What kind of water do you think The people of the 1830 's 1840's Drank

[Tesorodeoro]

I think back then, with lots of contaminated water everywhere people preferred to drink whisky and beer. If you don't think so just watch a few episodes of Gun Smoke.

I think generally speaking you are correct.

 

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[Fred Finder]

Do you think they would drink Creek , Stream ? If they were looking for a camping place. I think they would want a flat place with spring water. I am trying to find places where they would camp while building the canal locks
ANY HELP sure would be appreciated

They drank all moving water and from wells also cactus. Booze too
🍾

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

In all of recorded history, and even the unrecorded seethey parts ... the peeps drank the water they needed so that we could be here today and misspeculate about how this had occured. My bad

 

[Robot]

Shoot water was water.
My family and I drank anything that was wet.
Only rule: Don't drink down stream from your horse!

 

[Gare]

Shoot water was water.
My family and I drank anything that was wet.
Only rule: Don't drink down stream from your horse!

LOL

 

[relicmeister]

Don’t know how they didn’t get sick constantly from unrefridgerated food and contaminated water from all sources. Wells were probably the most safe and rivers the least. I think contamination was the second main reason for drinking alcohol all the time.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Don’t know how they didn’t get sick constantly from unrefridgerated food and contaminated water from all sources. Wells were probably the most safe and rivers the least. I think contamination was the second main reason for drinking alcohol all the time.

I'd guess that there were way fewer bugs around, like flies and germs. They didn't have huge supplies to store. they salted and dried what was excess for instantaneous consumption. They planned out harvest and slaughter. Cooler dryer places and times. You hear about settling the west not the rio grande. They didn't eat all that well. They survived. Grains & beans.

 

[Gare]

Well maybe this is why people had a shorter life span then now ?

 

[releventchair]

Cider.

 

[jlbuchanan]

Whatever water they drank, it was a trade off to what we drink today. Ours has too many chemicals in it and theirs had too many bacteria in it. So, what's a happy medium?

 

[TORRERO]

Do you think they would drink Creek , Stream ? If they were looking for a camping place. I think they would want a flat place with spring water. I am trying to find places where they would camp while building the canal locks
ANY HELP sure would be appreciated

We went to Lookout Mountain, NC and there is a trail that leads down to a waterfall, waterfall comes over a 100 foot cliff, to where we were... I walked out to that place and scooped up water and drank it, no reaction yet, but the park rangers said they wouldn't drink it, that you really don't know what's upstream, but it was probably ok.
(best water by taste test)
Years ago I was at a camp in the NC Mountains and we drank from the streams that flowed around the campsite, But this was on top of a mountain, sooo there really wasn't an "Upstream" from there...

 

[jlbuchanan]

We went to Lookout Mountain, NC and there is a trail that leads down to a waterfall, waterfall comes over a 100 foot cliff, to where we were... I walked out to that place and scooped up water and drank it, no reaction yet, but the park rangers said they wouldn't drink it, that you really don't know what's upstream, but it was probably ok.
(best water by taste test)
Years ago I was at a camp in the NC Mountains and we drank from the streams that flowed around the campsite, But this was on top of a mountain, sooo there really wasn't an "Upstream" from there...

These days, you can't tell what would be upstream. Even the animals know not to take a leak in the water they drink. We are worse than animals....LOL!

 

[Bucket Lister]

Years ago I was at a camp in the NC Mountains and we drank from the streams that flowed around the campsite, But this was on top of a mountain, sooo there really wasn't an "Upstream" from there...

There's always an "upstream"--even if "upstream" is an aquifer.

50 years ago we used to camp in the Adirondacks. We drank water from the springs & streams, but not from the lake they ran into. We never got sick, but I wouldn't try that today.

These days, you can't tell what would be upstream. Even the animals know not to take a leak in the water they drink. We are worse than animals....LOL!

Actually, there probably aren't a whole lot of nasties that can:

1. Survive in that environment, and
2. Cross the species barrier.

Some--to be sure--but not many.
That said, there are other kinds of things (non-biological) that may contaminate/pollute those waters.

Best to know your sources, or pack in your water or purification gear.

 

[moemoney]

Well, well, well...and rain, rain, rain!