Today we watched a video about the Edson To Grande Prairie Trail. We learned a lot about the people and their experiences settling the West:

- it cost $10 for a 1/4 section of land
- you needed to clear the land 
- you needed to build a house on the land
- there was a summer road and a winter road
- people thought it was easier to travel in the winter because the land was frozen
- sometimes people needed to help clear and even build the trail
- they ate beans, pork belly, and rabbits cooked over a campfire
- the oxen moved slowly
- they dragged trees behind their sleds to keep them from running over the oxen when going downhill
- people hauled everything they owned
- many people had no idea what they were getting into in this new place
- people came from all over the World for new opportunities
- sometimes the pack animals needed to be unloaded 
- people sometimes needed to walk and carry the items
- women were all wearing dresses with heavy "bloomers" underneath
- there were no places to stop, some farmers would allow travelers to stop 
- Sturgeon Lake became a good rest stop for travelers
- it was advertised as a "Good Road" to Grande Prairie
- the settlers were very resilient and never gave up
- sometimes when traveling the people decided to unload some of their belongings to make it easier to travel
- bones, fancy clothing, pianos, etc. littered the sides of the trail
- every Spring the trail needed to be repaired
- they travelled 8-10 hours a day with limited food
- a Caboose was the preferred method of travel in Winter. It had a stove, place to sleep and some storage
- they would spread bags of food on the floor and sleep on top of them
- moccasins were worn on feet
 -some babies were even born on the Trail
- sometimes wagons and sleds broke during the journey
- if an animal was injured there were no vets to help it, many animals died on the journey
- it took 2 weeks to 4 months to get there
- in 1916 a rail line finally arrived in the area
- only 2 people died on the Trail