They were thankful for what we might consider basic necessities: warm dry shelter, food on the table at mealtime, shoes on their feet and a warm coat in winter, and work to earn their daily bread.
After crossing the Great Plains and skirting the Rocky Mountains, the Oregon Trail Pioneers arrived at... practically nothing. Nothing that was like a town back east, nothing that was easily bought at a store, and nothing on the land they came for, except the trees and grass and bushes. They would have to build a house if they wanted shelter, would have to plant a garden if they wanted food. They were farmers, used to hard work, but starting from nothing at all was.... hard.
They built barns to house their cows, steers and horses, and built fences around the pastures to keep them safe. They built the most rudimentary cabins for shelter in the first year, while they had so much work to do immediately on the farm. Some would fail due to ill health or lack of preparation. Some would simply lose heart at the immensity of the work ahead of them, and go back east. The rest would stay and work and prosper. Many who now live in Oregon, Washington and Idaho are descendants of those pioneers who made the great trek along the Oregon Trail. It defined a generation. "Have you seen the elephant?" was their way of putting the trip in perspective -- it was as rare and huge and unimaginable as - an elephant!
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