Traveling on the Oregon Trail would get boring after some time. Settlers walked all day and ate the same food for months. To keep themselves entertained they brought instruments and told stories. Children would play games with their friends.
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A typical day began at 6 AM with a breakfast of cold leftovers before the wagon train lined up and set out. A knowledgeable captain led the way, pacing the wagons to reach good pasture and water at noon and before sundown. The trail was rough, full of holes and rocks, so riding in a wagon was bumpy and uncomfortable.
Travelers used grass or leaves or just plain dirt. Bark was also a paper substitute. It wasn't pretty, but no worse than many other realities pioneers faced on the emigrant trail.
Financing the TripIn the mid-1840s, settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail spent roughly $800 to $1200 to be properly outfitted. (Although there are many factors to consider, the cost of supplies would equate to roughly $32,000 in 2014 dollars).
Perhaps some 300,000 to 400,000 people used it during its heyday from the mid-1840s to the late 1860s, and possibly a half million traversed it overall, covering an average of 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) per day; most completed their journeys in four to five months.
When a family decided to join a wagon train, it often had to save money for three to five years before it could even begin the journey. The wagon cost around $400. The cost of the trip with supplies could be as much as $1,000.