Smooth talking salespeople “helped” Oregon Trail preparations
Preparing to head out on the Oregon Trail meant a lot of planning and saving money. The cost for supplies could run emigrants $1,500, roughly two years salary for some of them. They would bring valuable to trade for goods they would need along the trail. But what they hadn’t counted on were unscrupulous sales folks who took advantage of the emigrant’s desire to get to Oregon safely. Some traders would talk emigrants into buying more supplies than they needed, overloading the wagons and stressing the oxen. Emigrants were hoodwinked into buying quack medicines and medical supplies to ensure their “health” along the trail. Emigrants would have to dump these items out along the trail to try to lighten the load for their animals.