Conestoga Wagon was about the size of a modern Surburban. It could carry 8 tons of material (most of the material though was thrown out eventually) and had to be towed by 4-6 oxen or 6-8 mules/horses.

Smaller wheels in front made it easier to turn

Bucket of grease hung here to grease down wheels

TOOLS POUNDS ax 15

shovel 12hatchet 9hammer 7hoe 3anvil 150grinding stone 75animal trap 15rope 4

Personal Items Pounds doll 2jump rope 1marbles 1family Bible 2books 2hunting knife 1bag of clothes 40 fiddle 2snowshoes 8rifle 10pistol 7first aid kit 3

Food Pounds flour 150tea 10salt 50 sugar 50coffee 100bacon 40dried fruit 100dried beans 100cornmeal 10spit peas 100oatmeal 8vinegar 25pickles 50dried beef 25salt pork 5assorted spices 5barrel of water 350vegetables 5

Household Goods Pounds coffee grinder 5rug 40bedding 20mirror 40 dutch oven 70butter churn 40table and 4 chairs 200piano 900organ 2000baby cradle 75wooden bucket 10bedpan 2butter mold 1rocking chair 50pitcher and bowl 5cooking stove 700cooling utensils 2stool 10spinning wheel 80lantern 4clock 110 candles 1set of dishes 40

Wagon Trains were usually led by a “Captain”. The Captain was usually an experienced trail guide. Sometimes the Captainwas chosen because he was the richest person in the train orhad the most family members in the train. The Wagon Trains learned that to keep from choking each other’s dusk, the spread out over a big area.To lead the Wagon trains forward the Captain would yell “Forward Ho!”

Caravans would only travel ten to fifteen miles per day. On rainy and muddy days they might only travel one mile! It would take them five to seven days just to travel the distance we can drive a car in a single hour.The people would have to get up very early each morning in order to prepare for their daily travels. It was usually dark on these mornings. They would have to start the fire, prepare breakfast, gather the livestock, reload the wagon, and

hitch the oxen or mules before getting started. The caravans often traveled 7 days a week, but some choose to travel 6 days a week in observance of the Sabbath. The trains that traveled only 6 days often

arrived to their destination faster and in better health.

Children had lots of chores that included milking their cows, fetching water from a stream or a river that was nearby, helping their parents cook food, washing dishes, collecting buffalo chips (pooh) or wood for the fire, shaking out dusty blankets and quilts, and hanging beef jerky to dry in the sun. Plus they walked most of the way!!!!

Cholera (biggest killer) is an acute intestinal infection caused by toxigenic Vibrio cholerae.Infection is acquired primarily by ingesting contaminated water or food; person-to-person transmission is rare.Indian Attack: Rare but feared. A myth is that the settlers put their wagons in a circle to fend off attacks at night. While this did happen, the main reasonwas to put the cattle inside the circle so they wouldn’t wander off.Accidents: Wagons running over people. Failed water crossings. Horses bucking off their riders. Accidental gunshot wounds. Mortality Rate: Never really can be known, but most historians say that it was the same as the population that decided not to go west.

Dried Fruit- A staple on the trails west. This allowed for the Pioneers to get the nutrition they needed without fear of spoilageSaltines- To represent in a good way the hardened bread thatthe pioneers had to deal with.Beef Jerky- A substitute for Salted Beef. Salt was the preservativein an era without freezers and refrigeratorsPickles- Cucumbers soaked in a brine made them last longer, but still gave them the nutritionVegetables- A luxury that settlers had at the beginning of the journey.