Editing Oregon Trail (section)

===Costs===
The cost of traveling over the Oregon Trail and its extensions varied from nothing to a few hundred dollars per person. Women seldom went alone. The cheapest way was to hire one to help drive the wagons or herds, allowing one to make the trip for nearly nothing or even make a small profit. Those with capital could often buy livestock in the [[Midwest]] and drive the stock to California or Oregon for profit. About 60 to 80&nbsp; percent of the travelers were farmers and as such already owned a wagon, livestock team, and many of the necessary supplies. This lowered the cost of the trip to about $50 per person for food and other items. Families planned the trip for months and made much of the extra clothing and many other items needed. Individuals buying most of the needed items would end up spending between $150–200 per person.<ref>{{cite book |last = Dary |first = David |title = The Oregon Trail an American Saga |publisher = Alfred P. Knopf |location = New York |year = 2004 |pages = [https://archive.org/details/oregontrailameri00dary/page/272 272–275] |isbn = 978-0-375-41399-5 |url = https://archive.org/details/oregontrailameri00dary/page/272 }}</ref> As the trail matured, additional costs for ferries and toll roads were thought to have been about $30 per wagon.{{sfnp|Unruh|1993|p=408}}