Have you ever taken a hike in a state park or followed a path that deer made as they searched the woods for food? You might find it difficult to walk through the woods. When the frontier was just a little ways past Pennsylvania, horses and their riders were responsible for widening those natural trails to open up the new land. Before long, they were leading pack mules to carry food and other things to the settlers.

If you ever get the chance to travel to the Grand Canyon, you can ride a mule, just like the ones the settlers used, all the way down the canyon trails to the river. The gold miners in 1849 rode donkeys and led pack mules. If you were going to look for gold today, what do you think you would need to take along? You might want to pack a canteen, some dried foods, and a few candy bars. Prospectors today still look for treasure, but they often use metal detectors and jeeps rather than horses. Why don't you ask your family if they will draw a map and bury some toys and sealed containers of food, so you can ask your friends to go on a treasure hunt with you?