Posted below are some fact page excerpts (I call them factoids) from various vintage Dell Comics that pertain to Wagon Trains and wilderness hazards that early settlers faced. Reading last night I learned a bit about how important it was for the wagon trains to stick to their schedule and don’t waste any time getting to where they are going. No shortcuts either–stick to the designated and most traveled routes. A late start and slow progress along the trail might expose the entire caravan to early snows and depleted food stock and weakened animals. The oxen and their drivers were particularly important to the success of many wagon trains. As these animals succumbed to exposure, fractured legs, disease, and sheer exhaustion the settlers had to discard more and more cargo and eventually whole wagons were abandoned.
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