Independence, MO | A Beginning

Disease likely was the culprit of 9/10 deaths among pioneers that crossed the plains. [1] Diseases included: Cholera, Influenza, Smallpox, Measles, Mumps, Dysentery, Mountain Fever, Pneumonia, Scurvy, and Tuberculosis among other maladies.[2]

Cholera was a major killer of pioneers. Most diseases that severely affected pioneers were able to spread quickly among the whole company. To learn more about Cholera, click the button below.[1]

Gravestones averaged about 10 per mile. Burials were done most often in the middle of the trail to erase odor quickly by foot traffic.[1] Many graves were left unmarked to protect the dead from thieves.[2]