Just think how hard it must have been without all the new technology (TVs, gameboys, microwaves, hospitals, telephones)   we have today . Things that we take for granted nowadays, such as:  back then if you were travelling West you would not find out who was president until two years after the election . Just think how hard it was if you ran out of food and there were no grocery stores. The only way to get food was to trade your supplies like clothing for food or other supplies. If you got sick, you would probably just die, because there weren't very many medicines or doctors around.  

Here are some tips they had to help them on the trip. In case you get lost in the prarie, follow the trail until you find a river and you'll be found because wagons need to get water. Another tip is: if you need butter for your bread, get milk from a cow, put it in a bucket, hang it on the inside of the wagon and it will shake so much that it will make butter.

      Think how hard it was without air-conditioning or heating . Sometimes pioneers had to kill their animals, cut them open, and crawl inside to keep warm.

Since there really weren't any cities along the way, the pioneers had landmarks to watch for to help keep them from getting lost.  Some of the most famous landmarks were: Chimney Rock, Independence Rock, and Soda Springs.
Chimney Rock is about 500 feet tall and 40 feet wide.  When they reached this rock, they knew that they had travelled 550 miles from Independence, Missouri.   Independence Rock looks like a turtle.  Some say it has that name because a group of pioneers reached this landmark on July the 4th, Independence Day. On one spot of the rock, one group printed "The Oregon Company - 1843."  After that, a lot of other people started signing the rock when they got there.  The next landmark was the kids' favorite one. At Soda Springs, when you drink the water, it tickles your nose, just like a lot of little bubbles. Since a wagon could only travel about 10 miles a day, it took a VERY long time to get where they were going!

I'm glad that the pioneers had what it takes to survive and help make our country great, but I'm glad it wasn't me! How about you?