family life

When a site is found, the wagon train forms a circle and small tents can be put up for the children to sleep in. Sometimes the boys love sleeping in the open. Then it was time for the family to sit together at the evening meal. A basic diet for these pioneers was cornbread, beans, fried meat and gravy. If berries could be found a pie was sometimes made. Life on the trail was difficult, and there had to been constant watch for Indians or wild animals. The men were divided up into four watches to guard the wagon train.

CELEBRATION DAYS

Life was hard for these people, and only rarely was there time to take off to celebrate. Even Sunday, when these normally religious people would rest would pass like any other day, unless they encountered a traveling preacher. People said ‘there are no Sundays West of the Kansas” But a wedding did call for something special. A 'chivaree' would be organized, this meant that friends of the couple spent the night jostling the wagon, shooting off guns, and banging on kettles. These people tended to marry young, it was unusual for a girl not to be married at 16. One day though was always special, the fourth of July. For this day the families would all prepare. The wagons would be laden with antelope, sage hen, rabbit, bread, beans, rice and for an extra special treat, Irish potatoes, with pickled cucumbers brought all the way from Missouri. Coffee, tea and 'lemonade' made with sugar, water, citric acid and a few drops of lemon essence was available to drink. No celebration was complete without cakes and pies. The children would dress up, most of them as Indians, and there could be a contest to see who could remember the declaration of Independence, the winner receiving a special prize, maybe some precious piece of chocolate. The 'official' party finished with a five gun salute, but the dancing and merry making would go on late into the night.

ENTERTAINMENT

The people went to bed early when they traveled the high plains, because there was little fuel for fires. Elsewhere, they gathered together to chat about the day's events. There was dice, cards, and chess to play. Whiskey was frowned upon. Dancing and singing were enjoyed by everyone. There were fiddles, harmonicas and even the melodeon. The popular songs were about home, love and death, and those that were humorous.

CHILDREN

When the children first started on the journey to Oregon, it was a great holiday. Of course they had chores to do each day, but there was no school and it was all so different from back home. Some mothers did used to hold spelling bees for their children or hear them recite. As the wagon train moved on, the children would gather berries, currents and nuts. Picking wild flowers was also a delight for them. Soon though the children got tired of the same thing, and started to complain. It was too dusty, or too muddy, depending on the weather. There was very little for them to do, although the parents had tried to lay in a good supply of school books as the guide books had advised.