They also had to carry enough food for the journey, although they could hunt along the way if they found game. Men tended to the animals and wagons, while the women had to cook three meals a day, collected fuel, and cleaned up afterward. They also had to ration food if they began to run low, because there were few if any places along the trail to restock supplies. They had to wash clothes, and do most of their other chores along the trail, and the men rarely helped with the work. They also had to care for the children, although older children sometimes helped with this chore. The men had time to socialize with other men, but the women had little time to themselves along the trail.

The life was hard, the food, like beans, bacon, and biscuits was boring, and dust and dirt from the trail permeated everything. It was not a pleasant experience to travel the overland trails, so migrants really had to have a desire to...

They felt the sacrifices were worth it, and these people created the cities and towns of the West that still endure today.
In later years, the going got easier. Many later migrants took the train west, and avoided the wagon trains and hauling their goods over mountains, rivers, and deserts. By the mid-1850s, there were trading posts springing up along the trails, and army posts, too. The travelers could rest and regroup here, and even buy supplies if they needed them. Traveling the overland trails was still difficult, but it grew easier as time passed.

References

White, Richard. it's Your Misfortune and None of My Own: A New History of the American West. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993.

Richard White. it's Your Misfortune and None of My Own: A New History of the American West. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993, 199.