Food had to be carefully planned on the Oregon Trail
Pioneers brought a variety of experiences and ability to the Oregon Trail. Experienced outdoorsy people could turn a lichen into a four-course meal, and there were those who planned for the possibility of delays and brought contingency food. Emigrants brought hundreds of pounds of flour, sugar, spices, lard, coffee, rice, and dried fruit, hunting, gathering, and fishing to supplement supplies. Livestock they brought on the trail provided milk and eggs. Bacon was a popular trail food, used primarily for breakfast, and could be repurposed by using the fat in other dishes. But there were those who didn’t plan well enough, or who lost their food during hazardous river crossings or wagon fires. Even those that planned well rationed their food; they knew delays could dip into supplies. Emigrants who didn’t plan well enough, didn’t plan for delays, or lost their supplies risked malnutrition or starvation.