canned food, plant cuttings, schoolbooks, musical instruments, dolls, family albums, jewelry, china, silverware, fine linens, iron stove, furniture, clocks.
How can all of this fit in a 10 feet by 4 foot wagon bed??
Attached to the side of the wagon is our double barreled, precision lock shotgun, always handy in reach for hunting or protecting the family.
Bedding Supplies - blankets, feather beds, ground cloths, pillows, tents, poles, stakes and ropes
Cooking Utensils - dutch oven, kettle, skillet, coffee grinder, coffeepot, teapot, butcher knife, ladle, tin tableware, water keg, matches, spider (3 legged skillet)
Food - flour, bacon, coffee, baking soda, corn meal, hardtack, dried beans, dried beef, dried fruit, molasses, vinegar, pepper, eggs, salt, sugar, rice, tea.
Weapons - rifle, pistol, knife, hatchet, gunpowder, lead, bullet mold, powder horn, bullet pouch, holster
Clothing - wool sack coats, rubber coats, cotton dresses, wool pantaloons, buckskin pants, duck trousers, cotton shirts, flannel shirts, cotton socks, brogans, boots, felt hat, palm leaf sun hat, green goggles, sunbonnet
Tools - set of augers, gimlet, ax, hammer, hoe, plow, shovel, spade, whetstone, oxbows, axiles, kingbolts, linchpins, oxshoes, spokes, wagon tongue, heavy ropes, chains.
Medical and Handy Supplies - surgical instruments, liniments, bandages, campstoolm chamber pot, washbowl, lanterns, candle molds, tallow, spyglasses, scissors, needles, pins and thread.
Luxury Items - canned food, plant cuttings, schoolbooks, musical instruments, dolls, family albums, jewelry, china, silverware, fine linens, iron stove, furniture, clocks.
How can all of this fit in a 10 feet by 4 foot wagon bed??
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The 2nd Most Important Decision
Now that we have chosen our wagon, we have another important choice to make...what is going to pull it?
As stated before our finances will not allow us the expense of horses to ride or to pull our wagon, so we must decide between mules and oxen. Either choice has it drawbacks...
Mules are hard to break (hence the saying "stubborn as a mule!), and we could lose our lives trying to break them in order to make the trip, but if we can get them broken, they would be sure-footed, smart and quick moving - as well as durable.
Oxen on the other hand, can pull a heavier load, will eat anything, and would not "run away" from camp in the dark of night. They were also cheaper at $50 a piece whereas a mule was $90 a piece. Oxen were less often stolen by Indians too.
But oxen hooves were not made for moutain and steep terrian travel and they were slow! One settler quoted as saying they don't "walk, they plod", so we would have to add considerable time to our journey if we chose oxen.
We need a minimum of two teams of 2 animals a piece (this is where our money is going) because with the shared load of another team, our teams will last the entire journey.
Which one should we choose? Mule or oxen?
As stated before our finances will not allow us the expense of horses to ride or to pull our wagon, so we must decide between mules and oxen. Either choice has it drawbacks...
Mules are hard to break (hence the saying "stubborn as a mule!), and we could lose our lives trying to break them in order to make the trip, but if we can get them broken, they would be sure-footed, smart and quick moving - as well as durable.
Oxen on the other hand, can pull a heavier load, will eat anything, and would not "run away" from camp in the dark of night. They were also cheaper at $50 a piece whereas a mule was $90 a piece. Oxen were less often stolen by Indians too.
But oxen hooves were not made for moutain and steep terrian travel and they were slow! One settler quoted as saying they don't "walk, they plod", so we would have to add considerable time to our journey if we chose oxen.
We need a minimum of two teams of 2 animals a piece (this is where our money is going) because with the shared load of another team, our teams will last the entire journey.
Which one should we choose? Mule or oxen?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Diversity of Frontier Travel
Answer to last week's quiz was "Butch Cassidy".
Sometimes life just gets in the way - since my last post we rescued an umbrella cockatoo which along with our scarlet macaw completes our family. Unfortunately she comes to us with quite a temper, although she is sweet and gentle (until she doesn't get her way). So, for the last week or so we have been holding behavior modification classes :) My 42 year old macaw is thoroughly bored with the whole ordeal LOL
Continuing on with diversity on the American Frontier - not only were the settlers themselves from a very diverse background, but so were the methods they chose for traveling to the new frontier. One question I always asked my students was "How did the settlers travel?" Invariably they answer with "Wagon Train" which of course was true...BUT by no means was it the only way.
The Conestoga Wagon of course was just the family wagon with a canvas top stretched over the top and the family's horses or oxen to pull it. The journey was slow and difficult along newly formed wagon trails and roads, but once you got to your claim, you simply took off the top and unhooked the animals and you had your transportation and work horses or oxen ready to go.
The Covered Wagon is a symbol of the American West - long trains of covered wagons headed west to sights and scenes unknown with all worldly possesions inside, and nothing left behind to come back to. All that would have to be built all over again.
While history seemed to focus on the Conestoga Wagon, settlers often choose other means of travel depending on their destination and financial means. For instance travel by stagecoach and stopping in hotels in established towns would have been a better night's sleep but I can not imagine that long and arduous journey on wooden seats without shocks or springs along those unsettled trails.
As the railroad spread westward in the mid 1800's, travel by train was quicker and by far more comfortable, but that luxury came with a price for the ride and many pioneers could not afford it. Since rail was limited in the early days, one could travel part way by train to the farthest rail station in the west, and then travel by stagecoach for the remainder of your journey.
The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers provided those traveling west the option of traveling by Steamboat to their destination. This was also a popular choice as observed in several period photos of "steamers" arriving at western frontier ports.
Which method would you have chosen if you were taking the trek to the American Western Frontier? Personally I would have chosen the Conestoga Wagon because of the sense of vastness and open-ness of that method of travel.
Next time "diversity of housing on the frontier"
Julie
My Website
Sometimes life just gets in the way - since my last post we rescued an umbrella cockatoo which along with our scarlet macaw completes our family. Unfortunately she comes to us with quite a temper, although she is sweet and gentle (until she doesn't get her way). So, for the last week or so we have been holding behavior modification classes :) My 42 year old macaw is thoroughly bored with the whole ordeal LOL
Continuing on with diversity on the American Frontier - not only were the settlers themselves from a very diverse background, but so were the methods they chose for traveling to the new frontier. One question I always asked my students was "How did the settlers travel?" Invariably they answer with "Wagon Train" which of course was true...BUT by no means was it the only way.
The Conestoga Wagon of course was just the family wagon with a canvas top stretched over the top and the family's horses or oxen to pull it. The journey was slow and difficult along newly formed wagon trails and roads, but once you got to your claim, you simply took off the top and unhooked the animals and you had your transportation and work horses or oxen ready to go.
The Covered Wagon is a symbol of the American West - long trains of covered wagons headed west to sights and scenes unknown with all worldly possesions inside, and nothing left behind to come back to. All that would have to be built all over again.
While history seemed to focus on the Conestoga Wagon, settlers often choose other means of travel depending on their destination and financial means. For instance travel by stagecoach and stopping in hotels in established towns would have been a better night's sleep but I can not imagine that long and arduous journey on wooden seats without shocks or springs along those unsettled trails.
As the railroad spread westward in the mid 1800's, travel by train was quicker and by far more comfortable, but that luxury came with a price for the ride and many pioneers could not afford it. Since rail was limited in the early days, one could travel part way by train to the farthest rail station in the west, and then travel by stagecoach for the remainder of your journey.
The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers provided those traveling west the option of traveling by Steamboat to their destination. This was also a popular choice as observed in several period photos of "steamers" arriving at western frontier ports.
Which method would you have chosen if you were taking the trek to the American Western Frontier? Personally I would have chosen the Conestoga Wagon because of the sense of vastness and open-ness of that method of travel.
Next time "diversity of housing on the frontier"
Julie
My Website
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