What Pioneers ate on the Oregon Trail

[@Whoremembersusa]

What surprised you most about the foods pioneers ate on the Oregon Trail?

[@jenniferwilliams2760]

My great-great-grandmother was just 14 when she married my 16-year-old great-great-grandfather. In the first year of their marriage, they journeyed across the plains from the East Coast to Nebraska to start a new life. Together, they worked a farm and, from all accounts, were proud and happy with their lives. They were married for over 75 years. I still can't fathom how tough they must have been. When my grandmother was born prematurely, my great-great-grandmother, who was the midwife, realized she was too weak. She warmed up the stove they used for incubating animals and placed her in it to keep her alive. Without her, I literally wouldn’t be here. Her name was Nancy Anne.

[@Whoremembersusa]

What an incredible story of strength and resilience!. Do you have any family heirlooms or stories that have been passed down through the generations?

[@mrishomanyika761]

Here's a fun fact for anyone who's never tried Camas bulbs, as Max mentions: when cooked, they have a prune-like flavor and a texture similar to fruit leather. They're also a mild laxative until your body gets used to them. William Clark once said that after eating camas, “it filled us so full of wind we were scarce able to breathe all night.”

[@Whoremembersusa]

Thanks you for comment

[@nemajohn3465]

Every so often, I come across something that makes me truly grasp the fact that every person who ever lived was just as real as I am. Not just the heroes and villains of history, but every ordinary person, too. They all had dreams, memories, childhoods, joys, and sorrows. Tens of thousands of years of human experience-a vast ocean of people who lived full lives, much like mine. It hits me hard every time I think about it.

[@Whoremembersusa]

That’s such a profound thought. It’s incredible to think about all those lives, each with their own stories and struggles.

[@carmichael2359]

I was disappointed that although you mentioned Lansford Hastings and his guide, you didn't mention how he "guided" the Donner and Reed parties to their deaths with his untried and unproven Hastings Cutoff. This caused the unnecessary torturous deaths of 40+ people during the winter of 1846-47, not to mention the ensuing cannibalism! If you're going to mention the man, MENTION ALL ABOUT HIM.

[@Whoremembersusa]

Oh. thanks for feedback. We'll definitely pay more attention to this in the future.