The Ingalls Family in Indian Territory

1
The Ingalls Family in Indian Territory

• By Thomas
• Mrs. Blackmons Class

2

• The name Indian Territory was first used after
  Pontiacs Rebellion, when America was still a
  British colony. King George III of England passed
  the Royal Proclamation of 1763. It stated that
  all land west of the Appalachians was for the
  Indians only.

3

• After the Revolutionary War, the borders changed
  to include only the land west of the Mississippi
  River and by the time the Ingalls family of
  Little House on the Prairie went there, around
  1874, it only included modern Oklahoma and parts
  of Kansas and Nebraska. By 1876, both Nebraska
  and Kansas were no longer part of Indian
  Territory. The remaining land was split in 1890.
  The western areas became Oklahoma Territory and
  the eastern parts stayed as Indian Territory.
  Indian Territory completely went out of
  existence in 1907 when the two territories were
  combined to form the state of Oklahoma.

4

• When the Ingalls family migrated to Indian
  Territory they traveled by covered wagon. Later
  pioneers came in both wagons, as well as by
  train, if they were wealthy enough. The most
  famous wagon, the Conestoga or Spring Wagon,
  wasnt used as much during this period of
  westward expansion. Smaller farm wagons were more
  often the vehicle of choice. Most wagons were
  pulled by horses, mules, or oxen. The horses and
  mules were faster than oxen but the oxen were the
  strongest. Most people didnt get to choose what
  type of animal they used. They used whatever
  animal they had with them. The family would
  usually buy about four animals per wagon.

5

• People going west took only what they really
  needed. The most important thing they brought
  with them was food. Some of the most common foods
  they packed were things like bacon, dried beef,
  cornmeal, dried beans, dried fruit, molasses,
  flour, sugar, and rice. If they ran out of food
  along the way they would have to hunt for their
  food, so they packed their rifles as well.
  Sometimes the noise of the wagons would scare the
  wild animals away, causing the pioneers to go
  hungry, but a resourceful pioneer family like the
  Ingalls usually had plenty of food, because there
  were so many prairie hens and rabbits in Indian
  Territory. According to Laura Ingalls Wilder,
  prairie hen made a very tasty stew.

6

• They also brought with them all the essentials.
  Things like lanterns, Dutch ovens, dishes,
  blankets and bedding, skillets, and a teakettle,
  if they had it. They packed all their clothes as
  well. Some people brought luxuries, like musical
  instruments with them, like Lauras father, who
  brought his fiddle. Also, they packed their
  treasured family heirlooms like silverware, and
  jewelry.

7

• Another item that was brought by pioneers were
  India rubber water bottles. They were like
  large hot water bottles and could hold up to 5
  gallons. They were very useful for transporting
  liquids in a wagon as well. Coats and mattresses
  were also made from India rubber. In Little House
  on The Prairie, Mr. Edwards raincoat might have
  been made with a layer of India rubber.

8

• In western movies often you see people riding in
  their wagons but most wagons had so much in them
  that only sick people and children could ride in
  it. Most of the settlers going west had to walk
  thousands of miles to their new homes. The father
  would typically walk beside the wagon with the
  oxen, horses, or mules. Sometimes even the
  children couldnt ride in the wagon and had to
  walk behind it.

9

• Sometimes people would pack too much for their
  animals to pull, and they would have to leave
  them along the trail. Organs and other large
  pieces of furniture were a common sight along a
  well traveled path that many wagons had gone on.
  It was hard for settlers to leave such reminders
  of civilization behind them.

10

• When the Ingalls family got to Indian Territory
  they choose a spot near a creek and began to
  settle down. A creek is a good resource to build
  by because it gives you a source of fresh water
  before you can build a well. The down side of
  creek water is that it is warmer than well water
  and you don't know what's upstream. Also a well
  can be closer to the house so you don't have to
  transport the water as far.

11

• Pioneers lived in several different kinds of
  houses. The first type is the log cabin. All log
  cabins are based on the simple pen design. It
  was pretty much a box with walls from 16 to 18
  feet long. The logs had notches cut on the ends
  and the notched logs were stacked up, with the
  notch from the bottom of one log connecting into
  the notch from the top of another log. The side
  walls should come to a point at the top. Larger
  houses were just a system of more pens. Cut logs
  should be laid over the top of the house. The
  roofs were made out of split wood shingles that
  were nailed to the logs.

12

• When Pa Ingalls built his roof he used an
  alternate method. He nailed large wooden slabs to
  the logs instead of shingles. When he laid the
  floor he made it of logs that were split in half,
  with the smooth side up, a technique known as a
  puncheon floor.

13

• The second type of house used by pioneers was the
  sod house. When building a sod house the first
  thing the settlers did was choose the right type
  of grass. Indian grass, buffalo grass, wheat
  grass, wire grass, and prairie cord grass were
  the best types because they had densely packed
  roots that held the ground together. Next the sod
  (ground and grass) was cut into bricks before
  being stacked to make the walls. The walls were
  about 2 feet thick. The sod bricks were laid in
  an overlapping pattern like the bricks we use
  today. Wooden door frames and windows were added
  into the sod walls as needed. Cedar logs were
  used to support some sod houses. Logs could be
  laid over the top of the walls with thin sod over
  them to make a roof but the best roofs were
  shingled.

14

• The medicines used by pioneers were made from
  plants. They used ginseng and Jack-in-the Pulpit
  to treat malaria, colds, and pneumonia. Some
  diseases such as mumps, measles, and small pox
  could not be cured. These diseases could wipeout
  entire villages. The pioneers also had many false
  medical beliefs. They believed that an herb
  called asafetida could keep them healthy. Also,
  they thought a dead spider could prevent ague or
  malaria. Some thought a rattle snake heart could
  cure epilepsy.

15
Bibliography

• 1 Nebraska Studies.org
• 2 Pioneer Log Buildings
• 3 WikiAnswers-What did the pioneers take with
  them in their Conestoga wagons?
  
• 4 Scale Model Horse Drawn Vehicles
• 5 Prairie Creek Redwood State Park
• 6 Dutch ovens Pro
• 7 Oklahoma, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma
  Territory Maps
  
• 8 Inside a Pioneer Covered Wagon
• 9 How Did Pioneers Travel?
• 10 Thinkquest Jr. 2000-Pioneer Medicine
• Illustrations by Garth Williams, from Little
  House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder