What were the reasons the pioneers moved west?

What were the reasons the pioneers moved west?

Suggested Teaching Instructions

• Gold rush and mining opportunities (silver in Nevada)
• The opportunity to work in the cattle industry; to be a “cowboy”
• Faster travel to the West by railroad; availability of supplies due to the railroad.
• The opportunity to own land cheaply under the Homestead Act.

Why were there pioneers?

As a new country, the United States boasted freedom and opportunity, particularly in the West, where there were vast expanses of land and, later, rumors of gold. Many pioneers moved west hoping to own land and start fresh.

What problems did pioneers face?

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.

Why did pioneers come to Canada?

Settlers worked together to build roads, to attract tradesmen and small industry, and to promote the prosperity of their district. Pioneers on fur-trading, lumbering, mining and ranching frontiers were usually single men. But women joined in the settlement of New France in the 17th and 18th centuries.

What do pioneers eat?

The mainstays of a pioneer diet were simple fare like potatoes, beans and rice, hardtack (which is simply flour, water, 1 teaspoon each of salt and sugar, then baked), soda biscuits (flour, milk, one t. each of carbonate of soda and salt), Johnny cakes, cornbread, cornmeal mush, and bread.

How did pioneers survive?

Pioneers worked to build up an ample supply of wood for the winter, for the flames of the fireplace were vital to survival during winter. Pioneer families often slept close to the fireplace on exceptionally cold nights, for if they failed to do so, they literally risked freezing to death.

Why did Pioneers come to Canada?

How did so many pioneers really die?

Although popular legend would have us believe that many pioneers were killed in conflicts with Native Americans, relatively few people actually died this way. Illnesses claimed far more lives than violence, and the majority of violent deaths on the trail were entirely accidental.

How did pioneers change the environment of the west?

Many pioneers who headed west in the 19th Century hoped to leave behind the disease and contamination of the Eastern cities. They expected to find an environment of clean air and water, however, it was these very emigrants that instead, changed the environment of the West, bringing with them bacteria and viruses.

How many pioneers died on the trail in the 1850s?

The epidemic thrived in the unsanitary conditions along the trails, peaking in 1850 as it was stoked by the immense numbers of pioneers on the overland trails in 1849 and ’50 seeking their fortunes. The number of trail deaths is difficult to determine, however, there are estimates as high as 5,000 in 1849 alone.

How did pioneers get rid of the diseases they faced?

Regardless of the complaints, these doctors, when they could be found, frequently prescribed mercury and calomel (a laxative) in the hope of purging infectious matter. More often, the pioneers utilized home remedies or depended upon anyone in the wagon train that had even the least of medical knowledge such as animal birthing or bone setting.