2. Why was travelling on land difficult in the beginning
Answers
Explanation:
There were many reasons that traveling by land had been difficult. Early settlers had to contend with many barriers to them moving westward.
Technological Reasons:
no locomotion - Walking or riding by wagon/horse back meant months to go west. Imagine trying to move a family and having to take your livelihood and all your food/gear for survival.
no medicine - disease/sickness/injury was always a huge risk.
no infrastructure - the only roads for early settlers were the roads developed by wild animals - just big enough for them. Animal tracks were about the only way to cross mountains or make it through forests but also brought you into their habitat, their diseases and their predators.
Natural Reasons:
disease - easterners had no resistance to western disease, traveling across the country put you at higher risk of getting sick.
deeply forested - massive forests were up and down the entire east coast and these were often very dense and unforgiving.
The rocky mountains - a natural barrier of east vs west. Impenetrable during winter and short season to cross during summers.
terrain - Massive forests, massive rivers, massive mountain ranges, massive deserts. Until people populated near these areas and built bridges, crossing, toll-roads and other means of crossing you had to do it yourself.
We take for granted how we can hop in a car and the only thing we worry about is the next gas station and how much time we have left. Early settlers did not have any luxury as they went westward.