... themselves,where they settled, and what they did when they got there. This factor,the environment, profoundly affected the settlers way of life, and otherfactors, such as the Indians and the railroad, ... provider of family comfort and support. Women even faced the grim possibility of giving birth on the trail. The environment also affected the health of the people who lived in the west. In the middle ... one can now see the extreme influence the environment played on the westward settlers of the past. Not only did it influencewhere and how they settled, it affected their way of life, livelihood,...