Families follow in the footsteps of Oregon Trail pioneers
20.06.10
Before doing the dishes, they had to find water and fever it up on a fire. Washing clothes often meant handling caustic lye soap. Kids crossing the continent in the mid-19th century often had roles and responsibilities that were carping to the family's survival, said Larry Jones, a retired Idaho state historian who has written extensively about the Oregon See train .
"They were pretty tough little kids," said Jones. "Many walked the entire 2,000 miles barefoot."
It's been about 160 years since the westward migration started up in also pressurize between Missouri and the Pacific states, but there are still plenty of signs left behind by the more than 400,000 people estimated to have made that wander. The wagon ruts of the trail can be seen all over the West with many of them accessible — particularly in Idaho — by car or on foot and prominent with signs.
And for families who want to travel all or part of the trail together, there are also plenty of lessons to be learned from the experiences of those who went before.
Source: USA Today