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Trail Basics

Trail Basics. Supplies for the move out west. The Merchantile Store was the place where pioneers would select their supplies for the journey along the trail. . A Pioneer’s Typical “Outfit” wasn’t terribly expensive. one (1) or two (2) small, sturdy farm wagons

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Trail Basics

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  1. Trail Basics Supplies for the move out west.

  2. The MerchantileStore was the place where pioneers would select their supplies for the journey along the trail.

  3. A Pioneer’s Typical “Outfit”wasn’t terribly expensive. • one (1) or two (2) small, sturdy farm wagons • six (6) to ten (10) head of oxen • a milk cow or two (2) • food, clothing, and utensils needed for survival • Heavy items: furniture, stoves, pianos would be freighted to the West Coast by clipper ship. • If heavy things were packed in the wagons, they usually ended up left along trailside along the way.

  4. Horse vs. Oxen Oxen...are steer used for work. They are much stronger than horses and usually calmer. Oxen have been used for many jobs. They can plow fields, pull logs, remove stumps and pull wagons. Oxen are hitched together by a wooden frame called a yoke. This allows them to work together and to pull very heavy loads.

  5. Surviving the Journey A Family of 4 NEEDED… • 600 lbs. of flour • 120 lbs. of biscuits • 400 lbs. of bacon • 60 lbs. of coffee • 4 lbs. of tea • 100 lbs. of sugar • 200 lbs. of lard • These were just the basic staples. • Optional food stuffs: sacks of rice and beans, plus dried peaches and apples.

  6. Other Necessities… Each man took a rifle or shotgun, and some added a pistol. A good hunting knife was essential. Farm implements: plow, shovel, scythe, rake, hoe; plus carpentry tools - saw, broad axe, mallet, plane Seeds for corn, wheat and other crops

  7. “Taking It All” Needs vs. Wants • A.J. McCall an early traveler on the Oregon Trail made light of how some pioneers tried to "take it all." "They laid in and over supply of bacon, flour and beans, and in addition thereto every conceivable jimcrack and useless article that the widest fancy could devise or human ingenuity could invent – pins and needles, brooms and brushes, ox shoes and horse shoes, lasts and leather, glass beads and hawks-bells, jumping jacks and jews-harps, rings and bracelets, pocket mirrors and pocket-books, calico vests and boiled shirts."

  8. Packing was an Art Thick slabs of smoked bacon would keep as long as it was protected form the hot temperatures. One way to preserve bacon was to pack it inside a barrel of bran. Eggs could be protected by packing them in barrels of corn meal – as the eggs were used up, the meal was used to make bread. Coffee was another important staple. It was drunk by man and beast, adult and child and the best way to disguise the taste of bitter, alkali water.

  9. Hunting was Important In the early days of the trail, game was more abundant. Pioneers could often kill buffalo and antelope. A more dependable supply of fresh meat was to bring along a small herd of cattle and trail them behind the wagon. Many pioneers brought along a cow for milking purposes. Milk could be churned into butter by simply hanging it in pails beneath the bumpy wagon. By the end of the day, fresh butter would be ready.

  10. Cargo Cooking Utensils:Dutchoven, kettle, skillet, reflector oven, coffee grinder, teapot, butcher knife, ladle, tin tableware, water keg, matches 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

  11. Cargo continued… BEDDING & TENT SUPPLIES: blankets, ground cloths, pillows, tent, poles, stakes, ropes TOOLS & EQUIPMENT: augers, gimlet, ax, hammer, hoe, plow, shovel, spade, whetstone, oxbows, axles, kingbolts, ox shoes, spokes, wagon tongue, heavy ropes, chains

  12. Luxuries canned goods, plant cuttings, school books, musical instruments, dolls and toys, family albums, jewelry, china, silverware, fine linens, iron stoves, furniture.

  13. WEAPONRYrifle, pistol, knife, hatchet, gunpowder, lead, bullet mold, powder horn, bullet pouch, holster.

  14. HANDY ARTICLES surgical instruments, liniments, bandages, campstool, chamber pot, washbowl, lanterns, candle molds, tallow, spyglasses, scissors, needles, pins, thread.

  15. Thank You! National Oregon/California Trail Center Montpelier, Idaho April 8, 2013 <http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Supplies.htm>

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