20 Facts That Show The Reality Of Life On The Oregon Trail

Flooded river crossings, infectious diseases, hunger, and the bitter cold. Those were just a few of the perils faced by those hardy folks who journeyed along the 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail. Yet the prospect of a new life in the West drove them on. So read on to find out what life was really like for those 19th-century pioneers.

20. Wagons moved even slower than you’d think

Large numbers of pioneers set off on the Oregon Trail aboard their covered wagon from Independence, Missouri planning to end up in Oregon City, Oregon and other western destinations. That meant they had something like a 2,000 mile journey ahead of them. Drawn by horses, mules or oxen the wagons could cover 20 miles on a good day. But sometimes it could be a lot less.

The pace was painfully slow. Don’t forget the pioneers had to take their wagons across the Rockies and other difficult terrain such as the Blue Mountains. That could mean hauling fully-packed wagons with ropes up steep slopes. And the whole journey could take anything up to six months. Today you can travel from Independence to Oregon City in a couple of days. Or take the plane – the flight lasts just hours.

19. Travelers ate a strange sort of bacon

When you think of bacon today, you’ll envisage thinly sliced, cured rashers of pork, delicious in a sandwich or breakfast taco after being fried or grilled. And generally you buy it ready cut in packets from the grocery store. But the bacon that Oregon Trail pioneers took with them was radically different from the tasty rashers we eat in modern times.

The pioneers ate a lot of bacon, in fact, because cured pork was something that could remain edible for a long time. That was key for people embarking on a journey that might last six months. Sides of pork would be preserved in huge barrels of brine. So you’d cut a piece off the pork side and soak it in water to take off some of the salt. It would then be palatable. Hopefully.