Packing for the Trip: Boon or Bust from the Beginning

“I could never have believed we could have traveled so far with so little difficulty. Indeed, if we do not experience anything worse, I shall say the trouble is all in getting started.” – Tamsen Donner’s journal [1]

Photo Credit: Nick White, Example of a Farm Wagon
Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID

After a family makes the decision to head west, whether for a new beginning or for the free land, the choices they made in what to bring defined much of their trip. A choice of wagons was a common starting place for many. There were many different styles of

wagons, but the most durable was called a “prairie schooner” or simply, a heavy farm wagon. These wagons looked much simpler than they were; counterbalanced with gears and hounds, drop tongues or fixed tongues, and independent axles were all incorporated to the best. Underneath the wagons hung buckets of grease to care for the wagon hubs and other moving parts. The grease concoctions may have differed but the grease helped move things along and helped prevent them from breaking.

     Wagons were the most common and the most successful in making the trip across the country. This did not prevent others from stepping outside this ideal; carriages and small carts were seen attempting the trip. They were ill-suited for going; very few made it all the way. These carts were hard on the horses that had to pull them and they did not carry the provisions that were needed. Despite this, there are documented cases of people taking no more than a wheelbarrow full of supplies and making it. Some men drove pack stock across the nation, with multiple animals carrying the supplies for one or two men.  

Photo Credit: Nick White, Stock shoes; the oxen shoes were worn on the Oregon Trail.
Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID

     Stock was another important choice. Horses were flashy and quick, but they were expensive and broke down easier. They also were sought after by Indians, either through fair trade or through raids. Mules were hardier but a little slower. They were also fairly expensive and could be “borrowed” by the natives. Mules do not have a reputation for being steady across water; some even say they would rather drown than swim. Oxen often turned out to be the best bet to make. Cheap to buy, cheaper to feed and easier to maintain, these beasts of burden often made the entire trip. Oxen were not coveted by the Indians and they could be eaten easily if the need arose. They also wore wooden yolks instead of expensive leather harnesses that horses and mules required. While oxen were common, horses and mules did make the pilgrimage successfully despite their down sides.[2]  

Whichever animal was chosen to make the journey across the country, people soon became attached to the beasts that pulled their belongings faithfully. When remembering his oxen teams, emigrant Mary Medley Ackley said “I must pay tribute to our when oxen, Dick and Berry, who drew the family wagon all the way across the plains. They were gentle, kind, patient and reliable. I loved them and my heart often ached for them when they tried to hold back the wagon on a steep hill.”[3]

Photo Credit: Nick White, example of a farm wagon and some gear
Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID

     Milk cows were assets on the Oregon Trail and as such, many were tied to the wagons and pushed west. Fresh milk, cream, and butter were luxuries that were enjoyed by those lucky enough to keep their cow alive. Churning the butter was a very intense chore when done at home, but on the trail a tightly covered bucket tied under the wagon turned to butter as the miles ran under the wheels. Fresh beef came from her trailing calf if the trails proved easy enough for the cow to keep him. Chickens were also brought along in crates to provide fresh eggs and meat.

Photo Credit: Nick White, example of a General Store
Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID

     Bacon, beans, and biscuits were the main stay for every meal for every family member. Salted pork would stay edible for miles; beans and wheat proved to be the ultimate travel food. Both could last a long time despite the heat and dampness found on the trail. If there were wet, they could easily be dried again before they were either cooked or ground into wheat. Coffee was another vital provision for the family moving west. Not only did the caffeine provide a bit of a kick to keep walking every day, but the act of boiling the water killed whatever bacteria might have been lurking. This saved many from cholera.

     Cloth was another supply that was much needed. It could be used to fashion new clothes as the old ones wore out or to patch them as they frayed. Colorful cloth could also

be traded to Indians for other supplies or guidance along the trail. Medicine such as opiates and liniments were also encouraged by wagon bosses for all to carry. Tin lanterns verses the traditional oil lamps were preferred as they did not require the dangerous oil to burn and they did not have glass that would break. Fine china was sold to buy tin plates and cups; one for every member of the party was not necessary. Two pairs of shoes for all were necessary, along with a shoe repair kit. Walking twenty miles per day was hard on shoes.

     Over one thousand pounds of equipment had to be packed into the wagons. The stock had to be heavy and healthy enough to make the trip; their provisions, such as oats and shoes, had to be in the wagon as well. Not many people rode in the wagons for these reasons; usually only they very young, very old, or very sick rode. Along the way every family member had a job to do. Some young ones were allowed to play as they walked, but the older ones were required to gather buffalo chips to burn later or to count the wagon wheels turning. By counting the times the wagon wheel turns, the group could keep track of the miles they were making. This was done by tying a rag onto the wheel and counting how many times it went around; it took four hundred and five revolutions on a standard wheel to go one mile. Needless to say, many children lost count. To make up for this, the wagon wheel odometer was invented and sold at many jump off points.

Photo Credit: Nick White, example of a rag odometer and a geared odometer
Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID

     The ideal time for many wagon trains to leave was in early April. By then the snows had become less harsh and the grasses had begun to grow. This allowed the most time for getting across the dangerous western mountains before the snows fell again. It was a race against time and a fight against Mother Nature to make the trip. From Independence, Missouri to Clover Creek (now Montpelier) Idaho, the trip was fairly easy and twenty miles per day were normal. From Clover Creek onto Oregon, the trails became much less forgiving and ten miles per day were considered excellent. [4]

     Due to the constricting time demands, the need for cutoffs and better trails was insistent. Many sprung up along the trail created by people looking to shorten their time. Some worked well, bypassing dangerous aspects of the trail. Others were not shortcuts at all but rather, they were death traps. The most infamous of all the cutoffs was the Hastings cutoff and the ill-fated Donner Party.

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[1] America: The Story of US, "Westward," History Channel, September 3, 2011.
[2] Will Bagley, So Rugged and Mountainous, Overland West (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010), 1:119-170.
[3] Ackley, Crossing the Plains, in Levy, They saw the elephant, 20
[4] Trail Boss, "1950's Wagon Train, Traveling from Independence, Missouri to the Oregon Trail" (lecture, The National Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID, May 6, 2012).