[Mama_Bear]

Cloves and nutmeg were important seasonings . . . .

Apparently so, along with pepper! 1 lb cayenne pepper and 2 lbs black pepper? Seems like a lot of pepper to me. 1000 lbs of flour is an awful lot to be hauling along too, but I guess families could be fed on nothing but bread if need be.

[iceskater]

Maybe those spices were good because they don't spoil as easily as something like dill or basil? Or were they used for trading perhaps? Not to mention being strong enough to mask the taste of not-so-good food.

100 pounds of flour doesn't sound like much if you think of a pound of flour per day to make bread each day. That's only a little over 3 months worth.

It took a brave person to venture forth into the unknown like that. It's pretty amazing when you think about what the pioneers had to overcome.