Existing comment:
8. Life on the Trail:
Every pioneer company faced one constant -- a daily search for water and fuel. Wood was scarce over several long stretches of the trail, so women and children gathered buffalo chips for fuel. Each company was well organized, with captains of ten, fifty, and one hundred. Except in the first company, most pioneers traveled as families. The work that went with life on the trail was shared among all -- young and old, male and female. Music and dancing on some nights helped relieve the drudgery, and Mormon immigrant trains rarely traveled on Sunday. |