Why was life hard and dangerous for frontier families in the west?

Answer 1

American settlers who staked out new lives in the western plains of the United States found life hard and dangerous. One reason was that the settlers were faraway from large cities and thus were cut off from good healthcare. Another reason was that the Federal government made treaties with North American Native Tribes, and then so very often ignored the treaties. Some settlers broke these treaties on their own. Others, even in good faith did not know what the treaties the Federal government had made with the Native Americans. So, at various times the Native peoples, who knew their territories much better than the settlers began conflicts with them or the reverse, the settlers battled the Native Americans.

A bit more:

Other reasons were that they often had such a shortage of food, and shelter. They also had shortages of livestock, such as horses for travel and pulling plows, cows for milk, cheese, and breeding for beef; chickens for eggs and eating poultry. In some places in the west, there was a shortage of trees to make houses from, so they had to use what they could, such as using mud and straw to make 'bricks' for their homes.

They had to produce almost all of their own food, with things like coffee being a luxury since they rarely had access to it. If they couldn't grow it or hunt it themselves, they didn't have it. Even purchasing fabric for making clothes was difficult, with them often using animal hides for clothes. They had to make their own soap, which they made from lye and animal fat. This soap was used for everything, from cleaning clothes, scrubbing floors, and even bathing. And they even made their own lye, using wood ash and water.

The severe winters were another danger and hardship, as well as spring floods.

They also had to contend with transients who would kill them and then steal their food, livestock, and even their homes.

Illness and disease, such as dysentery, influenza, smallpox, etc. was the cause of many, many deaths of frontier families. There were many times when entire families would die from an outbreak of a disease. And if one fell and broke a bone, they often had to set the broken bone themselves, since there was very little to no medical care available. The 'lucky' ones had neighbors within five miles to help them if they needed any kind of help.

Many of them didn't even have a well for drawing water, so they had to use water from nearby rivers and streams. This often resulted in illness, since the water was contaminated.