The pioneers carried what is called a "tinder box".
A small box with the stuff to make a fire in.
What goes in the box:
1) A piece of steel (maybe from a rifle)
2) flint (maybe from a rifle)
3) Char Cloth
4) tinder
EVERYTHING in the box is dry. The tinder is gathered long before the guy even thought about lighting the fire.
It could be dry pine cones, small twigs, anything that catches fire easily.
The Indians used twigs from sassafras trees. Look at a sassafras tree sometime and you will notice they always have lots of dead sticks on them that are less then 6 feet high off the ground. The Indians would gather these sticks because they have sassafras oil in them and they catch fire REAL easy and it won't get wet. It's called "SQUAW WOOD" because the squaws gathered it. Making fire was women's work to the Indians.
Something that's been charred catches fire more easily. Try lighting two pieces of wood. One from an old fire and another piece that's fresh. I guarantee the charred one will catch fire MUCH easier and quicker.
How to make char cloth:
You need two tin cans the same size. Cut a slit on one can so you can "nest" them together. Slip one can into the other with the un-opened ends on opposite side. You put some old cotton cloth inside the cans and slip them together. Poke a small hole in one end for smoke to come out.
Toss this can with cloth inside into a fire. (you have to already have a fire to make your firemaking supplies)
When the can starts smoking, let it go a minute or two and then pull it out. After it cools pull out the char cloth. It should be all black and kind of burnt.
To start the fire is super-easy at this point.
You build a little fire with the char cloth at the bottom and the tinder on top. The char cloth will catch fire with JUST ONE SPARK. It's amazing when you do it. That's how a pioneer lit a fire.