USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Oxen were used for 50-75% of pioneer wagons on The Oregon Trail, according to the Oregon Trail Center. But after the 1849 Gold Rush, oxen were in short supply and pioneers had to rely more on horses and mules.

Detailed explanation-2: -They have found that the earliest New World pioneers hunted large mammals–bison, caribou, oxen, and mammoths–with stone tipped spears and spear and dart throwers, known as atlatls.

Detailed explanation-3: -Oxen were most often used for pulling this type of wagon. It required two yoke (pairs) of oxen. A spare yoke often trailed behind so that the livestock could be rotated and rested. For those who preferred mules, an equivalent number of harnessed mules could have been used in place of oxen.

Detailed explanation-4: -Oxen were very strong and could haul fully-loaded wagons up ravines or drag them out of mudholes. A large wagon needed at least three pairs of oxen to pull it. Scholars put the percentage of pioneer wagons pulled by oxen at one-half to three-quarters.