What were the dangers and hardships on the Oregon California Trail?

What were the dangers and hardships on the Oregon California Trail?

Dangers on the Oregon Trail According to the Oregon California Trails Association, almost one in ten who embarked on the trail didn’t survive. Most people died of diseases such as dysentery, cholera, smallpox or flu, or in accidents caused by inexperience, exhaustion and carelessness.

What were the dangers on the Oregon Trail?

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 were some challenges on the California trail?

Extreme temperatures and threats of violence, stealing, mortal accidents, and American Indian raids were all constant concerns. During the late 1840s and early 1850s, cholera outbreaks along the trail killed travelers by the thousands.

What hardships were faced along the Oregon Trail?

The hardships of weather, limited diet, and exhaustion made travelers very vulnerable to infectious diseases such as cholera, flu, dysentery, measles, mumps, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever which could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp.

What was one of the hardships the pioneers faced on the Great Plains?

The pioneers quickly learned that they were more likely to be injured or killed by a host of more mundane causes. Obstacles included accidental discharge of firearms, falling off mules or horses, drowning in river crossings, and disease.

What kind of diseases did people get on the Overland Trail?

The hardships of weather, limited diet, and exhaustion made travelers very vulnerable to infectious diseases such as cholera, flu, dysentery, measles, mumps, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever which could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp.

What kind of hardships did the pioneers face?

Scurvy, a debilitating condition caused from a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, was also prevalent. Crossing rivers was another dangerous undertaking. Often in covered wagons, the unwieldy vehicles broke apart or got swept away.

What was the hardship of the Oregon Trail?

All of the dangers and death along the Oregon Trail caused suffering to the pioneers but additional hardships were also experienced. The journey west was not for the faint of heart. Difficulties ranged from the relatively minor, such as boredom or the irritation of the dust kicked up by the feet of hundreds of oxen.

What was the most common problem on the Oregon Trail?

Food poisoning was was often a problem with contaminated food, more likely among single men. Scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C was also a problem. Poisoning from drinking water that was too alkaline was also common. There was a high incidence of childbirth on the trail and tragedy often came with the arrival of a baby.