Hardships of Pioneer Life in the American West
The second half of the 19th century saw expansion into the American West. The 1862 Homestead Act invited settlers to claim government land west of the Mississippi if they could develop farms or ranches on the land within a certain number of years. This made land ownership possible for new immigrants and Easterners who wanted new land. Thousands went west to take advantage of the offer. A newly developed crop, winter wheat, held new promise as a crop suitable to the arid climate and the newly patented barbed wire would help ranchers control livestock.
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Getting There
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The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. Transportation to the West was revolutionized. Still, most settlers moved west in wagon trains. They contracted with guides to lead a group of wagons over rough trails to the western territories. Each family carried in the wagon everything they owned and would need to homestead. The journey of two to three thousand miles took them over every kind of terrain and weather. The greatest perils were attack by Native Americans or criminals and weather. A spring blizzard while crossing the Rocky Mountains or extreme heat in desert regions could wipe out a wagon train.
Housing
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When they arrived at their homesteads, pioneers had to immediately begin to build shelter. With a shortage of sawmills and hardware for building, settlers had to cobble together a home in any way they could. For some, especially on the Great Plains, this meant digging into a hillside and living in a home that was half underground. Pioneers also made bricks of sod. Where wood was plentiful, they fashioned cabins of logs. None of these types of housing were comfortable. They were all dirty, drafty and smoky from indoor fires. Plumbing, electricity or central heat were non-existent. The homes required constant maintenance and often were infested with rodents and insects.
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Food
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Pioneer life in the West revolved around food, growing it, shooting it, trapping it or trading for it. Settlers had to grow food in addition to crops they might sell. Their gardens had to produce sufficiently or they would go hungry. The family cow, pig, poultry and work animals such as oxen also had to be fed. The food had to last through bitter winters and well into the following spring. Difficulty preserving food without refrigeration meant spending time and effort to pickle, dry or smoke food. Pioneers had to be self-sufficient in producing their food because it was rare to have shops near enough to buy emergency food.
Health Care
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Settlers who lived in towns large enough to have a doctor were the lucky ones when it came to health care access. Even then, physicians on the frontier could do only so much without antibiotics, sulfa drugs and anesthesia -- none of which existed at the time. Death in childbirth, by farming accidents and by diseases that are seldom fatal today were common. Children and adults often died of air or water-borne illnesses such as diphtheria, typhoid or influenza.
War
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When the European settlers arrived in the West, the indigenous Americans were in residence. The intrusion of the settlers created animosity and violence ensued between the Native Americans and the Europeans, who were mainly immigrants. The pioneers feared attacks and spent much of their time trying to protect their homes, livestock and families. When circumstances were not outright violent, the two groups often lived in distrust of each other.
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References
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