What animals did the pioneers have to kill but did not want to kill?

1. What animals pulled wagons on the Oregon Trail?
2. Why did pioneers use oxen instead of horses?
3. What killed most pioneers?
4. What trees were on the Oregon Trail?
5. Are there prairie dogs in Oregon?
6. What did pioneers need to survive?
7. Why didn't most pioneers ride in their wagon?
8. Is an ox stronger than a mule?
9. Can mules pull wagons?
10. Do oxen still exist?
11. What type of animal pulled the wagons?
12. How did pioneers get dysentery?
13. What type of animal did most pioneers use to pull their wagons?
14. How many pioneers died traveling west?

What animals pulled wagons on the Oregon Trail?

Converted farm wagons, called Prairie Schooners, were actually used and pulled generally not by horses, but by oxen. In fact, oxen were led. There were no reins. Plus, the Prairie Schooner wagons often had no seat and the pioneers generally walked along the Trail.

Why did pioneers use oxen instead of horses?

Horses were very expensive so most pioneers used oxen or mules to pull their wagons. Both were strong, steady and able to cross rough terrain. Most families coming to Sutter's Fort chose oxen because they were cheaper than horses or mules, and they could be eaten if food ran out!

What killed most pioneers?

Diseases and serious illnesses caused the deaths of nine out of ten pioneers. Such diseases as cholera, small pox, flu, measles, mumps, tuberculosis could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp. Cholera was the main scourge of the trail.

What trees were on the Oregon Trail?

Numerous species of trees were encountered along the trail, including cottonwoods that grew along streams and rivers and pine trees that grew in the mountainous areas. One of the more unique trees growing along the trail included the osage orange tree.

Are there prairie dogs in Oregon?

they are belding ground squirrles, not prairie dogs. anywhere there is fresh cut alfalfa and you can get permission to hunt in eastern oregon there are digger rats, aka (belding ground squirrles). I have been wrong once before.

What did pioneers need to survive?

The pioneers would take with them as many supplies as possible. They took cornmeal, bacon, eggs, potatoes, rice, beans, yeast, dried fruit, crackers, dried meat, and a large barrel of water that was tied to the side of the wagon. If the pioneers could take a cow, they would.

Why didn't most pioneers ride in their wagon?

People didn't ride in the wagons often, because they didn't want to wear out their animals. Instead they walked alongside them, getting just as dusty as the animals. The long journey was hard on both people and animals. It was even hard on the wagons, which usually had to be repaired several times during the trip.

Is an ox stronger than a mule?

Mules are strong, can go faster, but are often tricky to handle. Mules also had tendencies to bolt and become unruly. Oxen are slower, but more reliable and tougher than mules. ... Oxen were very strong and could haul fully-loaded wagons up ravines or drag them out of mudholes.

Can mules pull wagons?

An average mule can pull a wagon equal to their own body weight for 10 hours per day. This will typically be a distance of 25 miles (40) per day.

Do oxen still exist?

ox, (Bos taurus, or B. taurus primigenius), a domesticated form of the large horned mammals that once moved in herds across North America and Europe (whence they have disappeared) and Asia and Africa, where some still exist in the wild state. South America and Australia have no wild oxen.

What type of animal pulled the wagons?

The emigrants used horses, oxen and mules to pull their wagons. The most popular animal with emigrants was the ox. It was cheaper, stronger and easier to work than horses or mules.

How did pioneers get dysentery?

Dysentery

Since “the bathroom” wasn't a place that actually existed on the trail, pioneers were exposed to germs from sick people's poop, and naturally, dysentery spread.

What type of animal did most pioneers use to pull their wagons?

Horses were very expensive so most pioneers used oxen or mules to pull their wagons. Both were strong, steady and able to cross rough terrain. Most families coming to Sutter's Fort chose oxen because they were cheaper than horses or mules, and they could be eaten if food ran out!

How many pioneers died traveling west?

Bashore and Tolley analyzed 56,000 records of pioneers who traveled to Salt Lake City between 1847 and 1868. The researchers found 1,900 deaths during the journey or within the calendar year of arrival in Salt Lake, making the overall mortality rate 3.5 percent.