Did pioneers use snowshoes in the winter?
Kathy Church
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Yes, they used snowshoes, especially in the high Sierra and Rocky Mountain regions where winters were brutal. They also had skis, although they were longer than those in use today and they were cross country, not for downhill. But when conditions were especially bad, they did the obvious thing—they just stayed indoors.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and vice president of the Wild West History Association. His latest book is Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen; The History Press, 2015. If you have a question, write: Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or email him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu.