Early Canadian Pioneers

Task 5 - Hardships

Pioneers ran into many hardships while travelling west.  Survival depended on whether or not the pioneers had prepared for these problems.

1.  Click on Hardships.

2.  Click on the Hardships link on the left side of the page.

3.  Read the opening paragraph and click on the bottom links
      (Blizzards, Prairie Fires, Rainstorms, and Wagons Breaking)
      to learn more about these hardships.

4.  Using the Hardships worksheet, write down at least three things
      that made blizzards, prairie fires, rainstorms, and wagons breaking
      such hardships for early pioneers. Use point form notes in order to
      record your information.

Task 6 - Hardship Story

Imagine you are a pioneer travelling to Upper Canada or even the prairies. Write a short story (at least 200 words) describing your journey and choose ONE of the hardships we learned about and put it in your story. The writing prompts below will help you think about your story and/or add pieces of information.

Here is a sample story for you to look at.

Blizzard Prompts

• What types of supplies could you purchase that would help you and your family to stay warm?  *Keep in mind the year that you are living in and the types of technology that is available.  For instance, there were no heating blankets back in 1833.
• What time of year would you and your family set off on your journey?  Would you leave in the fall, winter, spring, and summer?  And why?

Prairie Fire Prompts

• What were the two ways that prairie fires often got started?
• What type of housing was best suited for the prairie?  And why?

Rainstorm Prompts

• During a rainstorm, what would be the best thing to do:  continue traveling or make camp?  And why?
• During a rainstorm, should you try to cross a river?  Why?
• What should be done with the animals during a rainstorm to prevent them from running away?

Wagons Breaking Prompts

• What are some extra wagon parts that would be helpful to have?  And why?
• What type of skill or profession was helpful for this type of problem?