Did you know the wheel ruts from the Oregon Trail wagons are still visible today? Many look at that fact and think,”Why should I care?”. That is understandable, but after this essay, everyone will have a deeper understanding of the sufferings of those on the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail was the main path of travel during the Westward Expansion. Around five hundred thousand people went on it, and their calamities still be sensed. The people on the Oregon Trail faced the most hardships due to the weather, loss of resources, and diseases. To begin with, the people on the Oregon Trail faced the most difficulties because of the weather. First off, even the most common weather had drastic impacts on their journey. Including rain, which was difficult because, “there was no shelter on open plains and covered wagons leaked” (Lemke). The simplest nature changes like this on the Oregon Trail caused the important items on their wagons like food and clothing to get soaked, which resulted in a depletion of necessary supplies, harming them long-term. Furthermore, if the most basic climate brought about such an alarm, one could only imagine the effects of a disastrous storm, which caused, “Half a dozen people killed by lightning strikes” …show more content…
First of all, the great range of diseases made it almost impossible to stay healthy. “The diseases ranged from the measles, smallpox, mountain fever, and cholera, the biggest problem, leaving people dead in 2 hours” (Trinklein). This quote shows how there were many diseases, multiplying the travelers’ chances of death. Another piece of evidence that shows how life on the Oregon Trail was hard is the medical knowledge at the time. “Most people who died during the trip west became ill from disease which there was no cure at the time” (Underwood). Since they traveled the trial in that time period, there was no medical help available on a deserted