Water could kill them
Water was vital to the emigrants. They needed it to live; dehydration could kill them and they needed it to cook and (occasionally) clean. But water had a dark side, too. While lack of water could kill them, an overabundance of water could kill them, too. If rivers were too high and moving too fast, it could overcome pioneers trying to cross, drowning them. Rain might feel great after the sun beating down on the traveler’s heads, but it was less welcome when it mixed with soil to create mud that could suck down wagon wheels, make a paste that draft animals weren’t able to get out of, or turn riverbeds into quicksand. Tainted or contaminated water could make emigrants sick, and spread illness to others. Water was both a lifeline and a threat.