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The Oregon-California
Trail followed the Platte River, the North Platte River
and the Sweetwater River ( its principal tributary) to
South Pass, approximately the half-way marker of the
journey . The Platte River is itself 1030 miles long
from the headwaters of the North Platte in Colorado to
the point at which it empties into the Missouri; it is
approximately 800 miles from the mouth of the Platte to
its confluence with the Sweetwater River in central
Wyoming.
Emigrants first encountered the Platte at
different points, depending upon where they chose to
cross the Missouri River. Those who followed the north
side trail followed the Platte virtually from the time
they crossed the Missouri until they crossed over to the
Sweetwater. |
The largest number of
southsiders picked up the Platte near the head of The
Grand Island [an island approximately 15 miles long]
at Fort Kearny.
In the absence of the
Platte-Sweetwater Route, so aptly and accurately
designated by the late Merrill Mattes as "The
Great Platte River Road", the history of western
America would have followed a much different course. |
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Amelia
Knight, 1853
6th Monday. Still in camp, husband and myself being
sick (caused we suppose by Drinking the river water, as it
looks more like dirty suds, than anything else) we concluded
to stay in camp, and each take a vomit, which we did, and are
much better; the boys and myself have been washing some to
day, the prickly pear grows in great abundance along this
platte river road-
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Tamsen E. Donner
Near The Junction of the North and South
Platte, June 16th, 1846. We are now on the Platte, 200 miles from Fort Laramie.
Our journey so far, has been pleasant. The water for a
part of the way has been indifferent -- but at no time
have our cattle suffered for it. Wood is now very
scarce, but "Buffalo chips" are excellent.
Asa Smith, 1838
"On the Platte we find very serious
annoyances from black gnats whose bite is very
poisonous. Our skin is now smarting under the effects of
these insects." |
Amelia Hadley, 1851
Wednesday June 4 We are now 46 miles from
fort Larrimi ... We are now on the North Fork of
Platte. It is quite small in some places and then
again it covers considerably surface and form a good
many Islands, camped on the Platte plenty of timber
such as it is, it is mostly cotton wood, but in the
states we would not call it plenty but It seems plenty
to us after doing without any. |
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Esther
M. Lockhard
One night, while we were still following the devious
course of the North Platte, we camped on a grassy rise of
ground with the silvery river flowing serenely along just
below us. We slept soundly until nearly morning. Then we were
suddenly awakened by a furious storm of wind and rain. Looking
out, we discovered to our alarm, that we were on an island,
with madly-rushing waters swirling all around us. Immediately,
all was confusion in camp. Women and children were screaming,
dogs barking and whining, horses whinneying in fright, cattle
bellowing and men shouting orders. It was evident that we were
experiencing one of the tornadoes for which that region has
since become famous.
There are, of course, the standard descriptions
applied to the Platte: It is "too thick to drink and too
thin to plow". It is "a mile wide and an inch
deep" [this description was, with modest alteration,
applied descriptively to William Jennings Bryant by his
opponents, who described the "Boy Orator of the
Platte" as being "a mile wide at the mouth and an
inch deep!
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