In the overland trail experience, the author states “The vicissitudes of the trail opened new possibilities for expanded work roles for women, and in the cooperative work of the family there

In the overland trail experience, the author states “The vicissitudes of the trail opened new possibilities for expanded work roles for women, and in the cooperative work of the family there existed a basis for a vigorous struggle for female-male equality.” Explain what is meant by this with examples. How do you think this process – and its larger ties to the Great Plains experience – helped to forge gender and family roles for historic and modern rural plains populations? What is different about these experiences on the trail and your view of what the later experiences of pioneer women settling in may have been like?
What do the statistics and descriptions of mortality on the trails suggest about life moving through the Great Plains?
The slides on transportation in the Plains show a pattern of people and information moving “through the Plains” to a pattern of people settling “into the Plains”. Explain this progression and the role of transportation in enabling this transition.
What was the impetus for the cattle drives into the Great Plains and how did perceptions of the Great Plains change through the course of this experience?