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Some 300,000 to 750,000 pioneers set off for California and Oregon in the early 1840's through the late 1850's. We have enjoyed adding a historical element on our trips, as well as seeing the country. Having seen road signs about the Oregon Trail over the years, I finally put together a trip. Originally the plan called for driving east along the Lewis and Clark Trail, but that was too much driving for Shelly. With the suggestion that we could take a train out and rent a car back, my traveling companion was sold on the idea, and several years of planning and research finally solidified. We used several resources as our trail guide, including Maps of the Oregon Trail by Gregory Franzwa, Traveling the Oregon Trail by Julie Fanselow, videos from the library, and brochures picked up along the trail.

And so it was that we set off on a Thursday afternoon in late September, at the end of the last century in the second millennium, to capture a bit of American history from the preceding century. My sister Barb and her boys drove us down to the bus station, and we took the bus downtown. From there we boarded the Amtrak (27k) Empire Builder and headed east to Minneapolis, Minnesota, catching a sunset (12k) over the Puget Sound. We had a sleeper, and spent most of the day in the Observation car.

Sights along the track include: a 7.79 mile tunnel under the Cascade Mountains and Stevens Pass, the longest tunnel in the United States; Glacier National Park and the Rocky Mountains (we experienced an early snow storm); a monument to President Roosevelt at the Continental Divide; another one to Meriwether Lewis along his northern diversion as part of the return trip of the 1804-06 "Voyage of Discovery" (just happened to be looking out the window at the right time for to see this one); wasteland, farmland, reservations, and dinosaurland, through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. We arrived Saturday morning in Minneapolis ahead of schedule.

In Minneapolis, on the Mississippi River, we visited the Simon (36k) cousins, catching Emily (12k) at a cross-country meet. After picking up the car rental (with WA license plates!) we drove down through Iowa to Kansas City. We had a quick visit with our friends the Overholts before starting our Oregon bound trek. Most pioneers traveled the 2,000 mile trip on foot, which took 5-6 months..

Living my whole life on the West Coast, at the end of the Oregon Trail (40k, resize photo window), gives a different perspective when studying most of American history. So too, living in a different century, and just reading about it. Taking the train out east for a few days helped us transition back in time. The snow storm in the Rockies reminded us that the pioneers needed to reach their destination before the winter trapped them in the mountains. My cold at the beginning of the trip and it's discomfort reminded us in just a very small way of the cholera epidemics that would strike wagon trains, with some people healthy in the morning, and by evening they were in an unmarked grave. Graves were often put directly in the trail so that the wagon train rolling over it would hide the scent from wild animals. It is estimated an average of 15 graves per mile are along the trail, and 1 in 10 who started out never finished. The trail is well marked, city streets, highways, back roads, dirt roads, and under many fields of the successful emigrants descendants.

Independence, Missouri, along the Missouri River, was the main jumping off point. American civilization had moved this far west since Lewis and Clark started their expedition 40 years earlier. Lewis and Clark started at the other side of the state at St. Louis, a French outpost that was turned over following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. We visited several landings people used, including Independence Landing (26k). Several city roads don't follow the present-day street grid, following the original trails instead. While the trail starts here, people of course started from many places in the country. These were mostly from the middle class, who had followed the opening of new land before, and after 1849 gold seekers from as far as Europe traveling to seek their fortune, like those at Sutter's Mill.

After traveling along the Blue River and the Kansas River in the northeast corner of Kansas, we come to Alcove Springs (23k). This was discovered by J. F. Reed, whose initials are on the rock next to Shelly. Reed's mother-in-law, a Daughter of the American Revolution, died at the spring at the age of 70. Reed was a member of the infamous Donner Party. Later voted out of the wagon train for killing another member, he ultimately was part of the rescue party. The worst winter on record, and men away at the Mexican War were contributing factors to one of the darkest moments in our history. The Hollenberg Ranch (35k), after having crossed the Big Blue River, and near the Little Blue River, is the last standing Pony Express Station. The Pony Express trail, during it's short 18-month run, followed much of the Oregon Trail.

Having met up with The Platte River at Fort Kearney in Nebraska, we followed the schedule of the pioneers, traveling from sunrise to sunset. Here we caught the rising sun (8k) after leaving the town of North Platte, home of Buffalo Bill Cody. The Platte River was shallow and very wide, almost like moving quicksand. The Mormons traveled the North bank, at a safe distance from their sometimes religious persecutors on the South bank. The pioneers met their first steep incline at California Hill (21k), traveled along the top of bluff, then down an even steeper decline at Ash Hollow, before rejoining the now North Platte River. Here the travelers met the sandstone wonders of Courthouse and Jailhouse Rocks (20k), Chimney Rock (15k), and Scotts Bluff (11k). It can be difficult to fully appreciate that what they may have watched slowly grow in size over a week's time, we saw in about an hour. The spectacle is easier to appreciate having come across the flat plains, rather than directly from the mountainous northwest. At Scotts Bluff, mile 596, the trail is about 1/3 behind us.

In Wyoming we come across the Guernsey Ruts (33k), perhaps the most famous remains of the Oregon Trail. Here the wagon wheels dug deep into the rock while crossing a rise. The pioneers preferred to travel along the crest of hills where there were fewer obstructions. Road damage from the winter storm the week before washed out accessed to Ayers Natural Bridge, discovered much later. Finally leaving the Platte, the trail crosses alkali-tainted ground to the Sweetwater River. The pioneers hoped to reach Independence Rock (21k) by the Fourth of July. One story has the rock so named because fur trappers first celebrated there on July 4, 1824. The mostly faded signatures at the top of the lichen-covered rock is best accessed from the far side. It is a shorter trip walking clockwise, but we can say we walked all the way around. Independence Rock is near Devils Gate, Split Rock, and Ice Spring Slough.

The South Pass Marker (29k) and trail (13k) are almost anti-climatic after following the very gradual rise to the Continental Divide through the Rocky Mountains. But it marked the entrance to the Northwest Territory. Returning fur trappers of the Astor Party found the pass in 1812. It's discovery, at first kept a secret, ultimately provided the means to move wagons, and families, to the fertile Willamette Valley and Oregon City. This helped settle the dual-claim over the Northwest Territory with Great Britain, following the War of 1812. The marker on the left honors Narcissa Whitman, the first woman to cross the trail in 1836.

From here settlers, eager to get to there destination back, followed several divergent trails to get down the mountains. Today's roads follow even more alternate paths, and it is here modern-day rut seekers can find some of the longest, untouched stretches of the original trail. Near Kemmerer, home of the first J. C. Penney's, is the Fossil Butte National Monument. It has fossils from an ancient sea bed, including this Knightia (12k), which we bought just outside the park. With winter quickly approaching, supplies dwindled, oxen and mules suffering the same fate as their masters, heavy items strewn along the trail to lighten the load months before, the pioneers were pressed far beyond the limits of human condition. No rivers followed their path, the high mountains made travel difficult, and food was scarce.

In Idaho at Big Hill, wagons were let down the steep grade with wheels locked and ropes anchored by trees serving as a windlass, or winch. The weary travelers enjoyed another natural wonder, Soda Springs (19k) at the valley floor. Some may have stopped long enough to see the fall colors (21k) traveling up the side of the next mountain. The trail then meets up with the Snake River. Cutting deeply into the volcanic rock, it was often out of reach from the thirsty and exhausted travelers. At Thousand Springs (15k), water traveling below ground bursts forth from the steep walls of the river canyon. Some ruts (23k) have eroded over the the years but are still recognizable, as here are on the left. Other ruts (14k) across the modern road are kept distinct by modern-day travelers with off-road vehicles. The debate continues as how to best preserve the trail. A friend's father told me of growing up on the farm near Twin Falls. During the fall season the trail was still discernible across the freshly-tilled fields. Our forefathers came here to farm the land. It is only an after thought to preserve what is left, as history and memories disappear. More ruts are still present at Bonneville Point (27k) above Boise.

In Oregon, having left the Snake at Farewell Bend, faint ruts still exist near Baker City Interpretive Center (10k), cutting into the hillside to the right of Shelly. After crossing the Blue Mountains, the pioneers followed the Columbia River to their final destination. Hoping to avoid dangerous waters, and ferries with outlandish prices and long lines, some chose the Barlow Toll Road south of Mt. Hood.

We took a detour through Washington, visiting family (38k) in Richland. My sister Betsy was also visiting from Alaska. We finished our trip over Snoqualmie Pass to Seattle.

My parents, grandma, and I took a mini day trip over Father's Day weekend in 1999 to see some ruts of the Oregon Trail. Before reaching the Columbia River, the Oregon Trail traveled over the high plateau desert of central Oregon. Campground locations were often determined by access to water. Here we visited Echo Meadows (22k), the Boardman Segment (24k), and the now dry Well Spring (23k).

At the end of the trail, weary travelers were welcomed and fed by fellow travelers who had come before them. Early that winter, or the following spring, the emigrants of the Oregon Trail staked their claim to the rich soil of the Willamette Valley. The number of travelers on the trail fell off after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory, Utah, in 1869. But pioneer stories live on in their diaries, and they deserve their hard-earned place in our history books and collective memories.

Additional information about the Oregon Trail can be found at the Oregon-California Trails Association.

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