The Trail: Hardships On The Trail

There were many hardships on the trail. If you left too early in the spring, the grass wouldn't grow for your oxen/ horses. If you left too late, you will run into winter. There were diseases that could kill people. People died from cholera, measles, and smallpox. Children got killed because they either were run over by a wagon wheel or fell out of the wagon and got ran over. Some people got bit by snakes.

Crossing the river was very dangerous. It was harder to cross the river because in some places it was deep. People could fall out of their wagons then drown before we crossed the rivers. We hat to make our wagons float like a boat. Some people choose a ferry or a Indian guide. If you choose a ferry it would take 30 minutes to get