On the Road Again

 

We are on the road again - well, the trail again.  The trip west, and the communities settled there were unique in the things they left behind.  Unlike their ancestors back east, the first thing they left behind was the ritual of burial in a churchyard cemetery.  Burial "according to the custom of the Prairies" was quick.  No funeral clothes, no casket and no tombstone.  The grave was filled with stones as a safeguard against wild animals.  The livestock were allowed to roam over the grave to trample it, then the wagons were driven across it to hide clues that the Indians might use to dig up the body.  Along the trail, there was left no evidence that anyone had died or had been buried there.

Secondly, any ancestoral bonds that remained were replaced by their latest companions and their surnames were lost.  They received names or nicknames that identified their personal characteristics, a way of speaking or even the food they ate.  You might have been known simply as "Honest Whiskey Joe", "Truthful James" or "The American-Pie Eater."  Women were known as the "wife of" or by their first names.  Surnames were rarely used once settled in the West.

Thirdly, the westward traveler learned to give up possessions.  James Abbey, who left New Albany, Indiana for California in 1849, recorded the property toll of a trip west by covered wagon...

    "August 2nd - started out at four in the morning, at six stopped to cook breakfast and lighten our wagons by throwing away heavier portions of our clothing and such articles we can spare.  We pushed forward today determined to reach the desert, but our cattle showed signs of exhaustion, We had to stop.  Being completely out of water, we bought two gallons from a trader for $1 a gallon.

    The desert is strewn with dead cattle, horses, mules and oxen.  In the distance of 15 miles I counted 350 dead horses, 280 oxen, and 120 mules.  We saw vast amounts of valuable property abandoned - leather trunks, clothing, wagons...at least a value of over $100,000 in just 20 miles.  In the last 10 miles I have counted 362 wagons left behind at a value of $120 a piece back home.  In order to save animals and reach the end of the journey, the loss of personal goods is a matter of small importance."

 The settlers gave up costly things to come west - traditions, people, names, and possessions.  All left behind to reach the dream of land in the West.

Next time... Not left behind - the women

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Today in Pioneer History: "On August 10, 1846, the Smithsonian Institute was created.  After a decade debate on how to best spend a bequest left to America from an obscure English scientist, President James Polk signs the Smithsonian Act into law.  James Smithsonian left in his will that the whole of his estate would go to the United States of America to found at Washington an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.  Thank you Mr. Smithsonian!"

America's First Mobile Home

 One of the most enduring symbols of the Old West is the prairie schooner, aka the covered wagon with the cloth top billowing in the wind and making the wagon train looking like a fleet of ships sailing over the sea of prairie grass!  Another name for the Conestoga wagon of the East, the prairie schooner was a lighter, small version that became the most familiar sight crossing the rivers, plains and mountains on its way west.

The schooner was designed expressly for the 5 month long, 2000 mile journey.  The top cloth protected passengers and possessions from the sun and rain, and could be completely closed off by drawstrings at both ends.  The wagon's hickory frame and bows hold the top, and is waterproofed with paint of linseed oil.  The top is heavy duty canvas or hemp (an important cash top in Kentucky, Missouri, and Mississippi).

The schooner's 10ft x 3 1/2 ft body could carry 1 1/2 tons but the lighter the wagon, the easier it traveled.  Its big wheels rolled easily over the land, the wide rims kept it from sinking in the soft ground.  The toolbox hung on one side of the wagon box, and a water bucket hung on the other.  A feeding trough was attached to the back of the wagon.  A "lazy board" was attached to one side for a place to rest and ride. 

The wheel axles were large and strong to support the weight.  A broken axle on the prairie was serious business, so a spare was often on board.  A grease bucket hung from the rear axle filled with animal fat and tar.  Even the wagon was packed in a certain way - to keep the center of gravity low, heavy tools, furniture and such was wrapped well to prevent movement and packed at the bottom.  On top of that household items and clothing, and lastly food stuffs went on top.

Oxen or mules rather than horses were a better choice.  Oxen were cheaper, sturdier, provided better traction and were not usually stolen by the Indians.  Oxen could also be used as food in emergencies.  Three pairs of oxen were used to pull one schooner. 

Maneuvering a covered wagon could be both tricky and pure genius. Getting up steep slopes was exhausting but getting down was more difficult.  Wheels were locked in place by chains put through spokes and fastened to the wagon.  When the rivers were too deep to ford, the wagons were made watertight with rawhide or tarpaulin coated with tallow, and the wheels were removed and floated across, along with the wagon box as a kind of boat!

So can you imagine traveling 2000 miles at a speed of at most 10 miles, on a good day, in a prairie schooner?!  

Next time...From Dawn to Dusk
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On February 2. 1847, the first woman of a group of pioneers commonly known as the Donner Party dies during the group’s journey through a Sierra Nevada mountain pass. The disastrous trip west ended up killing 42 people and turned many of the survivors into cannibals.