Old Recipes and History from Western Trails Bear Wallow Books
When they headed west, pioneers loaded their wagons with flour, sugar, salt pork, coffee, dried fruit, salt, pepper, saleratus (baking powder), and other foods that would help them survive a journey which would take several months. They relied on hunting for much of their food and didn't look forward to the meals which would be little more than cornmeal cakes or hard rolls.
They endured many hardships, including unbearable heat and freezing cold, illness and accidents. There were seemingly endless plains to cross, rivers and wetlands where wagons easily bogged down, desert where they live in fear of running out of water for themselves and their animals, and mountains which would be challenge enough, even without the wagons carrying all of their possessions. They traded with some of the native Americans they encountered, and ran into hostility with others.
The book contains recipes for the best meals likely to be prepared by pioneer women, who protected their sourdough starter, quickly learned how to cook wild game of all kinds, and could make a few handfuls of cornmeal feed a family. It also provides a glimpse of the day-to-day life of an adventurous people.