Mother told me today that we are going to move to Oregon! We
are going to have to leave all my friends and school and
everything! We are going to leave in three days! I won't even have
much time to say goodbye to my friends. I am only allowed to take a
feed bag full of my things. I was also informed that I would have
to walk most of the way! According to my mother and father, the
wagon is only for the few things and lots of food that we can take
with us. We are going down the Oregon Trail and father said that it
will take more than six months! He said that we are going because
Oregon has pleasant weather and the farming land is good and
plentiful. May 4, 1843
Slide 3
May 6,1843 Here is our old house with our new covered wagon out
front. The wagon is fairly small and there is barely enough room
for all of our furniture and food.
Slide 4
We left today after a sad goodbye to my friends. Our wagon is
full to the brim and the weather is nice. We traveled to the
Missouri River, where we loaded our wagon onto a steamboat and
traveled west. We got out in the city of Independence, Missouri. We
then began our journey by wagon. We are traveling with what is
called a wagon train. They will travel with us throughout the
journey. I saw some girls that look about my age and I hope that I
can make friends with some of them. After traveling during the
afternoon, if feels like we have traveled forever but father said
that we have only gone about 5 miles. The trail is hot and dusty
and I am exhausted. For dinner we are going to have bread and dried
meat. Mother said that one of my chores is to help make dinner and
collect water to drink. For lunch we had hardtack and dried fruit,
which I can only hope I won't get tired of. Hopefully the walking
will get easier as I get used to the warm temperatures and dry
dusty trail. May 7, 1843
Slide 5
May 10, 1843 This is all of the scenery that we have seen so
far since leaving. Just flat dry plains, dust and buffalo.
Hopefully we come across some mountains or something soon.
Slide 6
It has now been a week since we left and it has been horrible!
I am covered in dust from head to toe and I am constantly thirsty.
It is getting warmer and the dress with the corset I am forced to
wear seems to be suffocating me but I do not complain. We sleep in
blankets under the stars, where rocks constantly poke my back. I
dream of endless dust and buffalo which I guess is what seeing
empty plains full of dry dust and millions of buffalo every day
will do to you. The walking is torture and my legs hurt constantly.
Only occasionally I am allowed to ride in the wagon to take a break
from the hot sun and walking. My mother however walks the whole
time and never rides in the wagon. I don't see how she can do it!
We travel an average of 13 miles a day and eat bread and dried
fruit for lunch and dried meat, beans, and rice for dinner. We cant
find anymore firewood so I was forced to collect buffalo chips for
fuel for our fire, which are plentiful on these plains. The
mornings on the open plain are my favorite time of day, and we wake
before sunrise to get a head start on the trail. The sunrise is
always beautiful- the sky filled with reds, yellows, purples, and
oranges, and an early morning haze that reflects all the colors. It
reminds me of back at home in Missouri when I used to get up early
and watch the sun rise with my mother. It was always a special time
for both of us, and be both appreciate the reminder of our past
home in this flat, dry plain. May 14, 1843
Slide 7
May 23, 1843 This is our wagon trail traveling along the Oregon
Trail. The first wagon in this picture holds our new friends that
we have met, Molly and John.
Slide 8
The past couple of weeks have gone by very slow and have been
filled with dust, dust and more dust. We had to dump some of our
food when we got to Independence because we had overloaded our
wagon so our food supply is running low. Maybe we will finally get
to eat something different for a change when we find some more food
to eat. My shoes have worn holes in them from the constant waking
and bled for the first couple days with the holes, but now,
thankfully, they are calloused. I am also required to do chores. I
gather water, help fix the evening meal, and gather buffalo chips
as fuel for our fire. I have made a couple of friends from our
wagon train, Nancy and Ann. We figured out that we could use the
buffalo chips for doing something that we found to be quite fun. We
throw the chips back and forth to each other and call it frisbee.
Its a very fun game and even some of the adults join in. Sleeping
has gotten better since I got used to sleeping on rocks and the
stars are kind of nice to have above your head. We have heard about
a disease that has left a couple people dead and so we try to be as
sanitary as possible. I am also not looking forward to the day when
we encounter Indians and I hope father will be able to handle it.
June 10, 1843
Slide 9
June 19, 1843 Friends and family from our wagon train after a
long day on the trail. Both families are headed to Oregon with
us.
Slide 10
This morning the sunrise was especially beautiful, filled with
almost all the colors of the rainbow. We even stopped traveling for
a few minuets to enjoy the spectacle! The bad news is that the days
are getting to be unbelievably hot and the nights are turning
colder, but we will live- luckily we brought lots of blankets.
Yesterday we did a river crossing and we had to wade through the
raging river to the other side and trust that the oxen would carry
our wagon to safety. Thankfully, no one was hurt and all the wagons
made it through without damage. It was scary though and father had
to help mother and me across the rapidly flowing water. I was
scared that I would float away on the current and never see mother
and father or any of my new friends again! Nancy, Ann, and I have
become closer in the last few weeks and we often travel with each
other for the day. This helps keep me from dying of boredom and
takes my mind off my throbbing legs and parched throat. We also
have to be careful about the water we drink and we have to make
sure that we are sanitary because one of the people in our wagon
train has become ill. I haven't seen the person but I heard that
she is in very bad condition and could possibly die. Mother has
warned me not to go anywhere near the family's wagon because she
fears that whatever the person has might be contagious. I happened
to notice that the family whos mother had the illness has a brother
about my age and a sister of about five. I feel terrible for the
two siblings and their father for I could not imagine losing either
one of my parents or a sibling if I had one. June 25, 1843
Slide 11
July 1, 1843 Our wagon on our lunch break with our livestock
that we use for fresh meat and for fresh milk.
Slide 12
Today was our first day of rain on the trail. It started around
eight in the morning and lasted into the afternoon. We haven't been
able to go anywhere today because the trail is now very muddy.
Father says that we might have to stay here till the ground is
dryer. Also during the storm our wagon started to leaking and our
food supply that we have left got wet- including the flour. All of
our furniture also got wet and my clothes are drenched. It is
positively freezing right now because there wasnt much sun after
the storm to dry things out. We did however get the privilege to
see a beautiful rainbow that came out after the storm. I think that
it helped all of us restore our appreciation for the little things
in life. July 7, 1843
Slide 13
July 13, 1843 This is one of the many beautiful landmarks that
we have passed on the trail. They call this one Devil's Gate. It
was beautiful with its shadowy gorge and the sun cast shadows into
it that made it look evil. We were allowed to explore the gorge and
we camped the night inside its opening.
Slide 14
Our food supply is getting low and mother and father are
beginning to get worried. We have been trying to ration the food
for the past week or so but we are still running lower every day.
We are also no where near a city so that we can trade for food and
shoes. We have also heard that there is a threat of Indians in the
area. I am scared and last night I had dreams about an Indian
attacking us. Also, one of the families at the back of our wagon
lost a wheel and we had to leave them behind. I feel bad for their
three kids- one older sister about my age and two younger brothers.
I hope they can get it fixed and join us again but we didnt want to
loss a couple days travel. As I am writing this I hear the Indians
calling in the night but father is outside with his shotgun and I
feel better and safer. I fear that we will be attacked by Indians
during the night because we have heard rumors about attacks. I can
only hope for the best. July 26, 1843
Slide 15
Today we encountered the Indians. I was terrified at first but
it turned out okay- thank heavens. Father approached them as they
came near our camp and kept peace with them. He convinced them to
trade some of their food for some of our extra clothes. During all
this however, I was forced to stay in the wagon just in case but I
was able find a crack and look through it into the action. Father
traded a few of my extra clothes along with a pair of his worn
jeans. The Indians were appreciative of our clothes and we were
elated to have more dried meat and flour to eat. We had a small
feast with the new food that we traded. It was the most food that I
have had in a long time, and it was delicious. I will also sleep in
peace tonight knowing that the Indians are not violent. July 27,
1843
Slide 16
July 28, 1843 This is a picture of the Indians camp not far
from where we traded our clothes for food. Their houses, even
though they dont look like they could withstand anything, are quite
strong. The Indians were also very friendly, and let us pass
without harm.
Slide 17
August 5, 1843 This is a picture of Fort Hall, a trading post
along the trail. We stopped to trade for shoes, a few clothes, and
some more food.
Slide 18
Today Nancy and Ann's father Bill became ill. We are not sure
what he has but mother told me to stay away from their family just
in case it is contagious. Mother went over there to try to help but
there was nothing that she could do for him. He is delirious, has a
fever and is dehydrated. We gave up some of our fresh water for him
to try to help. The sunrises continue to give me new hope each
morning and I pray almost every minuet of the day for their father.
It is bedtime and we can only hope that he will be better come
morning. August 11, 1843
Slide 19
Bill died today. It was horrible. We woke up to Nancy and Ann
screaming for their father. We rushed over to where their wagon was
parked in the circle and rushed up to it. Their mother told us that
they woke up and Bill was dead. I cried for my friends because what
will they do without a father? What will they do without someone to
protect the family? Without someone to provide food? Without
someone to tend to crops and plant crops once they arrive in
Oregon? Their mother seems determined, however, to make the best
out of the rest of her and the kids lives. She also said that she
will continue with us to Oregon and find land to grow crops on. I
wish the best for them- especially for Nancy and Ann. August 12,
1843
Slide 20
September 7, 1843 Here is a sketch of Fort Boise- another
supply stop along the trail. We stopped here for clothes and some
more dried meat. Our old clothes were full of dust, dirt, and
holes. It feels good to have new clothes on, even if I am still
covered in dust from the trail.
Slide 21
October 11, 1843 Here is a map of the route we took from our
old home in Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon. The journey has been
hard but we have almost arrived and I cant wait.
Slide 22
We are finally here in Oregon City! I haven't written in a
while because there hasnt been much to talk about. Just the endless
dust, dirt and trail. Near the end of our journey, the oxen seemed
to be getting tired but we are here. We found a cheap piece of land
that we will settle on that has lots of room for farming. Father
wants to grow corn and strawberries and wants to begin building a
cabin as soon as possible. We have met our soon to be neighbors and
they said that they would help father build our new house. Mother
is very excited as well. When we arrived, she nearly jumped for
joy, as did I! The soil here, as many people have told us, will be
excellent for farming and the weather is very pleasant. We have
also heard that the winters here are fairly cold, but that they are
not too bad. I cannot wait till we have our new house built and our
crops planted! Our new life begins! October 13, 1843
Slide 23
October 14, 1843 This is our new land that father wants to
build a cabin on and farm the land. We also have some cattle that
survived the hard journey. Home sweet home!
Slide 24
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"All About the Oregon Trail." The Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail.
Web. 9 Feb 2013. http://www.america101.us/trail/Allabout.html
"Traveling on the Overland Trails." National Expansion and Reform.
Library of Congress. Web. 9 Feb 2013.
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