6. Men and Boys Had Difficult Tasks to Endure Along the Trail
The men of the pioneer families who traveled the trails were often the head of the families and were in charge of keeping their family together and everything moving with the pace of the train. At night, they would also take turns guarding the wagon trains. The men, and often the boys starting at the age of seven or eight, were in charge of hunting while on the trail. While each family brought their own supply of food and most supply stops on the path would carry food, it was usually boxed and canned goods.
The only type of meat most families would bring on the trail was bacon. However, that was usually just used as breakfast meat; so for supper, the males of the wagon train would often look around for rabbits or other types of animals that they could cook for meat. They would also hunt bigger animals and would be able to store the meat for a while. Sometimes the emigrants only ate twice a day, in the morning and the evening when they stopped for the night.
Another job that the men and boys had was to gather wood for the campfires. The wagons did not travel with wood because that would not only take up more space in the back of the cart, but it would also add to the weight of the wagon. The pioneers already had enough struggle when it came to the weight and the packing of the wagons with the items they had to bring for all their family members. Teenage boys were often given the task of making sure the livestock got fed. They would also learn such tasks as how to drive the wagons.