WLM | inspirational woman
rocks were usually available to cover
the bodies.
During the hardest of times mass
graves were used. Often the whole
wagon train was driven across
the graves of their loved ones, a
seemingly hideous way to leave this
world, but it was actually an act of
love. No one wanted their loved
ones dug up.
Few treasures or family heirlooms
were taken because the oxen could
only pull so much weight. If they
were, most were usually discarded
along the way, along with a chunk of
the women’s hearts. Scavengers would
often collect these, take them back to
“civilization” and sell them. Some of
this precious cargo had been brought
on ships from other countries.
The emigrants were accompanied by
horses, cattle, and chickens, along
with garden seeds and starts of
favorite bushes and trees from their
homes back east. Likely as not, the
family dog was part of the entourage.
They traveled over 2,000 miles of
endless prairie, sagebrush, rivers,
and mountains. Too much rain
forced animals and humans to walk
in the mud, and wagon wheels to bog
down severely, or no rain for endless
days caused thirst and misery for
animals and humans alike.
Cholera was a heavy killer of the
travelers, usually from bad water.
There were rattlesnakes to fear, and
the valid, ever-present worry of
Native American attacks. At times a
woman would bury a child and give
birth to another the same day. There
was no time for grief; the trains
had to push on and beat the snow.
They buried their dead as best they
could, often in ground so hard it was
almost impossible to dig, but many
While all of these difficulties did
not befall the Paul family, many of
them did. There is a stretch known
as the Lander Cut-Off that started
at South Pass, Wyoming. Part of
that trail reaches from Big Piney
to Highway 89, south of Smoot,
in what is known as Star Valley,
Wyoming. Over 13,000 people
traveled this portion along with
79,000 animals. It cut off many miles
but was a difficult passage and was
Fine Handmade Gifts in a Beautiful Home - All for a Wonderful Cause!
The constant walking was weighed
against the jostling of riding in a
wagon and consideration for the
animals pulling the vehicles. “We
had our milch {sic} cows with us;
our churn was set in the front of the
wagon and the constant movement
of the wagon churned our butter,”
Louisa’s writings add. Women had
to manage meals for their family
three times a day, keep laundry done
when they stopped by a stream, and
tend to children along the way.
www.wyolifestyle.com
19