My great grandfather and his family pulled a handcart across the plains as there was only a few wagons in their group. He, and 14 other men were found frozen to death one morning after a severe blizzard came through. My great grandmother and children made it across the plains of Wyoming after they were rescued at Martin’s cove. I’ll be forever grateful for their rugged determination which has helped me in my 81 years of life!
A comedian once said that the reason you used to see so many driveways decorated with wagon wheels was because that location was where their wagon wheel failed on their trek West and they couldn't travel any further and thus settled right there!
One thing most people don’t realize today is that the families rarely rode in the wagons and walked beside them. My Grandmother went west by covered wagon and she talked about how bone jarring it was to ride with no suspension and hard wood and no padding . As a small girl she still walked most of the way from Virginia to Nebraska where they ended up and lived in a sod house.
Yeah those said were so uncomfortable.....I never got to talk to my great grands about when they came out west but I wish I had! Btw I was born and raised in Nebraska!! Always flight the pioneer families had brass balls for going out there and making a living out of basically nothing!
What he didnt mention is women and children continually walked around d the wagon putting water on the wheels which would catch fire due to the friction.
After reading well over 150 trail diaries this is absolutely untrue. Sickness required that many of the pioneers had to ride in the wagons and often. Children could not walk the average 8 to 20 miles that the wagon trains traversed every day. The wagons were certainly uncomfortable but they were a necessity for finding refuge when sick, tired and hot. Women often wrote in their diaries that they would get out of the wagons and walk for portions of the trail mostly from boredom and being jolted. There were parts of the trail that required everyone to be out of the wagon for example on steep treacherous hills and some river crossings. But again, miles per day, sickness, and young children required many, many hours of riding in the wagons.
One thing not stressed upon enough in this video: shoes. They didn’t have advance hiking boots or athletic running shoes built for comfort. Shoes were very basic. Walking for that amount of time on rough terrain took a massive toll on their feet. Lots of people died from foot infections or became amputees. Never take nice shoes for granted.
@@ReloadTH I’ve heard the shoes were called “brogans” and were cut pretty general (slab like) and over time would conform to your foot (or maybe that was a little later, after people settled?). I don’t think they were as precise in sizing as we have now.
I’ve hike right at 10,000 miles in my life time, and I’m only 44. I’m about to go hike the pct again which is 2k+ miles next summer. In a 2,000 miles I have to change shoes at least once, and that is today’s shoes too like you said. I’m sure they went through a few pair of shoes but nothing crazy. Yet, even with today’s shoes I have lost toe nails etc in my journeys. It’s just part of the trip. I could have never done it in a pair of cowboy boots. Yet, they did ride horses even though they didn’t ride the wagon as much. There was also someone stirring the wagon and a person that road SHOTGUN. So at least two ppl were on the wagon at all times. I’m sure they switched up too. I know I would have! Many of times in my long hikes I wished I had a horse or donkey just to carry more stuff.
Crossing highway 50 across Nevada I came up on a shoe tree shoes that are thrown into the lim bs of the trees, I understand this was a practice used by the pioneers for the native tribes children.
30 or so years ago I spoke with a 92 year old (at the time) relative who told me about how she saw development and/or advancement of cars, trains and airplanes. She spoke of 'ice boxes', where blocks of ice were delivered and placed on top of cooler boxes in half sunken cooler sheds. Wet blankets placed over the ice box helped keep their milk cool. She said that as children, she and her siblings only saw "town" on Saturdays and that was only if they were willing to endure a two hour wagon ride each way....in a wagon with no springs. She said it was super rough riding, but they never turned down the chance to go to town. She was a joy to talk to. She wanted to fly in a plane, saying "I'm 92. So what if it crashes!"
I can remember when I was a small child,a lot of deliveries in England were still made by horses,we had no refrigeration,no hot water.but at least we did not have to walk vast distances,we had plenty of buses and the tube
@@richiephillips1541 those stories are good to hear and know of experiences outside of your own. When I lost my grandfather in 1972 (he was 76) I questioned why ( I guess I wasn’t ready to let him go) my dad told me he saw from the Wright Brothers first flight to man landing on the moon, what more was there to see? I must stop now, I can’t see through my tears.
@@jenniferunderwood951 My mother was born in 1902. She also saw the first car and men on the moon. I also knew her Aunt who said she and her new husband went to North Dakota from Wisconsin on buckboards and that I may have her sewing machine and the brass bed that went with them. She took the fabric off the sewing machine and gave it to me. It still worked. This was in the 1960's.
My great grandfather and grandmother went from Ohio in a overed wagon and the stories were fascinating.the hardship they endured unbelievable what spirit and faith they had. I'm now 70 and every time I get to feeling sorry for myself I think of my great grandfather and grandmother. Or my grandfather and grandmother whom went through the depression. Tough old birds
In 183o's, one of my families moved from N Carolina, thru Kentucky, to Missouri. They went alone, not a 'train'. Twelve kids, 1 wagon. Babies (4/under), chickens, and 1 baby pig got to ride. All others, stock and all, walked. Almost 200 years later, most of us are still here!!!!
Wow! Now THAT’s a story!! Such bravery and determination!! Those early American settlers had incredible courage!! Their desire for a better life, and promising future for their children and descendants, completely overshadowed the fear and uncertainty that lay before them. God bless you and your family!! Descendants of some of the most courageous men and women that dared to face the incredible odds, and WON!! I have so much respect for them, and others like them, who made the tough choices, and succeeded!! You and your family are a testament to their strong will!! God bless you all!!
@@arlenewitt248 LOL...I think they left the word "ancestors" out.Also I wonder how much whiskey they had to take with them? 12 kids and no Tiktok,Facebook,no tablets for movies.....oh,the humanity🤣
We took a tour in Alaska that talked about the difficulties people encountered when traveling through rugged landscapes. The guide said people then were "a different kind of smart and a different kind of strong (both mental and physical)". That idea has really stuck with me.
We as humans can get used to a huge extreme of conditions. The conditions can be different, but sometimes difficult to say which is harder. The average farmer or rancher then would probably struggle if they suddenly time travelled and had to work a McDonald’s drive-thru job and live a working class life today. He would probably be shocked there isn’t any free land left, and that even a tiny land parcel today costs so much.
My great-grandfather homesteaded here in Montana in 1876 the first winter he spent in a wall tent and had to eat one of his horses to keep from starving. I would have loved to have met him and ask him a thousand questions!
Around 1920, WWI was over and the demand for horses and beef for the war effort declined. A several years drought hit Montana. Many families had proved up their 160 acre homestead and had borrowed to buy more land. The economy went downhill fast. In a book about those times, there was a picture of an outhouse with this inscription, “10 miles to water, 20 miles to wood; we’re leaving old Montana and we’re leaving for good”. The homesteaders left the dry East side of Montana for the fertile valleys of the West side; Bozeman, Missoula, the Flathead, and others only to find they were already settled. They moved on to California and Oregon. Modern day Montana is a powerful draw for many people seeking escape from the crime and deteriorating conditions of big cities and overcrowding. They may find it here, but we ask that they leave their oppressive liberal politics behind.
My Irish ancestor - 2nd great gf named Wm O. Fallon - was a fur trapper/trader and later a guide for wagon trains and military. He and one other man comprised the last rescue party of what was left of the Donner Party. He was killed by Indians on the California Trail around 1849. He’s mentioned in a few books about settlement of the west.
My Great Grandmothers Aunt was Sarah Keys, first to die on the Donner Party near Sterlings Kansas. My Great Grand Parents came west this way and settled in the Bay Area, Concord, California.
I loved the practical use of mules after the October 2024 Raging flood through the NE Tennessee & upper NW North Carolina hollers for isolated and unreachable families affected!!! They were able to carry and deliver food, medicine, clothing, generators, gasoline cans, etc to those in desperate need of assistance for weeks, after the flood passed. Those waters removed people, lhomes, buildings, vehicles, trees + other Forest minutia downstream with tsunami force; over 50 ft high as it rounded corners and kept raging downhill.
Very educational and entertaining. It's amazing what these people went through. Today, people complain if they have a little chill or their eggs weren't cooked well enough. God Bless those people who brought america to a nation.
Im from DC but moved to South Dakota 10 yrs ago. Im still amazed at how this area was settled. My first blizzard here and thought...they lived in a sod house?? Thank God for the first and the brave
@paullangford8179 I heard that too but The Blizzards..my brother n law climbed out the 2nd story window to try and clear the front door area..I didn't get it because who the hell can come down the street but the pictures are very funny.
@ABeautfulMess I was always fascinated with the expression "next town over" and thought the ambiguity has such a _minding their own business_ pioneer spirit to it. It's rarely used in the southeast where each community traditionally specialized in one or two specific industries and relied on trade and commerce with other towns who had their own exclusive industry.
Most wagons were simple farm wagons. No hoops for the wagons sheet. Oxen were the preferred animal. Horses were usually tied to the wagons. Chuck wagons were almost never present. Wagons used by sheep herders look much like Chuck wagons. The were designed g or carrying everything one person and a dog needed for 6 months plus you had a bed inside. Many buggies were used to. They were light carried less but had seats with springs. If they carried a couple of extra wheels they usually made it. Trailers behind a wagon were more common than you would think. The few towns and forts were used to make repairs, get new draft animals. Death was common. Many men who lost a wife on the trail would marry a girl 14 or 15 years old. 😊
@@justins3810I did that! 😂. We did walk across south Richmond to school in the sewer pipes…dry and warm in winter. Great place for mischief too! Wonder if you can still do that? My dad built a kayak and paddled down reedy creek to forest hill park, we caught minnows and crayfish for bait and I always wondered how he paddled the creek? Go there now for the asphalt answer! There is no more creek, it’s just a drainage ditch for when it rains it floods, now if you’re good you can paddle it then! 🤣😉🥺😔🤪
My great great grandma came from Georgia to east Texas with two young boys in a covered wagon. She had lost her husband in Georgia and remarried in Texas. We’ve stayed here. I’m a 5the generation Texan. I wish she could see how her bravery resulted in a big, successful family here in Texas.
Congrats on being related to the generation that most likely participated in the genocide of the Native Americans that already lived on the land your ancestors stole from them.
Congrats on being related to the generation of people that forced the Native Americans already there off of their own land and most likely caused many of the natives to be unalive.
Jasonscott are you living in the past? Is that all the ammo you have spurting your hate. Meanwhile I'll bet your soaking up the comforts provided you. You could always go back where you came from. Ha! No way hu? Ha ha. Your last name makes you one of them. O wait, perhaps even that has been given to you. Your funny, useless but entertaining.
Chuckwagons were used on cattle drives, not emigrant companies. One chuckwagon will not feed the people in a typical company of 30-40 wagons. Each wagon carried it's own food. Letters written in 1846 suggested wagons have double covers. Th narrowest part of a river is where the current is the fastest, the widest part is where the water slows down and spreads out.
And with 200-300 wagons per train... Chuck wagons were used only on trail drives. Food, water, and fire supplies were kept in barrels and in hammocks mounted on the sides and underneath the wagons.
@@craigmatheson2736 In 1846 the largest train was Russell's, about 100 wagons. It split into smaller groups for easier travel. When the Gold Rush started, the wagons were nearly nose-to tail for miles.
I rode horses until I went in the service. This made me conscious of the impact of geography on travel by foot or horse. As a result I often look at the land as I drive and envision what it must have been like before our modern roads & vehicles. It had to have been terribly difficult, yet to the people back then it was just normal. I am in awe.
My grandparents lived in an old unpainted clapboard house in a field, that was stacked up precariously on big rocks, and w no bathroom. We kids took baths in a big wash tub by a pot bellied stove and used an outhouse w corn husks and sears catalog pages as toilet paper. My granny had a big garden and I remember drinking water out of a dipper by the sink or mason jars. We picked wild blackberries and she would make a big cobbler or fried turnovers. And she raised her own chickens and I never once saw my granddaddy in anything but overalls and an old fedora hat. Granny had at least 12 kids and a whole passel of grandkids, and pioneer women had it even worse. So, I am always grateful for indoor plumbing and every other convenience. I always say out loud to myself that I am no pioneer woman when I get frustrated opening a jar or I have another load of laundry to do in my stacked washing machine/dryer. Granny had a foot driven Singer sewing machine and we would help her put wet clothes through an old fashioned wringer after hand washing them, and then hanging them out to dry. We shucked corn and snapped green beans, and she made home made biscuits and corn beard and fried chicken and gravy. She was a good person and we grandkids all miss her still!
My grandmother used to tell me about riding in a covered wagon. But at the time I was only around 5 or 6, so I really didn’t care. Now that I’m 70, I so wish I could talk to her now! They moved from southwestern Oklahoma to northeastern Oklahoma. She was born in the late 1800’s.
As an avid watcher of western movies i thoroughly enjoyed watching this,, one of the best movies is The Origin Trail a great movie i recomend to anybody with an intrest, thanks for the upload,,
My great great grandfather went west on the Oregon trail in 1850. He sent letters to his brother describing everyday life on the trail. They have been published in a book called "Dear Ned." It was a pleasure for me to see your film and the journey west shown as it really was. Thank you.
Apparently, the average person of today doesn’t know how french fries get served without touching them with one’s hands! Imagine them on this journey! Just imagine!
I've had the pleasure of reading a journal from the old west. This man describes witnessing his first hanging. He literally walked from Kansas to Washington State because he was a mule driver. He knew wild Bill Hitchcock and Calamity Jane. He talked about him and a friend walking to Denver Colorado, from there down to Texas and all that happened in his journey. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of his printed journal because I've read over 4000 books so far.
Great video. Shocking to see the contrast of how capable they were back then, compared to a huge majority of our population now. So many can barely function as adults.
Society isn't designed to include neurodivergent ppl as well as it used to be. Like if you enjoyed watching the fire, you'd watch the food. If you didn't mind sitting for hrs to make yarn, you'd do that. If you were better outside, you'd do that. Etc... now a days it's not like that. They even say that the job requires ppl to be able to lift a certain amount even when it's just a call center. This is how they avoid hiring disabled ppl without getting in trouble for discrimination
Human spirit and ingenuity haven't died. Look at the seemingly incredible survival stories of today, where ordinary people with no particular skills come through great hardships.
When fording a river they searched for the shallowest place, which is invariably the widest with the stream running at a leisurely pace. Where a stream narrows it is much deeper and the current runs fast through steep banks.
The people who chose to go west are to be admired for the courage to travel three thousand miles through dangerous conditions. And Im also in awe of those who ,in the 1930s dust bowl days in Oklahoma and Texas ,left for a journey across the country in cars and trucks that were held together with hope and baleing wire. Americans were tough and did what had to be done back then.Are we still that brave and resilient?
Not in my opinion. I think you develop physical and mental toughness like this from childhood. You learn to deal.with hardship and to work through physical pain. Many of these people knew how to grow their own food and could survive on a simpler diet It would be hard for many people now to develop this mental toughness. I read an article noting that children in other countries are much more independent than kids in the US. This is because they have to be. I think.there was a show that had modern families try to survive using tools of older tomes in history. I think one series was set in this time period. I don't know if this is available on streaming services or not. It would help answer your question.
My ancestors were Mormon pioneers and hand cart people. I never thought it was this rough bc I didn't think about all angles. I know I'd never make it. Some ancestors had bad asthma. I'm sure animals shortened their lives. I was told my great grandma could be heard wheezing from the street. I'm thankful for them.
The Mormons took care of their own. Without livestock, they traveled faster, could start later. The slept in tents, one for the men, one for the women. Cooked food in community.
If i were born back then or were older and traveling back then, i NEVER would have made it!!!! I am fortunate to have been born when i was!!! Bless them, they were a hearty bunch!!!
You’re thinking of how you are in 2024. I’d be willing to bet if were raised in the 1800s, you would have been raised in a completely different, tougher lifestyle. If your family decided to make the trek, I think you’d do ok!
I had the chance of going on a car trip from Pennsylvania to California. I was so shocked at the size of this country and the wonderment of how our ancestors even made it across this country. In one place the wagon train had to be lowered down a straight cliff of over 1000 foot drop. That meant everything even themselves. I can see no way modern man could achieve this, especially since some of them walked.
My 2nd great grandfather traveled to CA in 1849 and 1851 for his health - and to make money to buy property there-sold goods to the miners, then went back home to the Midwest got married and returned to live and then die there in 1859. His family sold everything, and sailed down the west coast-across Panama- then up the east coast where they heard the bombardment of fort McHenry, eventually settled back to their old Midwest home.
Funny you should compare the Prairie schooner to a mini van. Turns out the inside of a Prairie Schooner had exactly the same measurements as the inside of my Toyota Highlander.
My Mom's grandparents were all from Czechoslovakian and first came across in a ship.Then to Ellis Island.Then to Galveston and central Texas with Apache Indian.And sod homes.Going West was one thing... settling Texas quite rough as well ❤️🩹
A great book on this is "Men to Match My Mountains" by Irving Stone. In one part he talks about wagon trains having to dissassemble the wagons and haul the parts up with rope and tackle and oxen to get up the sierras then reassemble on the other side😮😱👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
If this process is anything like 19th century army transporting heavy artillery the path down steep slopes was even mor hazardous and heavy loads had to be let down slowly and carefully using long ropes and any form of anchor to lower the load down the slope.Even mor dangerous when trees were not available to act as anchoring points.
Just found your channel and I'm completely hooked! I'll be binging your videos all night!! I love history and especially pioneer days history (and medieval history but i have other channels for that lol) Thank you for such a neat channel!
Great video. Highly recommend 2 films: * The Big Trail - made in 1930 by actually taking a wagon train cross country before there were roads and wires changing the view. Ignore hokey plot elements and enjoy the panoramic scenery and the real river crossings, etc. * Westward the Women - also some hokey elements in this later film but some real wagon train action. Somewhat derivative of TBT but worth seeing.
Good to see note of the reality of (far as anything I learned here in Montana) wagons being pulled by oxen or mules MUCH MORE than more valuable horses that have so much more cinematic appeal (and control, I assume!). A late salute to "Westward Expansion in the 1880s." My reluctant high school required late 1970s history class that instantly hypnotized me from Day One. Sorry I cannot recall the teacher (man, but a name is tingling the tip of tongue. But see him clearly. And forever grateful as I believe his excellent class was one reason I bailed to Montana for the next 40 years+
My great grandparents traveled by covered wagon, towed by oxen, from Agency, Iowa to Oregon City, Oregon. My Great gma was pregnant when they left Iowa and gave birth to a daughter on the trail. They became "food short" before reaching Oregon, but my great uncle, my great gma's brother, loaded pack mules with food and set out to locate them. He saved their lives and became a hero of our family. After 16 years in Oregon they once again loaded up their wagons and headed to California where they settled east of Redding. My great grandma wrote her biography, concluding that she "started life in a log cabin and just took my first ride in an aeroplane!" What simple Christian faith, strength and courage! She lived into her 90's. I remember her telling me about it!😊🙏✝️💜📖
Fun Fact: Oxen are NOT a separate breed of the bovine family. They are steers of draft cows (like the Brown Swiss) which have been 'trained to the yoke' from an early age.
@@bgold2007 Draft animals are trained to pull heavy loads, and are often muscular, robust, and powerful. They can pull more weight uphill than a regular horse or cow. That extra percentage of strength is 'the draft'. Your dumb comment, rather than looking the definition up, shows what kind of a person you are.
They're big and strong (think Clydesdale vs a regular horse -- Clydesdales are draft horses). Oxen were usually larger than intact bulls and could be very stubborn and patient.
You think when railroads went it, that travel from east to west was a big improvement, but actually, the trains had as many of the same hardships and dangers as the wagons, if not even more, when locomotive boilers exploded, bridges collapsed, tracks were washed out or buried in windblown dirt, and there were constant derailments that left groups of people stranded in the wilderness. Bandits were a problem, too. You could made a good video about the hardships of travel on those early railroads
The pioneers were the toughest people. We are nothing compared to them when it comes to survival because we are so spoiled on creature comforts. I like to get out there and go camping or backpacking in the backcountry but it’s not the same as what they did in order to migrate. 🥰🥰
A couple of hours trekking was enough for me when I went horse riding. I never thought how it must be, being in the saddle for six to eight hours a day.
My 2nd great grandfather traveled to CA in 1849 and 1851 for his health - and to make money to buy property there-sold goods to the miners, then went back home to the Midwest got married and returned to live and then die there in 1859. His family sold everything, and sailed down the west coast-across Panama- then up the east coast where they heard the bombardment of fort McHenry, eventually settled back to their old Midwest home. BTW-hindsight is easy for us.
My grandfather was a horse trader in Missouri and my grandmother once told me that she used to help Indians who came to the back door begging for food. A sad story of history in the world where the saying “to the victor goes the spoils” which unfortunately really rings true.
The three most frequent causes of death moving westward were cholera, drowning and accidental gunfire. At one point, the Oregon Trail could be navigated by following the grave markers ...
Louis L'Amour has written so many great books about this time. I love reading them, and enjoy them as audiobooks even more. I think some of them would be great high school history studies.
As a South African this sounds exactly like the story of the Vootrekkers. That's an Afrikaans word meaning "Pioneers". They also travelled in exact same covered wagons across deserts, rivers and tall mountains. The distance covered was from Cape Town to the Northern provinces at least 2000 miles. Some went even further inland. Erich now living safely in New Zealand.😊
Grandpa left Nebraska in 1918 to homestead in Wyoming. After filing the claim, he took a train to Missouri and drove his milk cows up to Moorcroft through Kansas and Nebraska. He lived 10 miles SW of Moorcroft and also worked as the CB&Q station agent in that. He often walked to Moorcroft with a shoulder yoke with two milk cans. Even between 1918 and 1928 it was hard and he was single.
I can't even *_remember_* how many times I died from dysentery... and starvation... exposure... cholera, drowning, broken legs and childbirth traveling that treacherous _Oregon Trail._
There are several places in Oklahoma where you can still see the wagon ruts where settlers as well as cattle drives used familiar trails. It’s fascinating to stand there and see the ruts and wonder about the people who traveled those trails. Near Chickasha, Oklahoma there are trail ruts, the remains of an old trail post office (Old Fred they called it), and a trail side cemetery where pioneers, cowboys and executed outlaws are all buried. Cowboys from the Chisholm Trail and travelers who drowned while crossing local rivers are buried in this small cemetery. The Chisholm Trail ran north through Oklahoma and as I remember, the Sante Fe Trail ran through Oklahoma too. Even though trains were available in the late 1800s and early 1900s, most everyone still travelled and moved households with wagons, horses and mules.
These people rarely knew what they were in for when they decided to take their family west, a lot were new immigrants who didn't even know what a native American was
I feel for these people for travel to go for a better life I’m sure some made it and then the ones that got attacked from the Indians to be scalped and women taken or killed
There are still no native Americans . Europeans Chinese African Mexican. They are the native people of the land.when the white man arrived they were called red Indians and Redskins.
I took Tour Bus trip from Georgia to California. I watched the wagon trails ever now and then. Made me appreciate the endurance of the settlers. I would not have made it on a Wagon Train. ❤
For me one of the biggest mysteries was how they fed their livestock; horses and cattle need enormous amounts of food - grain oats hay fresh grass water etc etc. When you see the dry sandy soil without a blad of grass in sight you have to wonder how they kept the trains of cattle alive and the horses. You do not see huge wagons loaded up with hay. These animals can graze if allowed but the deserts could barely get enough moisture to support a cactus. Also horses and mules are high maintenance animals needing shoeing and sometimes tooth problems. A whole host of professional people would be needed; blacksmiths, carpenters, dentists, medical doctors, midwives - the list goes on. It had to be very tough for humans and the animals they used. The old western movies romanticised life in the American desert but it had to be extremely hard for all. Attacks by native indians had to be a problem too for small trains.
That was the main reason for the covered wagon,. To haul and protect all the feed for the cattle and provisions for the settlers as they began their journey,. There's no way you're starting a journey like that without feed for the horses and oxen ect,..
Man shor has "come a long way". Now-a-days, roughing it means leaving the comfort of his home in suburbia and travelling in his state of the art RV. No boredom here with the TVs, computer and cell fones at his reach. Pioneers had it physically rough with the hard work and all the walking for months on end! I wonder if they suffered heart problems, diabetes and obesity like many do today. Probably not🤔
My family came from Spain in the 1700's and settled in was then the capital of Tejas (Texas), they were tough people. My great grandmother was a mid wife and used medicinal herbs to cure people. They were tough and self sufficient, they lived off the land and were used to death.
sounds like one of my kayak trips with my kids in the Canadian wilderness! When you're that tired, you sleep really well, even on hard ground. Thank God for Off, though. I don't suppose the pioneers had deet.
The idea of pioneering to the west was romanticized by stories in Europe about Daniel Boone. Nathan Boone the youngest son of the famous pioneer, owned a tavern and outfitting company in Franklin Missouri, the head of the Sante fe and Oregon trails. My ancestors worked the salt manufacturing spring at Boones Lick Missouri. The Boone family freed their slaves in the late 1800s and generously gave them small land parcels. My great grandfather owned a barber shop in Moberly and sent my grandfather to Lincoln College, a hbc in Jefferson city Missouri. Troops from Fort Scott and Leavenworth escorted wagon trains across Comanche zones.
Agreed. "Centennial" was my first Michener novel. His extensive historical research led me to a few of his other novels, "Space", "Alaska" and "Chesapeake". For HBO's "Deadwood" fans, Watson Parker's "Deadwood - The Golden Years" is an excellent read ...
I’m from Utah and I’m LDS. Most LDS pioneers used Oxen to pull their carts. The first LDS Pioneers reached the Utah on July 24, 1847. This is where Brigham Young declared THIS IS THE PLACE. We celebrate this date every year. In Salt Lake City they have a THIS IS THE PLACE MOMENT. They have museum with real buildings and other facilities from that era. The store sells food and candy etc from back then.
My great grandfather and his family pulled a handcart across the plains as there was only a few wagons in their group. He, and 14 other men were found frozen to death one morning after a severe blizzard came through. My great grandmother and children made it across the plains of Wyoming after they were rescued at Martin’s cove. I’ll be forever grateful for their rugged determination which has helped me in my 81 years of life!
What an awesome story!
Amazing story😊
🙏
I'm so sorry to hear that He and 14 others passed away trying to make that journey
A comedian once said that the reason you used to see so many driveways decorated with wagon wheels was because that location was where their wagon wheel failed on their trek West and they couldn't travel any further and thus settled right there!
One thing most people don’t realize today is that the families rarely rode in the wagons and walked beside them. My Grandmother went west by covered wagon and she talked about how bone jarring it was to ride with no suspension and hard wood and no padding . As a small girl she still walked most of the way from Virginia to Nebraska where they ended up and lived in a sod house.
Yeah those said were so uncomfortable.....I never got to talk to my great grands about when they came out west but I wish I had!
Btw I was born and raised in Nebraska!! Always flight the pioneer families had brass balls for going out there and making a living out of basically nothing!
Thank you for sharing her story.
This video is so accurate. In my schooner rn somewhere in Idaho territory.
What he didnt mention is women and children continually walked around d the wagon putting water on the wheels which would catch fire due to the friction.
After reading well over 150 trail diaries this is absolutely untrue. Sickness required that many of the pioneers had to ride in the wagons and often. Children could not walk the average 8 to 20 miles that the wagon trains traversed every day. The wagons were certainly uncomfortable but they were a necessity for finding refuge when sick, tired and hot. Women often wrote in their diaries that they would get out of the wagons and walk for portions of the trail mostly from boredom and being jolted. There were parts of the trail that required everyone to be out of the wagon for example on steep treacherous hills and some river crossings. But again, miles per day, sickness, and young children required many, many hours of riding in the wagons.
One thing not stressed upon enough in this video: shoes. They didn’t have advance hiking boots or athletic running shoes built for comfort. Shoes were very basic. Walking for that amount of time on rough terrain took a massive toll on their feet. Lots of people died from foot infections or became amputees. Never take nice shoes for granted.
Frequently I have read that they walked barefoot to save their shoes for the roughest ground
@@ReloadTH I’ve heard the shoes were called “brogans” and were cut pretty general (slab like) and over time would conform to your foot (or maybe that was a little later, after people settled?). I don’t think they were as precise in sizing as we have now.
I was thinking the same thing, like how many pairs you'd go through. Above it mentions walking barefoot. Yep, very tuff peple.
I’ve hike right at 10,000 miles in my life time, and I’m only 44. I’m about to go hike the pct again which is 2k+ miles next summer. In a 2,000 miles I have to change shoes at least once, and that is today’s shoes too like you said. I’m sure they went through a few pair of shoes but nothing crazy. Yet, even with today’s shoes I have lost toe nails etc in my journeys. It’s just part of the trip. I could have never done it in a pair of cowboy boots. Yet, they did ride horses even though they didn’t ride the wagon as much. There was also someone stirring the wagon and a person that road SHOTGUN. So at least two ppl were on the wagon at all times. I’m sure they switched up too. I know I would have! Many of times in my long hikes I wished I had a horse or donkey just to carry more stuff.
Crossing highway 50 across Nevada I came up on a shoe tree shoes that are thrown into the lim bs of the trees, I understand this was a practice used by the pioneers for the native tribes children.
30 or so years ago I spoke with a 92 year old (at the time) relative who told me about how she saw development and/or advancement of cars, trains and airplanes. She spoke of 'ice boxes', where blocks of ice were delivered and placed on top of cooler boxes in half sunken cooler sheds. Wet blankets placed over the ice box helped keep their milk cool. She said that as children, she and her siblings only saw "town" on Saturdays and that was only if they were willing to endure a two hour wagon ride each way....in a wagon with no springs. She said it was super rough riding, but they never turned down the chance to go to town. She was a joy to talk to. She wanted to fly in a plane, saying "I'm 92. So what if it crashes!"
I can remember when I was a small child,a lot of deliveries in England were still made by horses,we had no refrigeration,no hot water.but at least we did not have to walk vast distances,we had plenty of buses and the tube
@@richiephillips1541 those stories are good to hear and know of experiences outside of your own. When I lost my grandfather in 1972 (he was 76) I questioned why ( I guess I wasn’t ready to let him go) my dad told me he saw from the Wright Brothers first flight to man landing on the moon, what more was there to see?
I must stop now, I can’t see through my tears.
@@jenniferunderwood951 My mother was born in 1902. She also saw the first car and men on the moon. I also knew her Aunt who said she and her new husband went to North Dakota from Wisconsin on buckboards and that I may have her sewing machine and the brass bed that went with them. She took the fabric off the sewing machine and gave it to me. It still worked. This was in the 1960's.
@@jenniferunderwood951 The moon landgins were faked
Mine too!
My great grandfather and grandmother went from Ohio in a overed wagon and the stories were fascinating.the hardship they endured unbelievable what spirit and faith they had. I'm now 70 and every time I get to feeling sorry for myself I think of my great grandfather and grandmother. Or my grandfather and grandmother whom went through the depression. Tough old birds
So true it was rough bad even
I am amazed at how tough these pioneers were. Imagine being pregnant with kids at the same time. Respect.
In 183o's, one of my families moved from N Carolina, thru Kentucky, to Missouri. They went alone, not a 'train'. Twelve kids, 1 wagon. Babies (4/under), chickens, and 1 baby pig got to ride. All others, stock and all, walked. Almost 200 years later, most of us are still here!!!!
Survivors. All our amazing ancestors.
Wow, how did you and your animals manage to live so long. I know of no farm animals or humans that live to be 200+ years of age.😊😅
Damn, yall gonna live forever!
Wow! Now THAT’s a story!! Such bravery and determination!! Those early American settlers had incredible courage!! Their desire for a better life, and promising future for their children and descendants, completely overshadowed the fear and uncertainty that lay before them.
God bless you and your family!! Descendants of some of the most courageous men and women that dared to face the incredible odds, and WON!! I have so much respect for them, and others like them, who made the tough choices, and succeeded!! You and your family are a testament to their strong will!!
God bless you all!!
@@arlenewitt248 LOL...I think they left the word "ancestors" out.Also I wonder how much whiskey they had to take with them? 12 kids and no Tiktok,Facebook,no tablets for movies.....oh,the humanity🤣
Thank you to all the pioneers who took the initiative to build the Wild West. We are blessed in 2024
My third great grandfather was headed out west and met a Cherokee lady on the trail and they married in Southern Illinois and we're still here.😂
what was her name- first name is fine-because this sounds very familiar!
@maryfrump7937 i would have to go to cemetery
My Great Aunt Florence lost her doll on the trail and 80 years later she was still devastated by the loss
I believe it. Children had so little. That one little dolly is depicted in so many weaterns
@@dianecheney4141 that would’ve belonged in a history museum.
@@bonnielucas3244 I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right.
A member of the Donner party kept her little wooden doll hidden so no one could force her to give it up to save weight
@@margaretbasile1625I believe that. It was probably the only thing she would ever have to cuddle and love that would never make any demands on her. ❤
We took a tour in Alaska that talked about the difficulties people encountered when traveling through rugged landscapes. The guide said people then were "a different kind of smart and a different kind of strong (both mental and physical)". That idea has really stuck with me.
We as humans can get used to a huge extreme of conditions. The conditions can be different, but sometimes difficult to say which is harder.
The average farmer or rancher then would probably struggle if they suddenly time travelled and had to work a McDonald’s drive-thru job and live a working class life today. He would probably be shocked there isn’t any free land left, and that even a tiny land parcel today costs so much.
Alaska is so majestic & awe inspiring. Every American needs to go to see it at least once in their lives. Breathtaking!
And desperate
@@mlisaj1111I like that view it’s very unique and I’ve never heard that point of view.
I like it.
My great-grandfather homesteaded here in Montana in 1876 the first winter he spent in a wall tent and had to eat one of his horses to keep from starving. I would have loved to have met him and ask him a thousand questions!
God bless America .Richard uk
My great grandparents both ended up in Montana and the late 1870s. Some of my relatives still live there today.
@@richardbennett5614
Thank you. Praying for y’all.
Around 1920, WWI was over and the demand for horses and beef for the war effort declined. A several years drought hit Montana. Many families had proved up their 160 acre homestead and had borrowed to buy more land. The economy went downhill fast. In a book about those times, there was a picture of an outhouse with this inscription, “10 miles to water, 20 miles to wood; we’re leaving old Montana and we’re leaving for good”. The homesteaders left the dry East side of Montana for the fertile valleys of the West side; Bozeman, Missoula, the Flathead, and others only to find they were already settled. They moved on to California and Oregon. Modern day Montana is a powerful draw for many people seeking escape from the crime and deteriorating conditions of big cities and overcrowding. They may find it here, but we ask that they leave their oppressive liberal politics behind.
That's why they called them "settlers" .... They went as far as they could go and said "this is good enough" 😂
I hike 2-6 miles a day...I know for sure I wouldn't make it out of the gate. They're a tribute to all of humanity. Love them and thank them.
The pioneers were a surviving disease
If you walk every day, I'd be surprised if you DIDN'T make it out of the gate, plus across the country. Good for you.
My Irish ancestor - 2nd great gf named Wm O. Fallon - was a fur trapper/trader and later a guide for wagon trains and military. He and one other man comprised the last rescue party of what was left of the Donner Party. He was killed by Indians on the California Trail around 1849. He’s mentioned in a few books about settlement of the west.
@@Ladybug38790 wow!
just the leftovers..........
Luck of the Irish
My Great Grandmothers Aunt was Sarah Keys, first to die on the Donner Party near Sterlings Kansas. My Great Grand Parents came west this way and settled in the Bay Area, Concord, California.
I loved the practical use of mules after the October 2024 Raging flood through the NE Tennessee & upper NW North Carolina hollers for isolated and unreachable families affected!!! They were able to carry and deliver food, medicine, clothing, generators, gasoline cans, etc to those in desperate need of assistance for weeks, after the flood passed. Those waters removed people, lhomes, buildings, vehicles, trees + other Forest minutia downstream with tsunami force; over 50 ft high as it rounded corners and kept raging downhill.
Very educational and entertaining. It's amazing what these people went through. Today, people complain if they have a little chill or their eggs weren't cooked well enough. God Bless those people who brought america to a nation.
@@patriciazoernera great show.
@@patriciazoerner Great series, the problem being that those people could have taken the train.
I cook my own food and my body runs hot.
I'm a pioneer 🎉
@@Mozart12201If they had the money for the train. Transporting family livestock and belongings was quite expensive by train
Projection is funny
Im from DC but moved to South Dakota 10 yrs ago. Im still amazed at how this area was settled. My first blizzard here and thought...they lived in a sod house?? Thank God for the first and the brave
Sod houses were actually quite effectively insulated. The only difficulty was getting wood for heating and cooking.
@paullangford8179 I heard that too but The Blizzards..my brother n law climbed out the 2nd story window to try and clear the front door area..I didn't get it because who the hell can come down the street but the pictures are very funny.
Amazing. Have you read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book The Long Winter? Another good read is The Children’s Blizzard.
@pamlaenger6870 I really should read the book. Her home is just the next town over.
@ABeautfulMess I was always fascinated with the expression "next town over" and thought the ambiguity has such a _minding their own business_ pioneer spirit to it. It's rarely used in the southeast where each community traditionally specialized in one or two specific industries and relied on trade and commerce with other towns who had their own exclusive industry.
Us kids were impressed that our Great-grandma came west in a covered wagon but she said,”weren’t no cover on that wagon.”
Thats nuts! I only ever knew old people that walked up hills in snow both ways to get to and from schools.
Most wagons were simple farm wagons. No hoops for the wagons sheet. Oxen were the preferred animal. Horses were usually tied to the wagons. Chuck wagons were almost never present. Wagons used by sheep herders look much like Chuck wagons. The were designed g or carrying everything one person and a dog needed for 6 months plus you had a bed inside. Many buggies were used to. They were light carried less but had seats with springs. If they carried a couple of extra wheels they usually made it. Trailers behind a wagon were more common than you would think. The few towns and forts were used to make repairs, get new draft animals. Death was common. Many men who lost a wife on the trail would marry a girl 14 or 15 years old. 😊
@@justins3810I did that! 😂. We did walk across south Richmond to school in the sewer pipes…dry and warm in winter. Great place for mischief too! Wonder if you can still do that? My dad built a kayak and paddled down reedy creek to forest hill park, we caught minnows and crayfish for bait and I always wondered how he paddled the creek? Go there now for the asphalt answer! There is no more creek, it’s just a drainage ditch for when it rains it floods, now if you’re good you can paddle it then! 🤣😉🥺😔🤪
Those wagon trails are still visible from space. That amazes me.
The pioneers indeed left their mark for posterity. 😊❤
Interesting!
That's because they were Indian trails before that. And they were animal trails before that.
@ That may be but the actual wagon wheel tracks themselves are also visible, two parallel tracks.
These people were the most brave and craziest people ever. How amazing they were
They were after a dream.
I agree about the crazy. I always say I would have gladly stayed in St. Louis and worked as a seamstress.
Land thrives.
My great great grandma came from Georgia to east Texas with two young boys in a covered wagon. She had lost her husband in Georgia and remarried in Texas. We’ve stayed here. I’m a 5the generation Texan. I wish she could see how her bravery resulted in a big, successful family here in Texas.
Congrats on being related to the generation that most likely participated in the genocide of the Native Americans that already lived on the land your ancestors stole from them.
Congrats on being related to the generation of people that forced the Native Americans already there off of their own land and most likely caused many of the natives to be unalive.
Jasonscott are you living in the past? Is that all the ammo you have spurting your hate. Meanwhile I'll bet your soaking up the comforts provided you. You could always go back where you came from. Ha! No way hu? Ha ha. Your last name makes you one of them. O wait, perhaps even that has been given to you. Your funny, useless but entertaining.
@@clydegray9714 My family came here after WW1. They didn't take part in the genocide that took place in order to steal land from it's rightful owners.
@@clydegray9714 My family came here from Europe after WW1. My ancestors didn't participate in the forced removal of the natives from their own land.
Chuckwagons were used on cattle drives, not emigrant companies. One chuckwagon will not feed the people in a typical company of 30-40 wagons. Each wagon carried it's own food. Letters written in 1846 suggested wagons have double covers. Th narrowest part of a river is where the current is the fastest, the widest part is where the water slows down and spreads out.
And with 200-300 wagons per train... Chuck wagons were used only on trail drives. Food, water, and fire supplies were kept in barrels and in hammocks mounted on the sides and underneath the wagons.
@@craigmatheson2736 In 1846 the largest train was Russell's, about 100 wagons. It split into smaller groups for easier travel. When the Gold Rush started, the wagons were nearly nose-to tail for miles.
The widest part of the river is frequently the shallowest part, as well as having the slowest current.
As a child I almost drowned crossing a river at it's narrowest part... my ears pricked up at the commentators mistake glad I wasn't the only one
I picked that up too but thought I had misheard it.
The strength and courage of the early settlers is mind blowing. Try driving across this country
Great point! I wouldn't even drive. But is this because I already know what's there?
Did it for 15 years, try it on a greyhound, now that's hell
@ no Thanks!
I rode horses until I went in the service. This made me conscious of the impact of geography on travel by foot or horse. As a result I often look at the land as I drive and envision what it must have been like before our modern roads & vehicles. It had to have been terribly difficult, yet to the people back then it was just normal. I am in awe.
Land thrives.
My grandparents lived in an old unpainted clapboard house in a field, that was stacked up precariously on big rocks, and w no bathroom. We kids took baths in a big wash tub by a pot bellied stove and used an outhouse w corn husks and sears catalog pages as toilet paper. My granny had a big garden and I remember drinking water out of a dipper by the sink or mason jars. We picked wild blackberries and she would make a big cobbler or fried turnovers. And she raised her own chickens and I never once saw my granddaddy in anything but overalls and an old fedora hat. Granny had at least 12 kids and a whole passel of grandkids, and pioneer women had it even worse. So, I am always grateful for indoor plumbing and every other convenience. I always say out loud to myself that I am no pioneer woman when I get frustrated opening a jar or I have another load of laundry to do in my stacked washing machine/dryer. Granny had a foot driven Singer sewing machine and we would help her put wet clothes through an old fashioned wringer after hand washing them, and then hanging them out to dry. We shucked corn and snapped green beans, and she made home made biscuits and corn beard and fried chicken and gravy. She was a good person and we grandkids all miss her still!
Same, Sister! My little Mamaw lived in southeastern
Kentucky, and was tuff!! ❤❤
You described alot of my childhood. It was hard, but a better time.
My grandmother used to tell me about riding in a covered wagon. But at the time I was only around 5 or 6, so I really didn’t care. Now that I’m 70, I so wish I could talk to her now! They moved from southwestern Oklahoma to northeastern Oklahoma. She was born in the late 1800’s.
Your photos are priceless. They really tell so much. Thanks for sharing. Yes, I subscribed.
There was that one photo with the plastic bowl, milk jug, and metal fold up chairs. Kinda made me short wire for a minute.
Incredibly tough brave, innovative people is the foundation of a great nation.
As an avid watcher of western movies i thoroughly enjoyed watching this,, one of the best movies is The Origin Trail a great movie i recomend to anybody with an intrest, thanks for the upload,,
Westerns do depict in their own way how much of people's lives were spent outdoors or semi sheltered conditions due to tasks needing to be done.
Love old oaters watching all the time I find the old west so interesting.
My great great grandfather went west on the Oregon trail in 1850. He sent letters to his brother describing everyday life on the trail. They have been published in a book called "Dear Ned." It was a pleasure for me to see your film and the journey west shown as it really was. Thank you.
Your average person of today would not have made it
Imagine if one of these vegan sissies had to eat some pemmican to survive 😂 they’d fucking starve to death
You got that right. 👍🏻
Apparently, the average person of today doesn’t know how french fries get served without touching them with one’s hands!
Imagine them on this journey!
Just imagine!
I say that if this generation was settling the country,Ohio would be the west coast..
Pretty sure the average person back then wasn't blazing the way West either.
THANK YOU... your efforts here are much appreciated
A+ video!
LOVE IT! What a fascinating history, sounds like a real odyssey!
These days we simply can't imagine the difficulties and hardships they endured for a better life. Fascinating video.
I've had the pleasure of reading a journal from the old west. This man describes witnessing his first hanging. He literally walked from Kansas to Washington State because he was a mule driver. He knew wild Bill Hitchcock and Calamity Jane. He talked about him and a friend walking to Denver Colorado, from there down to Texas and all that happened in his journey. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of his printed journal because I've read over 4000 books so far.
A huge risk missed here was waterborne disease from polluted water sources along the trail and lack of sanitation
Absolutely correct, he also failed to mention the risk from Native American tribes.
“You died of dysentery.”
Brutal trip for sure.
Great video. Shocking to see the contrast of how capable they were back then, compared to a huge majority of our population now. So many can barely function as adults.
Society isn't designed to include neurodivergent ppl as well as it used to be. Like if you enjoyed watching the fire, you'd watch the food. If you didn't mind sitting for hrs to make yarn, you'd do that. If you were better outside, you'd do that. Etc... now a days it's not like that. They even say that the job requires ppl to be able to lift a certain amount even when it's just a call center. This is how they avoid hiring disabled ppl without getting in trouble for discrimination
Human spirit and ingenuity haven't died. Look at the seemingly incredible survival stories of today, where ordinary people with no particular skills come through great hardships.
@@emarieburson8846never thought of it like that - thank you
When fording a river they searched for the shallowest place, which is invariably the widest with the stream running at a leisurely pace. Where a stream narrows it is much deeper and the current runs fast through steep banks.
I noticed that blooper also!!😂
Might catch the odd 🐒🦍
The people who chose to go west are to be admired for the courage to travel three thousand miles through dangerous conditions. And Im also in awe of those who ,in the 1930s dust bowl days in Oklahoma and Texas ,left for a journey across the country in cars and trucks that were held together with hope and baleing wire. Americans were tough and did what had to be done back then.Are we still that brave and resilient?
Yes were are!
Some of us still are. Not all, but neither were all previous generations.
Not in my opinion. I think you develop physical and mental toughness like this from childhood. You learn to deal.with hardship and to work through physical pain. Many of these people knew how to grow their own food and could survive on a simpler diet
It would be hard for many people now to develop this mental toughness. I read an article noting that children in other countries are much more independent than kids in the US. This is because they have to be.
I think.there was a show that had modern families try to survive using tools of older tomes in history. I think one series was set in this time period. I don't know if this is available on streaming services or not. It would help answer your question.
My ancestors were Mormon pioneers and hand cart people. I never thought it was this rough bc I didn't think about all angles. I know I'd never make it. Some ancestors had bad asthma. I'm sure animals shortened their lives. I was told my great grandma could be heard wheezing from the street. I'm thankful for them.
I've partied on a few Pioneer Days, 24 July.
The Mormons took care of their own. Without livestock, they traveled faster, could start later. The slept in tents, one for the men, one for the women. Cooked food in community.
I'm so sorry you were born into a cult
@@joemaddaMe too!! I’m from Utah.
If i were born back then or were older and traveling back then, i NEVER would have made it!!!! I am fortunate to have been born when i was!!! Bless them, they were a hearty bunch!!!
You’re thinking of how you are in 2024. I’d be willing to bet if were raised in the 1800s, you would have been raised in a completely different, tougher lifestyle. If your family decided to make the trek, I think you’d do ok!
Na he would go back inside the womb and wait for the 21st century.
I had the chance of going on a car trip from Pennsylvania to California. I was so shocked at the size of this country and the wonderment of how our ancestors even made it across this country. In one place the wagon train had to be lowered down a straight cliff of over 1000 foot drop. That meant everything even themselves. I can see no way modern man could achieve this, especially since some of them walked.
Crossing the Teton River in Idaho is such a place
My 2nd great grandfather traveled to CA in 1849 and 1851 for his health - and to make money to buy property there-sold goods to the miners, then went back home to the Midwest got married and returned to live and then die there in 1859.
His family sold everything, and sailed down the west coast-across Panama- then up the east coast where they heard the bombardment of fort McHenry, eventually settled back to their old Midwest home.
Very cool!!
Fort McHenry was the War of 1812 when the Star Spangled Banner was written
Funny you should compare the Prairie schooner to a mini van. Turns out the inside of a Prairie Schooner had exactly the same measurements as the inside of my Toyota Highlander.
lol!!!! Cool
Today, the American struggles to walk up the stairs to McDonald's to buy their 4th Big Mac of the day.
Maybe for you.
Taking about that orange rapist who loves fast food . The orange stain of the us
An excellent documentary. I thank you for posting it. I'm off to share it now😊.
My Mom's grandparents were all from Czechoslovakian and first came across in a ship.Then to Ellis Island.Then to Galveston and central Texas with Apache Indian.And sod homes.Going West was one thing... settling Texas quite rough as well ❤️🩹
A great book on this is "Men to Match My Mountains" by Irving Stone. In one part he talks about wagon trains having to dissassemble the wagons and haul the parts up with rope and tackle and oxen to get up the sierras then reassemble on the other side😮😱👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
If this process is anything like 19th century army transporting heavy artillery the path down steep slopes was even mor hazardous and heavy loads had to be let down slowly and carefully using long ropes and any form of anchor to lower the load down the slope.Even mor dangerous when trees were not available to act as anchoring points.
@@jgdooley2003 early feats of transport and engineering like these blows my mind!
Loved this. Give us plenty more.
Just found your channel and I'm completely hooked! I'll be binging your videos all night!!
I love history and especially pioneer days history (and medieval history but i have other channels for that lol)
Thank you for such a neat channel!
Excellent video. We forget how spoiled we are now. Those pioneers endured pure hell, showing just how strong we can be
Our ancestors endured so much hardship. Anyone nowadays wouldn't survive even half of that
I would have lasted maybe a couple of days
Great video. Highly recommend 2 films:
* The Big Trail - made in 1930 by actually taking a wagon train cross country before there were roads and wires changing the view. Ignore hokey plot elements and enjoy the panoramic scenery and the real river crossings, etc.
* Westward the Women - also some hokey elements in this later film but some real wagon train action. Somewhat derivative of TBT but worth seeing.
Those pioneers were so courageous, resilient and tough.
Good to see note of the reality of (far as anything I learned here in Montana) wagons being pulled by oxen or mules MUCH MORE than more valuable horses that have so much more cinematic appeal (and control, I assume!).
A late salute to "Westward Expansion in the 1880s." My reluctant high school required late 1970s history class that instantly hypnotized me from Day One. Sorry I cannot recall the teacher (man, but a name is tingling the tip of tongue. But see him clearly. And forever grateful as I believe his excellent class was one reason I bailed to Montana for the next 40 years+
Nice video and photos
The wagons were the original meals on wheels.
Imagine the fortitude of these mighty folk.
My great grandparents traveled by covered wagon, towed by oxen, from Agency, Iowa to Oregon City, Oregon. My Great gma was pregnant when they left Iowa and gave birth to a daughter on the trail. They became "food short" before reaching Oregon, but my great uncle, my great gma's brother, loaded pack mules with food and set out to locate them. He saved their lives and became a hero of our family. After 16 years in Oregon they once again loaded up their wagons and headed to California where they settled east of Redding. My great grandma wrote her biography, concluding that she "started life in a log cabin and just took my first ride in an aeroplane!" What simple Christian faith, strength and courage! She lived into her 90's. I remember her telling me about it!😊🙏✝️💜📖
Fun Fact: Oxen are NOT a separate breed of the bovine family. They are steers of draft cows (like the Brown Swiss) which have been 'trained to the yoke' from an early age.
Whatever a draft cow is. They don't like their beer bottled?
@@bgold2007 Draft animals are trained to pull heavy loads, and are often muscular, robust, and powerful. They can pull more weight uphill than a regular horse or cow. That extra percentage of strength is 'the draft'. Your dumb comment, rather than looking the definition up, shows what kind of a person you are.
They're big and strong (think Clydesdale vs a regular horse -- Clydesdales are draft horses). Oxen were usually larger than intact bulls and could be very stubborn and patient.
You think when railroads went it, that travel from east to west was a big improvement, but actually, the trains had as many of the same hardships and dangers as the wagons, if not even more, when locomotive boilers exploded, bridges collapsed, tracks were washed out or buried in windblown dirt, and there were constant derailments that left groups of people stranded in the wilderness. Bandits were a problem, too. You could made a good video about the hardships of travel on those early railroads
The pioneers were the toughest people. We are nothing compared to them when it comes to survival because we are so spoiled on creature comforts. I like to get out there and go camping or backpacking in the backcountry but it’s not the same as what they did in order to migrate. 🥰🥰
Wow great people
You forgot the many young children that died along the way. ❤😢❤
I really love this information and reading everyone’s stories. Thank you for sharing.
This is a very interesting and enlightening documentary including much information that I did not know. Than you so much.❤
I used to ride horses when I was younger. Believe me, 20 miles is a long day.
A couple of hours trekking was enough for me when I went horse riding. I never thought how it must be, being in the saddle for six to eight hours a day.
My 2nd great grandfather traveled to CA in 1849 and 1851 for his health - and to make money to buy property there-sold goods to the miners, then went back home to the Midwest got married and returned to live and then die there in 1859.
His family sold everything, and sailed down the west coast-across Panama- then up the east coast where they heard the bombardment of fort McHenry, eventually settled back to their old Midwest home.
BTW-hindsight is easy for us.
My grandfather was a horse trader in Missouri and my grandmother once told me that she used to help Indians who came to the back door begging for food. A sad story of history in the world where the saying “to the victor goes the spoils” which unfortunately really rings true.
The three most frequent causes of death moving westward were cholera, drowning and accidental gunfire. At one point, the Oregon Trail could be navigated by following the grave markers ...
Tough times create tough people .. unfortunate weve lost this perspective.
If humans suffered such difficulties, then the animals must have suffered immensely.
Louis L'Amour has written so many great books about this time. I love reading them, and enjoy them as audiobooks even more. I think some of them would be great high school history studies.
As a South African this sounds exactly like the story of the Vootrekkers. That's an Afrikaans word meaning "Pioneers". They also travelled in exact same covered wagons across deserts, rivers and tall mountains. The distance covered was from Cape Town to the Northern provinces at least 2000 miles. Some went even further inland. Erich now living safely in New Zealand.😊
Grandpa left Nebraska in 1918 to homestead in Wyoming. After filing the claim, he took a train to Missouri and drove his milk cows up to Moorcroft through Kansas and Nebraska. He lived 10 miles SW of Moorcroft and also worked as the CB&Q station agent in that. He often walked to Moorcroft with a shoulder yoke with two milk cans. Even between 1918 and 1928 it was hard and he was single.
Really good. Ta very much ( thanks ) in Brit lingo.
My family migrated from St Louis to Los Angeles during the 60’s in a covered station wagon and I’m telling you, that was one brutal day 🤪
I can't even *_remember_* how many times I died from dysentery... and starvation... exposure... cholera, drowning, broken legs and childbirth traveling that treacherous _Oregon Trail._
There are several places in Oklahoma where you can still see the wagon ruts where settlers as well as cattle drives used familiar trails. It’s fascinating to stand there and see the ruts and wonder about the people who traveled those trails. Near Chickasha, Oklahoma there are trail ruts, the remains of an old trail post office (Old Fred they called it), and a trail side cemetery where pioneers, cowboys and executed outlaws are all buried. Cowboys from the Chisholm Trail and travelers who drowned while crossing local rivers are buried in this small cemetery. The Chisholm Trail ran north through Oklahoma and as I remember, the Sante Fe Trail ran through Oklahoma too. Even though trains were available in the late 1800s and early 1900s, most everyone still travelled and moved households with wagons, horses and mules.
Chuck wagons were actually used for cattle drives, not wagon trains. On wagon trains, each family depended only on what was on their own wagon.
These people rarely knew what they were in for when they decided to take their family west, a lot were new immigrants who didn't even know what a native American was
There were no "native Americans", only Indians, who were mostly peaceful.
I feel for these people for travel to go for a better life I’m sure some made it and then the ones that got attacked from the Indians to be scalped and women taken or killed
I have the highest respect for the people of way back
@@captainjimolchs no, they murdered each other on a daily basis. They were as territorial and as violent as the rest of the world
There are still no native Americans . Europeans Chinese African Mexican. They are the native people of the land.when the white man arrived they were called red Indians and Redskins.
Whoever narrates this video needs to do audiobooks and narrate anything western themed. Perfect voice
It's AI
Thank you for this informative video. You have a new subscriber.
It would be an incredible adventure.
I took Tour Bus trip from Georgia to California. I watched the wagon trails ever now and then. Made me appreciate the endurance of the settlers. I would not have made it on a Wagon Train. ❤
My family has been here since 1760s...I'm proud of that❤
It must have been so difficult, for everyone,especially the horses, mules,and oxen.Imagine traveling through the desert, back then.💙
For me one of the biggest mysteries was how they fed their livestock; horses and cattle need enormous amounts of food - grain oats hay fresh grass water etc etc. When you see the dry sandy soil without a blad of grass in sight you have to wonder how they kept the trains of cattle alive and the horses. You do not see huge wagons loaded up with hay. These animals can graze if allowed but the deserts could barely get enough moisture to support a cactus. Also horses and mules are high maintenance animals needing shoeing and sometimes tooth problems. A whole host of professional people would be needed; blacksmiths, carpenters, dentists, medical doctors, midwives - the list goes on. It had to be very tough for humans and the animals they used. The old western movies romanticised life in the American desert but it had to be extremely hard for all. Attacks by native indians had to be a problem too for small trains.
Not to mention nail techs and hair people! Dentists, doctors and midwives? They rarely had those at home!
That was the main reason for the covered wagon,.
To haul and protect all the feed for the cattle and provisions for the settlers as they began their journey,.
There's no way you're starting a journey like that without feed for the horses and oxen ect,..
@@matthewmatt5285 I have a better plan. Hang around St. Joseph until the grass starts to grow.
Um all the animals and most the people died
AWESOME AND ACCURATE, TY😊
Man shor has "come a long way". Now-a-days, roughing it means leaving the comfort of his home in suburbia and travelling in his state of the art RV. No boredom here with the TVs, computer and cell fones at his reach. Pioneers had it physically rough with the hard work and all the walking for months on end! I wonder if they suffered heart problems, diabetes and obesity like many do today. Probably not🤔
They didn't have access to foods that caused diabetes and heart disease.
At least they went in a convoy so at least they had some support. I couldn’t imagine traveling with just one family . The danger would be unimaginable
My family came from Spain in the 1700's and settled in was then the capital of Tejas (Texas), they were tough people. My great
grandmother was a mid wife and used medicinal herbs to cure people. They were tough and self sufficient, they lived off the land and were used to death.
Back when the US was actually a free country.
Free for some. Think about it.
My ancestors came across the prairie settling in Kansas… owned the last sod cabin in central Kansas until 1961
It wasn't that long ago!
I admire them so!
sounds like one of my kayak trips with my kids in the Canadian wilderness! When you're that tired, you sleep really well, even on hard ground. Thank God for Off, though. I don't suppose the pioneers had deet.
Not much use for it on the rain-less plains.
I really enjoyed the information. Thank you. Blessings from Michigan.
It’s interesting that these sturdy people were the ancestors of the snow flakes that now live on the west coast
The idea of pioneering to the west was romanticized by stories in Europe about Daniel Boone. Nathan Boone the youngest son of the famous pioneer, owned a tavern and outfitting company in Franklin Missouri, the head of the Sante fe and Oregon trails. My ancestors worked the salt manufacturing spring at Boones Lick Missouri. The Boone family freed their slaves in the late 1800s and generously gave them small land parcels. My great grandfather owned a barber shop in Moberly and sent my grandfather to Lincoln College, a hbc in Jefferson city Missouri. Troops from Fort Scott and Leavenworth escorted wagon trains across Comanche zones.
Great video, though I knew most of this from James A Michener's Centennial, which I would recommend to anyone.
Agreed. "Centennial" was my first Michener novel. His extensive historical research led me to a few of his other novels, "Space", "Alaska" and "Chesapeake".
For HBO's "Deadwood" fans, Watson Parker's "Deadwood - The Golden Years" is an excellent read ...
I’m from Utah and I’m LDS. Most LDS pioneers used Oxen to pull their carts. The first LDS Pioneers reached the Utah on July 24, 1847. This is where Brigham Young declared THIS IS THE PLACE. We celebrate this date every year. In Salt Lake City they have a THIS IS THE PLACE MOMENT. They have museum with real buildings and other facilities from that era. The store sells food and candy etc from back then.
**you died from dysentery** Oregon Trail game. One in ten died along the Oregon trail. It’s has been estimated that between 20-30,000 died.