Oregon Trail Stories: True Accounts Of Life In A Covered Wagon

by David Klausmeyer

Travel along the Oregon Trail with the pioneers who dared to "face the elephant" as they moved west in search of a new life. Compiled from the trail diaries and memoirs that document this momentous period in American history, Oregon Trail Stories is a fascinating look at the great American migration of the 19th century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read on the ole pioneers on the Oregon Trail Stories. Just wish there were a few more pioneer letters in this book. However, it was a decent book that I picked up at a local discount store.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an Oregon Trail history nerd you will LOVE this book. Well-chosen excerpts. Very disturbing at times so don’t just hand it out to young students. I only wish the intro were longer—how were these journals preserved, how were they chosen? Also wishing there were more about the Native American tribes mentioned in the book. An oral history at least. While fascinating, this does not at all give a complete picture of that collective relationship.

[MomofTeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was recommended reading before an upcoming educational trip to Oregon. The collection is uneven. Some of the short stories were spotty and weak, while others were spellbinding, especially that by Catherine Sager Pringle whose book I hope to read.

I cannot fathom the bravery and hope shared by these emigrants. What might these adventurous spirits think of modern-day Oregon?

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3. I wish this one had more of an introduction on why these pieces were chosen and where they came from, but the topic is thoroughly interesting.

[Jennifer Pletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of letters written by various people during the great migration in the 1800s. I liked this book. It is very short, but I liked reading the letters from various people who traveled looking for a better life. Told by men and women it speaks of their trials and successes, death and survival. My favorite story was during what seemed like the worst winter storm in history where they got over 12 feet of snow and so many people perished. The letters are transcribed on the pages exactly as the people wrote them (misspellings and all). Good little book.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories share no sense of adventure. Instead, they showcase the true hardships and how quickly it could turn to disaster.

It's also rather dry. Even the story of the Donner Party is so matter-of-fact that it has little emotional impact.

I found Catherine Sager Pringle's story the most interesting of the lot and plan to seek out the rest of the story.

[John Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick entertaining read. A collection of stories and letters by people who traveled the Oregon Trail. Recommend.

[Shelly Dabbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting to read stories of the people who went on this adventure. Amazing how many people made it & what they all went through to get to what they thought was a better place in life.

[Paul Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed actually "hearing" from the people that travelled the Oregon trails 186 years ago. To me it was like time travel.

Paul Marquis

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing collection of letters and recollections of immigrants whom travelled across the country along the Oregan and California trails.

[Kathy Boehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The emigrants who traveled over 2,000 miles on the Oregon Trail by wagon train were part of the largest mass migration in this country‘s history. The book covers seventeen short stories by pioneers from 1842 through 1865. Its a mix of dfferent voices and different writing styles, many with good grammar and sentence structure, some with neither. Many accounts were written on site, others were penned twenty, thirty, or even seventy years later.

One man’s writing was dedicated to advising prospective pioneers about the suggested number of livestock, horses and mules, and amount of provisions needed during the average four to six months of the journey. A sixteen year old girl told of how her parents took ill and died on the trail, leaving her and six siblings orphaned. A Donner party survivor gave day-by-day weather reports of harrowing snowfalls which accumulated over eleven feet. Anecdotes of both friendly and sometimes life-threatening interactions with various Indian tribes gave a good picture of their tentative relationship. Every camp tried to enforce rules of order and civility. Buffalo hunting techniques were covered in some detail. Many lives were lost due to accidents and illnesses, some of which were recounted. Women could not yet vote nor own property in many states, and their roles on the trail were discussed.

The book provided a good overall taste of life on the open prairie. I purchased it at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon where my sister-in-law’s property encompasses part of the actual trail. Seven miles of wagon wheel ruts can still be seen in Baker Valley, an incredible sight.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting stories from people who took these trips.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of pioneer writings.....good variety. Will spur me on to further reading and study.