What did the western frontier offer the pioneers?
In Europe, large numbers of factory workers formed a dependent and seemingly permanent working class; by contrast, in the United States, the western frontier offered the possibility of independence and upward mobility for all. In 1843, one thousand pioneers took to the Oregon Trail as part of the “Great Emigration.”
Why did the pioneers travel and settle on the frontier in the West?
While it was true that western lands were somewhat more fertile than the now-depleted lands of the East, many of the pioneers were attracted to the frontier in order to speculate in land, i.e. to purchase large quantities of cheap government land and to sell it at a profit to later comers.
What was life like for the pioneers who settled in the West?
The pioneers were as varied as human nature. Some were adventurous and independent. Some were irresponsible and lazy, like the Indiana squatter who moved eight times without ever clearing timber or fencing a field.
What challenges did pioneers face on the frontier?
Major threats to pioneer life and limb came from accidents, exhaustion, and disease. Crossing rivers were probably the most dangerous thing pioneers did. Swollen rivers could tip over and drown both people and oxen. Such accidents could cause the loss of life and most or all of valuable supplies.
What did pioneers travel with?
The safest way for the pioneers to travel was with a wagon train. They would pack their most treasured belongings, furniture, and what they needed for the journey into a covered wagon. The wealthiest people brought two wagons with them, which allowed one to act as a moving van and the other as a camper.
What was life like for the pioneers in the west?
Pioneers traveled in wagon trains Western frontier life in Americadescribes one of the most exciting periods in the history of the United States. From 1850 to 1900, swift and widespread changes transformed the American West. At the beginning of that period, a great variety of Native American cultures dominated most parts of the region.
What did the Pioneers do in the New Frontier?
Some settlers failed and returned to the East. Those who stayed and survived turned a wilderness into a civilization. On every new frontier the pioneers made homes for themselves, using what the wild land provided. In the great forests of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys the land provided timber.
How did people travel to the western frontier?
Before the 1850’s, most people traveled westward by boat or wagon. These methods proved slow and expensive, and they provided limited access to western lands. The railroad, or “iron horse,” became a vital new travel option, especially after the 1860’s. The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 authorized a transcontinental rail line.
How did the pioneers travel on the trail?
Pioneer life on the trail. www.southhillhistory.com/history/covered%20wagon/covered_wagon.html How Did Pioneers Travel? Most pioneers traveled in a Conestoga wagon, spring wagon or a covered wagon. Lots of pioneers chose oxen to lead the wagon instead of mules or horses because oxen were a lot stronger and the stronger the better for the pioneers.