This page is to provide help for scouts. If you have a question, please post it here. If you can help answer a question it would be much appreciated. We all need to be prepared for our adventure. The best way to do this is read resource links, advice and lessons. Please help other scouts along the way by answering questions and providing insight.

 

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Question:

Question:

Where can I find maps?

Answer:

There are many sites that offer maps. Here are a few:

http://www.historyglobe.com/ot/otmap1.htm

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?content_spotlight/lewis_and_clark/settling_exploring

 OregonTrailMap.pdf

I purchased a large map for my classroom from the Lewis and Clark Museum. There web site is:

http://www.campdubois.com/exhibitions.html

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Question:

I have looked through the lessons and am not finding information on how much money we have to begin and how much we will be allotted during the trip. Will we be given the financial iformation so that we can decide which spplies we need to take?

Answer:

As you research people and occupations you should learn more about the amount groups took. (You make the decision about what each wagon starts out with.) A lot depended on their finances. I usually start each wagon group in my room out with $1500 to purchase supplies including food, wagon and animals. (See Supply Ledger.) Students draw random occupations and then they might have more money based on their occupation. You need to sve some money for trail expnses too.

 

A family of four would need over a thousand pounds of food to sustain them on the 2000 mile journey to Oregon. The only practical way to haul that much food was a wagon.

 

Recommended for each adult: 150 lbs. of flour, 20 lbs. of corn meal, 50 lbs. of bacon, 40 lbs. of

sugar, 10 lbs. of coffee, 15 lbs. of dried fruit, 5 lbs. of salt, half a pound of saleratus (baking

soda), 2 lbs. of tea, 5 lbs. of rice, and 15 lbs. of beans

 wwHOpricelist.pdf

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Question:

How do we know which wagon group we are with or if we are our own wagon?

Answer:

This program is designed for classrooms where you would group students in wagons of about 4 students each. My classroom has 19 students and will have four wagons. We do not assign wagon groups for the program. You do that for your own group.

 

Question:Hello, Will we have to purchase our wagons, or is it possible to use farm wagons that we have or have built to take on this trip? We have a carpenter, a carpenter's apprentice and a blacksmith in our family.

Answer: You are welcome to use your own wagons if you wish.

FYI: Most wagons on the Oregon Trail were NOT Conestoga wagons. These were slow, heavy freight wagons. Most Oregon Trail pioneers used farm

wagons.

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Question: 

Should I have a password to get fate cards?  I don't remember getting one and it requests one when I click on the link.  I appologize...I'm a greenhorn.  Thanks!

Answer:

Passwords were sent the first week of January to those registered by the December 15th deadline. Please check your email. They will not be posted since they need to remain secure.If your are a registered member and still can't find the email with passwords, please email the wgonmistress.

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Question: I was wondering if a different schedule has been sent in regard to the Campfire Chats- the dates I have written down are: 1/20 at 7:30 ET, 2/3 at 7:30 ET, and 2/17 at 7:30 ET. Are these the correct times?

Answer: Scout chats will be as follows unless unforseen envents arise.

Also, please remember this is a free program run by a volunteer and that the chats provide an overview for all participants.

 

Tuesday, 1/20	7:30 P.M. ET [6:30 CT, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT]	Meet the Scouts - Getting Ready (questions and answers about the project)
Tuesday, 2/3	7:30 P.M. ET [6:30 CT, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT]	Life on the Trail (Share "mid-project" experiences)
Tuesday 2/17	7:30 P.M. ET [6:30 CT, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT]	Trail's End (project debriefing)

 

Question: Will we all be traveling during any specific year or do we decide on that for ourselves too?

Answer: I always have my kids leave in 1850, but it could be anytime between 1850-1865 I would suppose! Shoofly Shae

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In the Fate Cards it shows a reunion in the Summer of '53 a year after the trip. You can of course vary the date to fit your needs and interest. The 15 year window Shoofly Shae suggests in a good one since it is before train travel came into place and during the period most traveled the trail by wagon.

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Question: Hi, I am new to this, I am a little confused regarding the travel and fate cards. Are we doing them as a group (all 200 of us) or do we choose our own as we go?

Answer:

You will be going through the fate cards on your own. At each chat we will discuss the fate/topic shown on the calendar. I sometimes skip some cards as there are many to get through each week. I pick and choose what works best for my group of pioneers.

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Some chat notes from Scout chat 1/20

Scout Chat Jan 20 09

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Question: We are totaling up our supplies to see how much weight we have to pull and noticed a note at the bottom of the budget worksheet that says "The average wagon weighed 1300 lbs. It was advised no pioneer should attempt to leave with more than 2500 lbs." This has me confused now because with food for 3 people (our 4th is an infant) we have a total of about 1400 lbs. If we have to add that to 1300 lbs of wagon weight we'd already require a second wagon! I thought pioneer families were able to ride 4-5 per wagon though. Does this mean we can have 2500 lbs of provisions weight in addition to our wagon weight?

Answer: 2500 Lbs. is the maximum amount of weight for provisions.

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Question: How much per day should I have my students subtract from their supplies?

Also, it seems as though Rodeo Rich's supply ledger only takes into account the new things you buy. How do you suggest documenting things that are used, lost, stolen, etc.

Answer: This isn't easy to answer ans scouts can make there own decisions for this amount. What I have done is consider the recommended supplies for a five month trip and divide that by 150 (the approximate number of days to travel) to figure out what has been used. I also randomly deduct supplies when events occur such as theft.

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