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OCTA > 2021 Emigrant Trails Hall of Fame Selectees

Emigrant Trails Category: 2021 Emigrant Trails Hall of Fame Selectees

LeRoy and Ann Hafen

Irene Dakin Paden

Levi Scott

Robert Stuart

George Bush

A picture of the Bush Family Monument

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Oregon-California Trails Association

18 hours ago

Just a reminder that our Winter Symposium is coming up next month! Visit our website for information on how to register. Register by December 26 for discounted pricing! ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 day ago

Since emigrants generally didn’t travel during the winter months, for December Frontier Fridays, we've selected stories from California Trail emigrants about their experiences during their first December after arriving in California.Edwin Bryant wrote a book about his experiences and it can be downloaded from the Library of Congress at https://www.loc.gov/item/55048851/. Bryant traveled in 1846, starting out initially with the Donner/Reed party. However, he and 8 companions traded their wagons for pack mules near Fort Laramie and finished the trip by early September. After a few months in California Bryant and quite a few other emigrants joined the California Batallion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Battalion) to help the U.S. in the Mexican-American War. He recounts the December mission of the Battalion to recapture Santa Barbara during that conflict. Regarding the provisions for the soldiers he wrote, on December 4, "Thirteen beeves are slaughtered every afternoon for the consumption of the battalion. These beeves are generally of good size, and in fair condition. Other provisions being entirely exhausted, beef constitutes the only subsistence for the men, and most of the officers. Under these circumstances, the consumption of beef is astonishing. I do not know that I shall be believed when I state a fact, derived from observation and calculation, that the average consumption per man of fresh beef is at least ten pounds per day. Many of them, I believe, consume much more, and some of them less. Nor does this quantity appear to be injurious to health, or fully to satisfy the appetite. I have seen some of the men roast their meat and devour it by the fire from the hour of encamping until late bed-time. They would then sleep until one or two o'clock in the morning, when, the cravings of hunger being greater than the desire for repose, the same occupation would be resumed, and continued until the order was given to march. The Californian beef is generally fat, juicy, and tender, and surpasses in flavour any which I ever tasted elsewhere." ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 days ago

"The Telegraph Crosses Wyoming, 1861" written by Phil Roberts is a NEW article published by WyoHistory.org"Invented by Samuel F. B. Morse in the 1830s, the telegraph was already maturing when it crossed what soon became Wyoming in the 1860s. From the early days of settlement and through the railroad period, Wyomingites—and the nation—relied on it.In 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph followed the route of the Oregon-California trail. Later, in May 1869, the main transcontinental telegraph line was shifted to the southern edge of the new Wyoming Territory, to run along the route of the Union Pacific Railroad.The telegraph signaled the demise of previous methods of communication. Before then, a message could be delivered only as fast as a horse could run or a ship could sail. A message took 45 days by steamship from New York to San Francisco, and more than 20 days by overland stagecoach from St. Louis to San Francisco. The Pony Express took 11 days from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento." READ MORE: https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/telegraph-crosses-wyoming-1861Image Credit: When it was completed in October 1861, the transcontinental telegraph put the Pony Express out of business. In this 1867 illustration from Harper’s Weekly, a Pony Express rider gallops past workers building the new line. https://www.loc.gov/item/00652781/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

3 days ago

On this date: President James K. Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in California in his annual message to Congress on December 5, 1848."The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief were they not corroborated by the authentic reports of officers in the public service who have visited the mineral district and derived the facts which they detail from personal observation."https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqW70QviA4c ... See MoreSee Less

5th December 1848: President James K. Polk sparks the California Gold Rush

www.youtube.com

On 28 January 1848, carpenter James W. Marshall felt his ‘heart thump’ after finding flakes of gold in the tailrace of a water-powered sawmill he was buildin...

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Oregon-California Trails Association

5 days ago

E-News for Friday, December 3, 2021 - https://mailchi.mp/indepmo/e-news-for-monday-july-5092642 ... See MoreSee Less

E-News for Friday, December 3, 2021

mailchi.mp

Growing up in Tumwater, a half century ago, Mark and Kathleen Clark knew nothing of George Bush. They weren’t taught about him in public school. They wouldn’t learn about Bush — a Black pioneer ...

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

One of the first tasks a westbound emigrant or freight-hauling bullwhacker had to master was yoking their oxen. It could be a difficult chore, especially for those who had never done it before. Here is how artist William Henry Jackson described the process when he started as a bullwhacker on the Oregon Trail in 1866: "It was no easy task for us green hands to go into that corrall - the bulls ramming and crowding about... After half an hours chasing through the mass after a wild fellow, you corner him and manage to fasten the bow by working very carefully - some other steer, having a grudge probably against the one you are gently urging up to the wagon wheel to fasten - gives him a punch in the ribs with his horns and sends him "kiting" into the herd." -William Henry Jackson #TrailTuesday #MidwestNPS Image- A sketch of two men working to yoke an oxen. From the Scotts Bluff National Monument William Henry Jackson collection (SCBL-48). ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

"A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away." -Eudora WeltyMany visitors to Scotts Bluff National Monument take a snapshot or two to keep the memories of their visit to this landmark on the plains from "running away." In this photo from 1938, Dr. Howard R. Driggs, president of the American Pioneer Trails Association, takes a photo at the summit of Scotts Bluff. No word on whether he posted the resulting photo to Instagram. #SundayFunDay #MidwestNPS #photographylovers ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

The present peace and quiet of this place stands in contrast to the events that this landscape witnessed 174 years ago. The events linked to the mission station led to many deaths. Non-native and Native last breaths and blood were left here, and this place still bears these scars. Today, as we remember these events and their long-lasting impacts, we encourage you to visit this place, or re-visit this history. In doing so, discover the opportunities here to begin the processes of healing and learning. ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

Did you know that Jewish-American emigrants played an essential part in the development of Oregon and the American Frontier? "In Europe, Russia, and elsewhere, Jews faced a long history of persecution. But in the unsettled American frontier they could create their own destinies. Arriving as merchants, they were welcomed for the much needed goods and services they provided to the growing towns." As we continue to celebrate this year's Festival of Lights, check out OPB's "The Jewish Frontier" to learn more about these amazing early Oregonians. Happy Hanukkah! https://www.opb.org/television/programs/oregon-experience/article/the-jewish-frontier/ ... See MoreSee Less

The Jewish Frontier

www.opb.org

Oregon's Jewish pioneers were among the region's first settlers. Arriving with the gold miners, they came for a better life away from persecution. In the process, they helped build the businesses and ...

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

This Giving Tuesday, Facebook is matching the first $8 million dollars in donations toward nonprofits. Consider making a donation to the Oregon-California Trails Association. There are so many groundbreaking stories that can be found along these trails. Your contribution will go toward the continued discovery, maintenance, and preservation of this history. ... See MoreSee Less

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Featured Products

Bruff's Wake: J. Goldsborough Bruff & the California Gold Rush, by H. L James $24.95
The Oregon Trail Revisited, by Gregory M. Franzwa $24.95
In Pursuit of a Dream (DVD) $20.00
Reading, Writing and Riding Along the Oregon-California Trails (An Educational Activity Book), by William E. Hill $8.95

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