Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852: As Told by Mary Ann and Willis Boatman and Augmented with Accounts by Other Overland Travelers

by Weldon W. Rau

With numbers swelled by Oregon-bound settlers as well as hordes of gold-seekers destined for California, the 1852 overland migration was the largest on record in a year taking a terrible toll in lives mainly due to deadly cholera. Included here are firsthand accounts of this fateful year, including the words and thoughts of a young married couple, Mary Ann and Willis Boatman, released for the first time in book-length form. In its immediacy, Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852 opens a window to the travails of the overland journeyers--their stark camps, treacherous river fordings, and dishonest countrymen; the shimmering plains and mountain vastnesses; trepidation at crossing ancient Indian lands; and the dark angel of death hovering over the wagon columns. But also found here are acts of valor, compassion, and kindness, and the hope for a new life in a new land at the end of the trail.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Adventure

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

Reviews

[Anne Lundquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want to know the exact routes that people took to get out West, this is the book for you. I liked the maps that were included and how the author took a lot of effort to connect those places to current day towns and cities. There is a lot of information about routes, the landmarks that people saw (most often rock formations), but the book never came alive for me. I wanted to know more about the personalities of the people mentioned in the book.

[Steve Van Slyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

While riding Cycle Oregon in northeast Oregon I happened to take a break at the BLM Oregon Trail interpetive center (outstanding)near Baker City and found myself standing in the wagon ruts that still remain out there in sage brush country. That experience, plus visiting the museum itself caused me to want to learn more about the experience of the early settlers that made there way west between the 1840s and 1860s. I first read Francis Parkman's "The Oregon Trail" but soon found that the story was really about a sporting expedition that only went as far as the base of the Rockies.

This book follows the ancestors of the author as they make their way west from Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1852 with a brief stop in Portland and eventually on to South Puget Sound in the Washington Territory. The author uses extensive research into the diaries of contemporary travelers to fill in the gaps and missing details. The author's profession as geologist caused him to also add asides about the geology of the areas the wagons passed through, which, as an amateur geolist I found as a nice bonus.

If you want to gain an insight has to how difficult were the trip and the pioneering at the end of the trail, you'll find it here.

[Pam Lindholm-levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eyewitness accounts of the Oregon Trail help me picture what my great-grandmother experienced as an 11 year old. Her father and eldest brother had a much rougher time managing the wagon and oxen over creeks and rivers, huge ups and downs; they had to take shifts with other travelers watching all the stock at night.
Still, if you didn't die of cholera like so many instances mentioned in this book, you were likely to survive the Trail. Most accounts were from the year 1852, because that's when Weldon Rau's ancestors crossed. The Trail had been in existence for almost 10 years, and some of the water had become contaminated. My family came in 1846, early enough for this not be have been an issue.
This was a worthwhile book for those of us interested in the subject.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good immersion into the Oregon Trail experience. I live in the area, so the descriptions and natural tragedies seemed real.

[Karin Coppernoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook. I gave it only 4 stars because the narrator was too robot-like. However the story was so compelling with excerpts taken directly from the journals of the pioneers who traveled the Oregon Trail. If you truly want to understand those who traveled the Oregon Trail, this should be on your “must-read” list.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account is primarily about the Boatman family who ended up settling in Washington state. It's a good detailed account of the Oregon trail, the hardships, and how tough and courageous these people were.

[April Manns · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like diaries written by pioneers, this book has them . Routes taken by the wagon trains and places they stopped to camp and admire the beauty .
Those were tough people !

[Diane Jarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Describes well the geography and physical challenges of the 1852 Oregon Trail. Does not touch on the inner experience of the traveler. Perhaps less welcomed at the time, a successful traveler had to be physically strong while not contemplating the inner experience too much. This was disappointing for me, but 1852 journal writers focused nearly exclusively on the physical experience. I can only guess at their excitement, hopes, and fear.

[Jonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for research and it was first class. Great details of the lonnnnng journey.

[Lkaehall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up to do some research for an article I am writing and it is very well done.