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Oregon-California Trails Association

21 hours ago

“The game, called The Oregon Trail, would go on to sell over 65 million copies, many of them to educational institutions, making it one of the bestselling games of all time, right up there with Super Mario Bros. and Tetris. But when I talked to Rawitsch recently, he said that when he first came up with the idea, making money was the furthest thing from his mind.”https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/11/oregon-trail-game-history-inventor-don-rawitsch.html ... See MoreSee Less

Let Us Now Enjoy the Incredibly Pure Tale of the Teacher Who Invented The Oregon Trail

slate.com

He didn’t make a penny.

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Oregon-California Trails Association

21 hours ago

“Even as America continues to grapple with racism that traverses its history like a through line; even as battles over school curriculums have taken on a renewed urgency, things do change.”https://seattletimes.com/seattle-news/… ... See MoreSee Less

George Bush, Washington’s unheralded Black pioneer, honored at state Capitol and beyond

www.seattletimes.com

Though George Bush was one of Washington state's early pioneers, his story for years had gone untold. Now the state is honoring him and his contributions with a monument at the Capitol campus in Olymp...

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 days ago

If you were moving a great distance, what items would you decide to bring with you?When Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were planning their cross-continent journey to become missionaries in the Oregon Country, they had to make hard decisions about what items constitute necessity and which were luxury. As they would be spreading their religion, the Bible was going to be a necessity for them to spread their beliefs. While we do not know whether this Bible traveled across the country with them, they most certainly brought one as they performed services during their journey and soon after they arrived in Oregon Country.This Bible eventually became owned by Perrin Whitman, Marcus's nephew and it now resides in the Whitman Mission National Historic Site museum as one of the few objects in our collection known to have been owned by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman.Photo: A bible on display with its front cover opened, pencil inscription on the inside cover detailing ownership of the bible#NationalBibleWeek #WhitmanMission #Bible #Artifacts ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

An article about one of the 19 National Historic Trails designated by Congress. ... See MoreSee Less

Follow Texas’ Indigenous Roots Along El Camino Real de los Tejas - Texas Highways

texashighways.com

The 2,500-mile route from present-day Mexico City to Louisiana played an important role in human migration for hundreds of years

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

“Reports reach us of hard roads ahead; that there was no grass... where the river disappears in the sands of the desert.” – Alonzo Delano 1854Alonzo Delano's account of his journey to California can be downloaded from the Library of Congress at https://www.loc.gov/item/13005717/. His book is titled Life on the plains and among the diggings; being scenes and adventures of an overland journey to California: with particular incidents of the route, mistakes and sufferings of the emigrants, the Indian tribes, the present and future of the great West.Born in Aurora, New York, Alonzo Delano (1806-1874) moved on to the Midwest as a teenager. July 1848 found him a consumptive Ottawa, Illinois, storekeeper, and he joined a local California Company. He remained in the West after the Gold Rush, winning fame as an early California humorist. Life on the plains and among the diggings (1857) is based largely on letters from Delano published in Ottawa and New Orleans newspapers of the day. Covering the period April 1849-August 1852, he discusses his voyage to St. Joseph and an overland journey to California; sojourns in Sacramento, Marysville, and San Francisco; and experiences as a storekeeper at Mud Hill, Stingtown, Gold Lake, and Grass Valley. Other topics include quartz mining, crime and vigilantism, and real estate investment.The quote on the plaza wall is dated 1854. The quote is actually from his 1849 diary, but it was prepared for publication in 1853 and actually reached final publication in 1857. Near present-day Winnemucca, on August 10 he wrote, "Reports began to reach us of hard roads ahead; that there was no grass at the Sink, or place where the river disappears in the sands of the desert, and that from that place a desert of sand, with water but once in forty-five miles, had to be crossed. In our worn-out condition this looked discouraging, and it was with a kind of dread that we looked to the passage of that sandy plain. At the same time an indefinite tale was circulated among the emigrants, that a new road had been discovered, by which the Sacramento might be reached in a shorter distance, avoiding altogether the dreaded desert; and that there was plenty of grass and water on the route. It was said, too, that on this route the Siérra Neváda Mountains could be crossed with but little difficulty, while on the other it was a work of great labor and some risk." The new road to which Delano refers was the Applegate Trail, which his group chose to follow, and then they took the Lassen Cutoff into Northern California. ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

Have you ever seen the full moon rise over Scotts Bluff in November? In contemporary Lakota culture the November full moon is known as Waniyatu Wi, or the Moon of Starting Winter. The November moon made people think about the start of winter and colder temperatures. #MonumentMonday #fullmoon #FindYourPark #MidwestNPSImage- A full moon rises over the glowing rock of Saddle Rock at sunset. NPS/Eric Grunwald ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 weeks ago

The Senate late Thursday confirmed Charles Sams III to lead the National Park Service, making him the first Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration. Sams most recently served on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. He is an enrolled member of the Cayuse and Walla Walla of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the first Native American to lead the National Park Service.He was confirmed by a voice vote, which signifies that a nominee is noncontroversial. His confirmation comes after the agency was led for years by acting heads under the Trump administration. The NPS saw four acting directors during the Trump administration. Sams marks the first Senate confirmation of a director since 2009, when it confirmed Jonathan Jarvis. Jarvis remained in his position for the remainder of the Obama administration, departing in January 2017."Chuck Sams is the right nominee to lead the National Park Service as it addresses these challenges. I know Chuck. He is hardworking. He is committed," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who had asked the Senate to pass Sams’ nomination by unanimous consent, said Thursday night."Chuck is a role model in the stewardship of American land and waters, wildlife and history. And now thanks to the Senate's unanimous decision to confirm his nomination, Congress and park-goers will have someone steady and experienced to rely on in the years ahead,” Wyden added.As NPS director, Sams will report to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, herself the first Native Senate-confirmed cabinet secretary.Sams will assume the job at a time when national parks saw a surge of visitors over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.Read more at The Hill https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/… ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 weeks ago

“Meanest and muddiest filthiest stream, most cordially I hate you.” – Leander V. Loomis 1850Leander V. Loomis' book A Journal of the Birmingham Emigrating Company: The record of the trip from Birmingham, Iowa, to Sacramento, California, in 1850 can be viewed on Hathitrust at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015070241792&view=1up&seq=136. Loomis did not actually reference or make this statement. It was the editor of the 1928 published version of Loomis' diary (Edgar M. Ledyard) who inserted a poem written by a Dr. Horace Belknap, whom he says made a trip from Iowa to California in 1850. The full text of the poem as quoted by Ledyard in the footnotes is:Meanest and muddiest, filthiest stream,most cordially I hate you;Meaner and muddier still you seemsince the first day I met you.Your namesake better was no doubt,a truth, the scriptures tell,Her seven devils were cast out,but yours are in you still.What mean these graves so fresh and newalong your banks on either side?They've all been dug and filled by you,thou guilty wretch, thou homicide.Now fare thee well, we here shake handsand part (I hope) to meet no more,I'd rather die in happier lands thanlonger live upon your shore.The "seven devils" are a reference to Mary Magdalene in the gospels. The Humboldt river, in 1850, was commonly known as Mary's river, but there is some dispute as to which Mary the name actually commemorated. ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 weeks ago

OCTA is pleased to announce that KVCR, the PBS affiliate in San Bernardino, will debut OCTA's newest 30-minute documentary, at 4:30 PM (Pacific) on Sunday, December 26. OCTA partnered with the Amargosa Conservancy near Death Valley to secure a grant from the California Humanities Council in order to produce this short documentary about the evolution of what came to be known as the Old Spanish Trail, from its use over thousands of years by American Indians, to its use as a mule-pack trail by Mexican traders between Santa Fe and Los Angeles between 1829 and 1848, Fremont's visit to the area in 1844 and his naming of the trail in his report to Congress, and the eventual improvements that made it a wagon road used by Mormons, 49ers, emigrants, and others during later the American era. For those not in the Southern California broadcast area, a special sneak preview of the full program is available at the link here:https://vimeo.com/614009867 ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association updated their cover photo.

2 weeks ago

Discover the Trails and the Importance of Preservation! ... 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