Heritage Gateways

Life On The Trail

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Wagons

The Saints used all kinds of wagons and carriages, but mostly they used ordinary reinforced farm wagons, which were about ten feet long, arched over by cloth or waterproof canvas that could be closed at each end--almost never the huge, lumbering Conestoga wagons beloved by Hollywood. Because the wagons had to cross rivers, the bottoms were usually caulked or covered with canvas so they would float. While the ubiquitous white tops, or covered wagons, of the era may not have been ideal for travel (they were uncomfortable to ride in, broke down, were slow and cumbersome), they were the most efficient means of hauling goods. Families en route could live in, on, alongside, and under these animal-drawn mobile homes, and at the end of the trail, they could become temporary homes until real houses could be erected. During 1845, as the Mormons prepared to evacuate Nauvoo, Illinois, they needed to make 2,000 wagons. That meant 2,000 canvas covers, 4,000 axles, 8,000 wheels, 8,000 tires, 104,000 spokes (14 in the rear, 12 in the front), and much more. No wonder Nauvoo was described as one big wagon factory. They were only able to make 1,900 that year.

Wagons had to be inspected. The minimum amount of flour to be hauled was 3/4 of a pound per person per day.

Wagons were springless and high-centered. Consequently, they had to travel straight up and down hills. They would tip over traveling perpendicular to the slope.

Wagon wheels had 14 spokes on the rear wheel and 12 spokes on the smaller front wheel.

The Mormon wagon usually had square sides and ends, and the side boards were not as many, meaning less height. The wagons used by emigrants to go to Oregon or California, the modified (smaller than the original) conestoga wagon, had the front and back sloping outwards giving the wagon a boat-like appearance. Hence, the name "Prairie Schooner."

Wagon boxes rested on the running gear. A strong beam above the front and rear axles was held in place by metal straps. The empty wagon box could be lifted by four or more men and set upon these beams. Bolted to the bottom of the box were four wide W-shaped metal straps, two in front and two in the rear, that would straddle the front and rear beams. This kept the box from sliding forwards or backwards. Think of the wagon box as a camper shell that could be lifted on or off a modern pickup truck. Stakes set into the cross beam would keep the wagon from sliding the other direction.

ANIMALS
The pioneers used a variety of draft animals, especially horses, mules, and oxen. They often preferred the latter when they were available, for oxen had great strength and patience and were easy to keep; they did not balk at mud or quicksand, they required no expensive and complicated harness, and Indians did not care to eat them, so seldom stole them. (They could, however, be eaten by the pioneers in an emergency.) The science of "oxteamology" consisted of little more than walking along the left side of the lead oxen with a whip, prod, or goad, urging them on and guiding them, and was considerably simpler than handling the reins of horses or mules. With gentle oxen, widows with children could and did (with a little help, especially during the morning yoking up) transport themselves and their possessions successfully all the way to the valley of the Great Salt Lake.

Along the trail, under normal conditions, the Mormons averaged 2 miles an hour, the usual speed of an ox pulling a heavy wagon all day long?

Oxen were simply bulls of various breeds. They were castrated young to make them more manageable and were at their best between 5 and 8 years of age. Young and/or untrained oxen presented plenty of problems to the teamsters. They weighed about 1,000 pounds. Oxen were yoked in pairs, with two to four pair per wagon. The teamster would walk on the left and often carried a shoulder-length staff called a "Moses Stick" by which he or she could use to help guide, encourage, or punish an ox. The commands were "gee" (head or turn right), "haw" (head or turn left), and "whoa" (stand still or stop). European emigrants, with their accents and lack of experience, had a hard time controlling oxen, especially at first.

Oxen were slower than mules or horses but were cheaper, survived on prairie grass better, and had better stamina. Their normal speed of two mile per hour was a comfortable speed for the thousands who walked along with the wagons. They suffered exhaustion, starvation, thirst, poisonous water, and sore feet. Many died in the yoke. Others during the night. Sometimes booties were made to wrap an ox's sore feet. Campsites were chosen with the animals in mind.

DRAFT ANIMALS (1849-50)
Using statistics from the Oregon-Calif. Trail Association COED (Census of Overland Emigrant Documents) database, an interesting comparison of the kinds of draft animals used to pull wagons during the gold rush years of 1849 and 1850. The database has diaries from approximately 100 wagon trains each year. The following is not an absolute amount. It only reflects what was reported in the diaries. The St. Joseph Gazette, May 3, 1850, reported: "More than half ...who crossed [here], are going across the plains with horse teams. This, we presume, is owing to the scarcity of mules and oxen in Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, where a large majority of the emigrants are from."

Draft animals used by percent:

	1849	1850
Oxen	55	38
Mules	30	20
Horses	15	42

George Shepard took 4 1/2 months to get to California in 1850. In that time, he traversed Illinois, Iowa, spent two weeks in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) area. His company made the trip from Council Bluffs to Hangtown (now Placerville), Calif. in 99 days. By comparison, Brigham Young's Pioneer Company spent 111 days on the trail to the Salt Lake Valley. Mormon handcart companies took between 64 and 90 days.

COMMUNICATION To keep the emigrant companies together, or at least to keep in touch with the various leaders, mounted couriers were appointed to ride back and forth, and bells, bugles and different colored signal flags were used to communicate messages and call meetings throughout the entire migration period. Beyond the Missouri River, the pioneers occasionally wrote messages on animal skulls and scapula. An example of this sort of "bone mail" read "Pioneers double teamed. 8 June 1847. Camp all well. Hail storm last night, fine morning. T[homas] Bullock, no accident." Sometimes they wrote on rocks and boards, tied notes to trees, or left letters enclosed between two pieces of wood. A trail "post office" was sometimes made by setting up a pole by the side of the trail, drilling a hole in it for a letter then plugging the hole. After October 24, 1861, when the Overland Telegraph wires were joined in Salt Lake City, the Mormons also used the telegraph, especially with church headquarters in Salt Lake City.

Mormons also liked to leave their names behind, a common practice of emigrants in trail days, and many can be found along the trail today in such places as Avenue of Rocks, Independence Rock, Devil's Gate in Wyoming, and in Cache Cave in Utah.

WAGONS
The Saints used all kinds of wagons and carriages, but mostly they used ordinary reinforced farm wagons, which were about ten feet long, arched over by cloth or waterproof canvas that could be closed at each end--almost never the huge, lumbering Conestoga wagons beloved by Hollywood. Because the wagons had to cross rivers, the bottoms were usually caulked or covered with canvas so they would float. While the ubiquitous white tops, or covered wagons, of the era may not have been ideal for travel (they were uncomfortable to ride in, broke down, were slow and cumbersome), they were the most efficient means of hauling goods. Families en route could live in, on, alongside, and under these animal-drawn mobile homes, and at the end of the trail, they could become temporary homes until real houses could be erected. During 1845, as the Mormons prepared to evacuate Nauvoo, Illinois, they needed to make 2,000 wagons. That meant 2,000 canvas covers, 4,000 axles, 8,000 wheels, 8,000 tires, 104,000 spokes (14 in the rear, 12 in the front), and much more. No wonder Nauvoo was described as one big wagon factory. They were only able to make 1,900 that year.

Wagons had to be inspected. The minimum amount of flour to be hauled was 3/4 of a pound per person per day.

Wagons were springless and high-centered. Consequently, they had to travel straight up and down hills. They would tip over traveling perpendicular to the slope.

Wagon wheels had 14 spokes on the rear wheel and 12 spokes on the smaller front wheel.

The Mormon wagon usually had square sides and ends, and the side boards were not as many, meaning less height. The wagons used by emigrants to go to Oregon or California, the modified (smaller than the original) conestoga wagon, had the front and back sloping outwards giving the wagon a boat-like appearance. Hence, the name "Prairie Schooner."

Wagon boxes rested on the running gear. A strong beam above the front and rear axles was held in place by metal straps. The empty wagon box could be lifted by four or more men and set upon these beams. Bolted to the bottom of the box were four wide W-shaped metal straps, two in front and two in the rear, that would straddle the front and rear beams. This kept the box from sliding forwards or backwards. Think of the wagon box as a camper shell that could be lifted on or off a modern pickup truck. Stakes set into the cross beam would keep the wagon from sliding the other direction.

Source: Historic Resource Study - Mormon Pioneer National By Stanley B. Kimball, Ph.D., May 1991. (The study focuses on the history of the trail from its official beginning in Nauvoo, Illinois, to its terminus in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the period 1846-1869. During that time, thousands of Mormon emigrants used many trails and trail variants to reach Utah. This study emphasizes the 'Pioneer Route' or 'Brigham Young Route' of 1846-1847. The sections on Mormon beliefs and motivations for going west have been omitted. Interested persons can find ample sources for that information. The footnotes, bibliography, maps, pictures, pioneer companies by name and dates for the 22-year period, and historic sites - about 2/3 of the book - have also been left out for space considerations. Thanks to Dr. Kimball and the National Park Service for the availability of this information.)