The First Engines: Oxen, Mules, and Horses

The First Engines: Oxen, Mules, and Horses. Five Times More Animals. Livestock outnumbered emigrants five to one on the Lander Trail. A typical emigrant wagon needed four mules or 4-6 oxen to pull a wagon with up to 2,000 pounds of supplies. Emigrants also brought riding horses, milk cows, beef cattle, and even sheep. Sounds and smells from livestock were a part of camp life. The escape or death of draft animals could lead to disaster. , Oxen vs. Mules and Horses . , Most emigrants chose oxen (castrated cattle) to pull their wagons. In an emergency emigrants used almost any cattle, including milk cows, to pull wagons. Oxen were slower, but cheaper ($25), fed on grass, and recovered faster. Horses and mules were faster, but cost more ($100), needed better food, and struggled to pull heavy loads on sandy and muddy trails. , Caring For Livestock . , Emigrants has to take good care of their animals. At each camp they took their livestock to feed on grass and then had to guard them night long. Thirsty animals has to be prevented from drinking deadly alkali water. Sore feet could quickly disable an animal. Many shod their livestock, or used sole leather or tar it the animal's feet became sore. , , About 2 this PM, One of our oxen expired, probably from the effects of Alkali. Poor fellow, I could almost weep at his loss, he has been a faithful ox and done his duty to the last. - Hamet Case, Piney Canyon, Wyoming, July 24, 1859 , Laying by to day (sic) shoeing cattle, we have a blacksmith along in the company who has a small anvil and some of them have a small bellows. So we went to work and put up a forge, burnt coal. Built a frame to shoe the oxen in and iron can be had by picking it up anywhere, so we made our oxen shoes and nails and are shoeing the cattle. - James Brown, New Fork River, July 30, 1859 .