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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780762772209 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 06/03/2014 |
| Series: | It Happened In Series |
| Edition description: | Second Edition |
| Pages: | 224 |
| Sales rank: | 927,466 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d) |
About the Author
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Preface
No two journeys over the Oregon Trail were the same. For some the overland trip was a carefree and scenic experience of a lifetime. Unencumbered by accident, disease, or misfortune theirs was an adventure-filled, if not a romantic affair. For others the cross-country trek was nothing short of grueling, with unexpected hardships and unbearable heartaches. They experienced intolerable extremes of weather, lacked the basic necessities of food, water, and shelter, and witnessed inconceivable human behavior.
When the wagon train era began in the 1840s, thousands of courageous "emigrants" left behind the America they knew and traveled into uncharted territory across unfamiliar terrain-at times unsure of the route, much less what to expect ahead. West of the Missouri River towns was a wild frontier as foreign to them as living in a space station seems to us today.
The floodtide of emigrants over westward trails began as a trickle and evolved into a tidal wave that left the Native Americans overwhelmed by the sheer volume of trespassers.Caught up in the "Oregon Fever," the emigrants were collectively driven toward fresh horizons, and thus the caravans of wagons began rolling westward. Perhaps it was the chance for a better life, free land, the hope to strike it rich, the desire to unite the land as one nation, or simply an adventuresome spirit that led them to leave behind their lives in the eastern United States. In the span of forty-five short years the United States went from being a country made up of towns mostly scattered along the Atlantic Coast to a nation that stretched from sea to shining sea.
There are several myths about the settlement of the West that need to be dispelled in order to gain a clear understanding of this time in American history. The first is that the Oregon Trail was one long, continuous road. More accurately it was like a network of blood vessels that meandered westward gathering into a pulsating vein in the vicinity of Fort Kearney, Nebraska. Given to the proclivity of human nature to find a shortcut, many cutoffs were defined from the main route.
The second myth involves the image of a single-file line of wagons heading toward the setting sun. In actuality an array of wagons spread out one abreast of the other to avoid the choking dust. A caravan was often miles wide, due to the natural detours caused by changes in river courses or the necessity for finding available grass and fresh campsites.
Third is the misconception that men tamed the west alone with their brute strength. Largely ignored by historians is the importance that women played in settling and civilizing the wild frontier. Their strength and courage under adverse conditions saw their families through unfathomable situations.
The fourth myth is that travelers over the Oregon Trail were a homogeneous group of Caucasian American citizens. The Oregon Trail opened its doors to many immigrants who left their homelands for a better life. It was a melting pot of hopefuls with diverse ethnic backgrounds: Germans, Poles, Irish, Asians, Greeks, Russians, and African Americans, both slave and free.
Absorbed into the American psyche is the fifth myth that travelers over the Oregon Trail were constantly in danger of attack by Indians. In fact, Indian attacks were rare, though cultural ignorance on the part of the emigrants was cause for misunderstandings. While atrocities were committed on both sides, only the attacks by Indians were highly publicized. Though the emigrants were initially given wide berth by the local tribes, the years of conflict between the Indians and the U.S. military that followed were the result of the Indians' refusal to simply give over their land to those who were encroaching upon it. The U.S. government and those who engulfed the continent for the most part turned a blind eye to the plight of the Native American cultures.
A final myth is that the Oregon Trail was simply a corridor conveying a people from one coast to another. Though at first seen as the "Great American Desert" over which the emigrants leap-frogged, the interior of the continent was later claimed and settled by people who traveled part of the way on the Oregon Trail. Soon the frontier had disappeared.
Migratory animals following the path of least resistance to water sources first defined the trail. Then came the Indians hunting their game. Next came explorers, trappers, and traders. Following on their heels were the missionaries taking the westward paths in search of souls to save. As soon as it was proven that wagons could make it across the path, it wasn't long before emigrants chose to follow their own dreams of a better life. The west had become a symbol of health, wealth, and freedom. Today, almost all traces of the Oregon Trail are 0 covered by railroads and highways.
What was it that separated those who chose to travel 2,170 miles to the Pacific Ocean over the Oregon Trail from those who never entertained such a notion? No one knows. Only the stories of some of those who chose to make the journey remain to speak of the decision and its impact. It was an exhausting trek that these hardy and headstrong souls took as they pushed wearily onward. The path led some to a land that held their dreams and aspirations. For others it took them one step closer to their grave.
The faith and determination of these brave men, women, and children to overcome any obstacle, physical or emotional, enabled most of them to be victorious in reaching their destinations. The tenacity, fortitude, courage, and adventuresome spirit of the emigrants and immigrants in the largest mass migration in this country's history remain unrivaled. Their reasons for taking on the trail may have been simple, but it is the complexity of the journey that intrigues us today.
This book offers an insight into the life stories of thirty heroic individuals, who with or without the support of their families, ventured into lands unknown. All the stories are true and are substantiated with facts and details uncovered by extensive research including conversations or interviews with descendants. On occasion, when details were not available, particulars were inserted commensurate with conditions appropriate to the time.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Map of the Oregon Trail xiv
Scaling the Great Landmark-Early 1800s 1
The Renaming of Me-a-pa-te-1828 6
The Platte River Road-1842 11
Over the River or Through the Woods-1843 18
For Better or for Worse-1845 24
The Way Home-1845 29
Just One More Day-1 846 35
He mo Laughs First-1847 43
Turnarounds-1847 49
Patience of a Saint-1847 55
Up, Up, and Away-1849 61
Unexpected Luxury-1849 67
Against All Odds-1850 72
The Marriage Bed-1850 78
Etched in Stone-1852 83
You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide-1852 90
A Kindness Returned-1852 94
Bubble Up-1852 100
The Last Great Challenge-1853 106
Just Around the River's Bend-1853 112
Then and Now-1853 116
The High Price of Steaks-1854 120
A Trail Delicacy-1854 125
Push Me, Pull Me-1856 129
Girl Overboard-1859 135
A Clean Bed and a Good Meal-1860 140
Craters of the Moon-1864 145
Clouded Vision-1865 149
Capturing History in the Making-1886 154
Stuck in a Rut-1906 161
Right of Way-2006 168
A Potpourri of Oregon Trail Facts 179
Where to Visit the Oregon Trail 186
Bibliography 191
Index 201
About the Author 206