Pioneer Games

Modern board games are fantastic. With thousands of games published every year, there are so many great family board games and card games to choose from. It’s amazing to see how games have evolved since I was young.

And looking back even farther – say 160 years – games were extremely different.

I’ve been thinking back 160 years recently because our two oldest children, Trevor and Jaden, are away on a Pioneer Trek this week.

During the 1800’s in the US there was a huge expansion westward of explorers and pioneers. And in 1847, Mormon pioneers headed westward and started settling what is now Utah. Over the next few decades, thousands of pioneers flowed to Utah and other parts of the western US.

To gain an appreciation of the difficulties faced by those early pioneers, every year hundreds of youth and other groups recreate the treks across parts of those early trails.

In particular, these youth groups travel many miles by handcart to better understand the sacrifice that many pioneers experienced during those harsh times. Beginning in 1856 and continuing until 1860 nearly 3,000 Mormon pioneers from England, Wales, Scotland and Scandinavia made the journey from Iowa or Nebraska to Utah in ten handcart companies. Two of those companies – the Martin and Willie handcart companies – were caught in heavy snow and severe temperatures where over 20% of their company members died.

This week, our oldest sons are trekking a portion of the trail of the Martin and Willie handcart companies. Wondering what they’re experiencing on the journey has us contemplating many aspects of life during those tough times.

Pioneer Games
While pulling handcarts for miles doesn’t lend well to games, pioneers did take time for some merriment around evening camp including singing and dancing. And we’d expect the children would get in some playtime as well.

Since the handcart companies were limited to just 17 lbs of personal items to take with them on their trek, most didn’t have space to carry any toys. If they did take any toys, they needed to be small and light. Typical pioneer toys included:

• Dolls
• Whistles
• Marbles
• Limberjack
• Cup and Ball
• Climbing Bear
• Tops

And unlike kids today hudled around tv and computer screens, most games and activities took place outdoors. Pioneers had to make do with what they had at their disposal. They’d play things like:

• Tug of War
• Stick Pulling
• Rolling Hoops
• Blind Man’s Bluff
• Hop, Step, and Jump
• Feather Dance
• I Spy
• Shadow Tag

We’re excited to hear about our boys experience when they return in a couple days. And we’ll see if they happened to play any of these pioneer games along the way.

 

Read more about:
Mormon Pioneers
Mormon Handcart Pioneers
US Western Expansion