Transcript

3.6.26 · History Hour

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Speaker 1: Hello and welcome. This is Radiois History Show and I'm
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your host and reader for today, Joseph Bolt, so glad
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to be with you for this time. And before we
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begin today's program, I need to remind you that Radio
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I is listener driven, so that means you and if
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you have any comments suggestions about what we do here
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at RADIOI, please call us at eight five nine four
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what you are thinking and what your suggestions might be.
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As you know, Radio I is a reading service that's
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intended for people who are blind or have other disabilities
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that make it difficult to read printed material. Well, I'll
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cite the sources as we go along today, but today
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I thought we would focus on a bit of America
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in history and in general, what it was like, what
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a typical day might be like on the trail heading
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out west, particularly the Organ Trail. So let's get the
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reading for nineteenth century migrants traveling west across America. Our
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wagon train every mile tested body and spirit. Blistered feet,
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choking dust, and swarming insects posed just a few of
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the many physical challenges of the two thousand mile months
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long journey. Yet amid the hardships. The pioneers who rolled
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across the continent also experienced moments of awe the brilliant
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sunsets over endless planes, vast, unbroken landscapes, and the unfamiliar
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faces that marked each new frontier. Some pioneers left a
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cat ounce of their journeys. In June of eighteen forty six,
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westward migrant and future editor of The Oregon Spectator, George
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Curry lamented quote, I am tired of the snail like
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travel of the wagons end quote. That same month, Massachusetts
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school teacher Tampson Eustace Donner, who traveled with her husband
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George and their five daughters and what would become known
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as the ill fated Donner Party, marveled in her diary
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that quote, the prairie between the Blue and Platte rivers
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is beautiful beyond description end quote. Both accounts appear in
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Overland in eighteen forty six Diaries and Letters of the
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California Oregon Trail. Historian Dale L. Morgan's nineteen sixty three
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compendium of pioneer writings. Lured by the promise of fertile
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farmland and a chance to start anew several hundred thousand men,
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women and children set out between the eighteen forties. In
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eighteen eighties, rolling west in groups of oxen pulled prairie
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schooners through grass prairies, arid deserts, and over snowy mountain
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passes down for California in Oregon. For later migrants, that
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dream was further fueled by the Federal Homestead Act of
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eighteen sixty two, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, which granted
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one hundred and sixty acres of land to settlers willing
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to cultivate it. Most westward treks began at men's insistence,
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with women often joining reluctantly. According to journalists and historian
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Frank mclenn, author of Wagons West, The Epic story of
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American overland Trails, fewer than one in four women who
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kept journals on the trail agreed with the decision to migrate. Quote.
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Often in private diaries, women lament, why are we going
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on this full, hardy errand separating ourselves from these networks
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we have at home that undergird our lives? End Quote
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This says Stephen Aaron, president and CEO of the Autry
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Museum of the American West and professor Emeritus of History
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at University of California, Los Angeles. Most migrant families, largely
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middle class settlers from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, set out
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from Independence, Missouri, the last major outpost on the Western Front,
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after stocking up on supplies. Popular depiction of the Oregon
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Trail often include trains of boat shaped conestoga wagons bouncing
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along the prairie. But while the constogo was an indispensable
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part of trade and travel in the East, it was
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far too large and unwieldy to survive the rugged terrain
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of the frontier. Most pioneers instead tackled the trail in
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more diminutive wagons that became known as prairie schooners for
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the way their canvas covers resembled a ship's sail. These
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vehicles typically included a wooden bed about four feet wide
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and ten feet long. When pulled by teams of oxen
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or mules, they could creak their way toward Oregon country
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at a pace of around fifteen to twenty miles per day.
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They could even be calked with tar and floated across
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unaffordable rivers and streams. Prairie schooners were capable of carrying
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over a ton of cargo and passengers, but their small
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beds and lack of a suspension made for a notoriously
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bumpy ride. With this in mind, settlers typically preferred to
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ride horses or walk alongside their wagons on foot. Even
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though they were moving west to start a new life.
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People setting off on the Organ Trail were advised to
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pack as lightly as possible. This meant no furniture or
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other big positions, and only a few essentials. According to
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most historians of the era, the typical pioneer would keep
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the total weight of the goods they packed onto their
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wagons below the two thousand pound mark. Of this, around
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ninety percent would be food, leaving only a bit of
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space for clothes, tools, and perhaps a personal memento or two.
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Packing more than the US would place excess strain on
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the oxen pulling the carts, and not just threatened to
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slow down their progress, but potentially ruined the journey all together.
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Wealthier pioneers would send large items, including furniture, by ship
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in the west, or rather to the West coast. Those
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without the necessary funds, however, were forced to leave it
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all behind. Early Oregon settler and entrepreneur John Shively suggested
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in his eighteen forty six guide book that pioneers packed
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quote plenty of flour and well cured side bacon to
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last you through if you can't one or two pairs
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of buckskin pantaloons, two very wide brim hats, and several
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pairs of coarse shoes or boots end quote. As is
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human nature. However, many people simply packed too much. Understandably,
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people found it hard to leave behind either valuable possessions
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or items with sentimental value. Most would soon learn the
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error of their ways. As the journey progressed in both
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the people and the oxen or horses started to tire,
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possessions would start to be shed. In fact, this was
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so common that there was even a term for abandoned
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possessions on the trail. They were known as liber rights,
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taken from the fact that the travelers had to liver
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right here. In some instances, whole piles of librites sprang
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up along the length of the trail. These discarded possessions
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rarely went to waste. However, toward the latter years of
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the organ trail, entrepreneurs cashed in on the fact immigrants
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couldn't take it all with them. The Mormon communities of
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Utah in particular became a depth at salvaging what was
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left behind. The goodies were then taken to Salt Lake
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City and sold for a profit. As you might expect,
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such profiteering was frowned upon by the pioneers, and there
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was some bad blood between the Oregon settlers and the
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Mormons for years afterward. Timing the journey was also an issue.
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You leave too early in risk insufficient grass for the
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oxen mules, cattle and horses to feed on. You leave
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too late, and massive snowstorms made mountains impassable, stranding migrants
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with dwindling supplies. The sweet spot for starting the journey
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was mid April to May, advised Shively and others on
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the way, men managed wagons and livestock. Women mostly walked.
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Men carried firearms and welded whips to lash out at
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rattlesnakes slithering onto their path. Snakes also crept into beds
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at night. A typical day on the trail started early
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at around four a m. A bugle call or a
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rifle shot would wake the camp to start another long
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and dusty day on the trail over the next hour.
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If the livestock had been allowed to graze throughout the night,
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they were rounded up and corralled in the wagon circle
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at about five am. The women and children in the
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group would have prepared a simple but hardy breakfast. As
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the women washed dishes, the men finished striking and packing
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the camp site. They also tended to the animals, ensuring
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any sore limbs were wrapped or rough hides were rubbed
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with salve. Horses may need reshoeing, wagon wheels needed regular greasing,
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and when grease ran out, migrants improvised with buffalo or
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wolf fat. By around seven am, wagons were packed up
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and animals hitched, and the caravan set off after a
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bugle sounded and a wagon's hole or wagon's roll call
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was made. Travelers were incentivized to be on time. Ending
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up in the back of a caravan meant spending much
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of the day in the literal dust of the people
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and animals ahead. Often the terrain required labor and manpower
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for safe passage. The men traveled ahead on horseback to
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clear it as needed. The rest of the group trudged
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slowly behind on foot, as the wagons were not widely
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used to transport people, but rather the supplies. Luzina Stanley Wilson,
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who traveled to California from Missouri on the Oregon Trail
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in eighteen forty nine, said each day had a quote plodding, unvarying,
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monotony quote. After a few hours on the trail, the
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caravan typically stopped for food, rest, and water at around
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twelve p m. This was known as nooning. During this time,
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young boys in the group took on an important job,
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which was wiping the dust from oxen's snouts to prevent
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accumulation and breathing problems. Nooning typically lasted about an hour,
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although depending on the day's temperature, some groups waited out
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the heat of the afternoon and instead traveled longer into
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the cool evening hours. Once back on the trail for
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the afternoon stretch, some caravan members would try to hunt
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for food, while others gathered dried weeds, buffalo and cow droppings.
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The chips, as they were known, were plentiful and suitable
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fuel replacements for firewood, which was either too scarce or
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too heavy to carry along. By about five PM, most
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caravans stopped to set up camp for the evening choosing
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sites with grass for the animals, water for drinking and washing,
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dishes and laundry, and more animal droppings or brush for campfire.
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It was also common for camp sites to be set
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up on a hill for better lookout views. Wagons were
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circled to form a corral for the animals as well
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as offer protection to the campers. After setting up camp
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for the night, men typically checked on the animals and
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wagons while the women and children prepared dinner. Dinners often
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revolved around what protein was available. Sometimes this meant freshly
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hunted fish or game, but often it was preserved salted
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meat or bacon from the caravans supplies. Any wild fruits
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or vegetables gathered from around the campsite could also be used.
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After dinner, the women and children did the bulk of
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the cleaning chores, while the men gathered around the campfire
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to smoke pipes and converse. Before nightfall, campers occasionally enjoyed
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fiddle music and dancing around the fire. At around eight
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p m. It was time to turn in for the night.
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Animals were either left to graze overnight or secured in
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the corral. If campers felt threatened by attacks or theft
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from indigenous people. Guards were assigned to watch over the camp,
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and the rest of the caravan settled into sleep in canvas,
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tents or on the ground under the stars. At night,
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the tongue of the lead wagon, the wooden arm that
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extends from the front of the wagon, was pointed toward
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the north star in order to orient the wagon train
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in the morning. At midnight, the night guards changed shifts
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and remained on watch until sounding the four am wake
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up call. Hunting usually fell to men who provided essential
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food for the journey. Coming from Kentucky, pioneer Edwin Bryant
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marveled that buffalo meat was as plentiful as blackberries, seeing
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no less than one thousand a day. While antelopes are
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very abundant but hard to kill. Buffalo meat was so rich,
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so juicy, it makes the mouth water to think about it,
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wrote businessmen and migrant Charles Stanton. Most people packed almost
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all the food they would need before they set off.
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Historical researchs carried out by the National Oregon California Trail
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Center found that a typical family would have needed to
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pack six hundred pounds of flour, one hundred pounds of sugar,
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two hundred pounds of lard for the road. Alongside this,
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they would most probably pack one hundred pounds of sugar
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and sixty pounds of coffee to be made fresh along
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the way when they found water. To supplement this, a
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wagon would often carry rice and even dried fruit. And
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then there was the bacon, the one real treat of
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the Oregon Trail. But even this was relatively tasteless, since
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it would usually be heavily salted and stored in brine
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or packed in barrels of brand But still the food
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wasn't all that bad. Dishes were created through on the trail,
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such as Johnny cake, a type of corn bread or tortilla,
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as well as corn pancakes, buffalo jerky, and the delightfully
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named corn meal mush. One extra special treat for the
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pioneers was molasses stock cake, made with eggs, molasses, cinnamon,
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and nutmeg. This was usually saved for weddings or other
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special occasions, with fresh apples on the side, making it
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even tastier. Whether in the wild open West, dust storms,
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rain squaws, or blizzards could be unpredictable and dramatic. Parents
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soothed children terrified by flash floods and thunder that boomed
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louder on the open plains, storms could send livestock bolting
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into the darkness. John Bidwell, one of the first migrants
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to travel by wagon train from Missouri to California, wrote
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that he saw hailstones larger than a turn egg. Nighttime
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brought the maddening whining of mosquitoes on the Santa Fe Trail.
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In eighteen forty six, Susan Shelby Magoffin, who had been
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born into one of Kentucky's wealthiest families, wrote in her
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diary quote, Millions upon millions were swarming around me, and
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their knocking against the carriage reminded me of a hard rain.
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It was equal to any of the plagues of Egypt.
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The Oregon Route rather was known as the biggest graveyard
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in the United States. In fact, and estimated one of
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ten people who set off on the Oregon Trail did
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not survive. What's more, among children, the odds dropped to
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one in five. Notably, by far, the biggest causes of
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death were disease and accidents. In many cases, such accidents
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involved firearms. For while actual premeditated shootings or murders were
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extremely rare, mishaps with loaded guns really weren't. In spite
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of this, animals actually killed more people on the Organ
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Trail than humans. There are countless tales of unfortunate souls
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being booted or trampled by horses or oxen, while wild
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animals and above all rattlesnakes, cut many a traveler's journeys short.
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Migrants dependent on rivers for bathing and drinking water, but
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treacherous crossings led to drowning sometimes. Also, migrants also flight
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faced perilous plagues, especially cholera from contaminated water. According to
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some estimates, some sixty five thousand people died on the
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Organ Trail during its peak years. That means if they
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were buried and even spacing along the way, there would
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be one grave every fifty yards. In many cases, these
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pioneers died to towns or settlements to be buried in
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a proper churchyard or cemetery. Often, though, they would simply
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be buried by the side of the road or in
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a macob twist under the trail itself. Indeed, it wasn't
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uncommon to see tell tale human shaped bumps along the trail.
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When someone died, their bodies were left in the way
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of the wagons. This was so the heavy wheels could
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run over the bodies and help erase any sense. Keeping
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hungry wolves at bay in the mines of migrants Native
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Americans posed a real danger. In reality, the risk was minimal.
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According to some researchers, Only around four percent of the
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pioneers who perished on the trail died at the hands
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of Native Americans. Some tribe members stole migrants horses, but
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more often they served as helpful guides and trading partners.
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They led pioneers across rivers, some charging twenty five cents
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a wagon, pointed out edible roots, and exchanged corn and
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pumpkin for guns, tobacco, and coffee. The Indians frequently came
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to see us. Tampson Donner wrote about the Native Americans
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and the chiefs of the tribe breakfast at our tent
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this morning. All are so friendly that I cannot help
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feeling sympathy and friendship for them. However, sometimes the pioneers'
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worse fears were realized. In one much publicized case, the
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ward train was attacked by Shoshones. In all, nineteen pioneers
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were killed, many of them having been tortured beforehand, But
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the violence wasn't all one way. In fact, one of
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the biggest blood battles that occurred on the Oregon Trail
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was actually carried out by the pioneers themselves. When a
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cow strayed into a Sioux village, the people living there
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slaughtered it and ate it. This infuriated the cow's owner,
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a man by the name of Grattan. Even though the
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Sioux apologized and even offered Grattan a horse as compensation,
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he was not willing to back down. He and his
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men fired on the Sioux. Even though they didn't fight back,
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the Pioneers showed no mercy, killing several people, including the
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Sioux chief chief conquering Bear. Enraged by this, the Native
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Americans finally retaliated, killing twenty nine men, including Grattan. The
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first Sioux War had begun. Still, despite the risks, dangers,
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and monotony of the trail, pioneers experienced moments of leisure, community,
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and beauty. That night, families gathered around the fire, playing
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the mandolin, banjo or accordion and singing. For those men
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not lucky enough to have a wife or family to
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start the journey with or find love on the way,
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there were always the brothels of the Oregon Trail. While
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many histories gloss over this part, not all pioneers were
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clean living Christian folk. At almost every town and settlement
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along the way, men could make use of pubs and brothels.
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At Fort Laramie, for example, while happy couples got hitched,
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the single men would have gone to the hog ranch Bordello.
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Cheyenne was also a hotbed of vice and the reason
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why many men arrived in Oregon with much less money
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than they initially hoped to have the Road to Damascus
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it wasn't, but still, like Saint Paul and the Bible,
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many people did indeed see the light and converted to
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Christianity on the trail to Oregon. This may have been
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in response to the natural beauty they saw around them,
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or it could have been that the vast expanses of
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empty land made them feel small and insignificant in the
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grand scheme of things. In many cases, people turned to
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God on the trail after meeting or even traveling alongside
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one of the many Christian missionaries. Notably, one of the
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first missionaries to make the journey was Marcus Whitman. He
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traveled the Oregon Trail in eighteen thirty six. Accompanying him
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was his wife, Narcissa. She would become the first European
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American woman to cross the Rocky Mountains, all because of
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her faith. In the late eighteen forties, the California Gold
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Rush turned Western trails into crowded, perilous highways. In the
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decades that followed, the creek of wagon wheels gave way
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to the whistle of steam as rail lines spread across America,
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linking east to west. By the mid eighteen eight when
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the last major stretches of the Transcontinental rail network had
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been completed, overland wagon travel all but disappeared what had
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once been a grueling, months long gamble and became a
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journey of days saved from mosquitoes, serpent and storms as
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a new generation of pioneers glided westward in the sheltered
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steel cars of a newly connected nation. By the time
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the last wagon trains crossed in the eighteen eighties, mass
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migration on the Organ Trail had left an indelible mark
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on the American frontier. Decades of prairie schooner traffic carved
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up certain sections of the trail, leaving imprints in stone
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and wearing down grassland so much that nothing grows on them.
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Even to this day, these pioneer wagon ruts can still
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be seen in all six of the states that once
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encompassed the trail. Sources for this story came from history
26:03
dot com. What was life Like on the wagon train
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heading West? Written by Deborah Lynn Bloomberg in October of
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twenty twenty five, historyfacts dot com, A Day in the
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Life of a person on the Oregon Trail written by
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Nicole Velleneuve in May of twenty twenty four, Historycollection dot Com.
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Tenie Opening details about life on the Organ Trail written
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by dj Hewitt in May of twenty eighteen. And finally,
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nine things you may know about the Oregon Trail or
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you may not know rather about the Organ Trail, And
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that was also from history dot Com, written by Evan
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Andrews in October of twenty twenty five. Well, that about
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does it for today's RADIOI History Show. I hope that
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you enjoyed listening as much as I did researching and
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reading it to you. Thank you so much for giving
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me your time today. I'm your host, Joseph Bolt, and
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I'll be back with another chapter of Radio I history
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until then, Happy trails to you,