VISUAL ACTIVITY Pioneer Family on the Trail West In 1860, W. G. Chamberlain photographed these unidentified travelers momentarily at rest by the upper Arkansas River in Colorado. We do not know their fates, but we can only hope that they fared better than many of the families that braved the trip. Denver Public Library, Western History Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library. READING THE IMAGE: Based on this photograph, what were some of the difficulties faced by pioneers traveling west? CONNECTIONS: How did wagon trains change the western United States?