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OCTA > Overland Journal Volume 14 Number 1 Spring 1996

Overland Journal Volume 14 Number 1 Spring 1996

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Overland Journal 14-1, Spring 1996
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Oregon-California Trails Association

9 hours ago

Did you know that OCTA launched a new podcast this week? OCTA's former intern, Charlie Dodge, interviewed "Overland Journal" editor Bob Clark for episode one. Let us know what you think in the comments. Here's the link to the podcast. Please share it if you like it!https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iW41hSGYdfQ418OQhOLbLwCFhQOIDeEz/view ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

12 hours ago

May 25 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California TrailThere is an Oregon Trail Marker located on the Kansas / Nebraska boundary at the intersection of State Line road and 582nd Ave (GPS coordinates -96.916, 40.002). The marker indicates the point at the state line where the Trail crosses. The photograph is from Google Maps Streetview. It was near here that Alonzo Delano (https://archive.org/details/lifeonplainsamon01dela/page/n7/mode/2up) reached the road in 1849. The company he was traveling with had opted to begin their journey about sixty-five miles north of St. Joseph (but south of Nebraska City) and "take an obscure route, over which only one train had passed, about four years previous, and strike the St. Joseph and Platte road at a point which it was said would put us in advance of the St. Joseph and Independence trains, at least ten days." However, on May 20th he wrote, "Our road, like that of yesterday, was over broad table-land, and we were able to keep a direct south-south-west course. But where the dickens was the St. Joseph road? Where were we?—and where had we been? We had now been out nineteen days upon the wilderness. Our object in taking this new route had been to save time, and of getting in advance of other trains; and the question naturally arose, Had we succeeded? Had we gained anything by our erratic course?" It was later that day that they found the road. Continuing in his journal Delano wrote, "We encamped on a fine bottom near a pretty creek, a mile from the road, and a camp of emigrants was reported below us, to which Henderson repaired, and learned that a large number of wagons were ahead, and that we were only an hundred and fifty miles from St. Joseph. From the latter place we had been actually traveling twenty-four days, nineteen of which were upon the prairie, to reach this point; while the trains that had come by the road, direct, had come through without difficulty in eleven days. This was gaining time and getting ahead with a vengeance!" ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 days ago

On this day in history, May 24, 1846, Edwin Bryant wrote in his journal:"I am beginning to feel alarmed at the tardiness of our movements, and fearful that winter will find us in the snowy mountains of California, or that we shall suffer from the exhaustion of our supply of provisions. I do not fear for myself, but for the women and children of the emigrants. Singular as it may seem, there are many of our present party who have no just conceptions of the extent and labor of the journey before them."Bryant was, of course, with the Donner-Reed Party. They were camped this night near what is now Blaine, Kansas and would cross the Black Vermillion River the next day around noon, taking about four hours to cross. ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 days ago

May 23 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California TrailThe St. Joseph and Independence Roads join about nine miles west of the Big Blue River crossing (discussed in yesterday's post), southeast of Hanover, KS (GPS coordinates -96.814, 39.877). The two photos of markers were downloaded from the OCTA Gateway Chapter website at https://www.gateway-octa.org/trail-gallery-1 and can be found somewhere along the roads that circuit the junction. Vincent Geiger (https://archive.org/details/trailtocaliforni000849mbp/page/n99/mode/2up) camped just a little west of the Big Blue River on May 20, 1849. He said, "We got into camp 2 miles from the Big Blue about 4 o'clock P.M. and commenced lightening our loads. We threw away a large lot of horse shoes, all the boxes, lard & many other things. We are now fairly on the road. Many are complaining and if chance offered would like much to return. We have been vexed & delayed. Our teams are young & unbroke & the men do not feel as much interest as was to be expected. Our company is too large. The country is not so much rolling – more plain. We are about 1 mile from the Big Blue. May 21st – An early start gave us a good march today. Just as we drove out from camp, Comegys broke a fore-wheel to his wagon, but as we had saved one from the destruction of yesterday it delayed us but little. In nine miles from camp we struck the Independence Trail and fell in with a Missouri Company, of 40 wagons & 130 men. Passed them." ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

3 days ago

May 23 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California TrailThe St. Joseph and Independence Roads join about nine miles west of the Big Blue River crossing (discussed in yesterday's post), southeast of Hanover, KS (GPS coordinates -96.814, 39.877). The two photos of markers were downloaded from the OCTA Gateway Chapter website at https://www.gateway-octa.org/trail-gallery-1 and can be found somewhere along the roads that circuit the junction. Vincent Geiger (https://archive.org/details/trailtocaliforni000849mbp/page/n99/mode/2up) camped just a little west of the Big Blue River on May 20, 1849. He said, "We got into camp 2 miles from the Big Blue about 4 o'clock P.M. and commenced lightening our loads. We threw away a large lot of horse shoes, all the boxes, lard & many other things. We are now fairly on the road. Many are complaining and if chance offered would like much to return. We have been vexed & delayed. Our teams are young & unbroke & the men do not feel as much interest as was to be expected. Our company is too large. The country is not so much rolling – more plain. We are about 1 mile from the Big Blue. May 21st – An early start gave us a good march today. Just as we drove out from camp, Comegys broke a fore-wheel to his wagon, but as we had saved one from the destruction of yesterday it delayed us but little. In nine miles from camp we struck the Independence Trail and fell in with a Missouri Company, of 40 wagons & 130 men. Passed them." ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

3 days ago

OCTA E-News for Sunday, May 22, 2022 - https://mailchi.mp/indepmo/e-news-for-monday-july-13659413 ... See MoreSee Less

OCTA E-News for Sunday, May 22, 2022

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Please continue to turn in your volunteer hours, mileage, expenses paid by you and not reimbursed, time traveling to meetings (including the San Diego Symposium), research, etc. We are attempting to ...

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

May 22 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California TrailThe Big Blue river crossing lies just west of Marysville, KS very near where US Highway 36 crosses it. Near here you can visit Historic Trails Park (GPS coordinates -96.659, 39.843) which has several interpretive signs and a full-size replica of a rope ferry that was used by emigrants to cross the river. The photographs were downloaded from https://www.visitmarysvilleks.org/attraction/historic-trails-park/ and from https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPSzxihRnCwm1iS1T7sLSpZQYlmKuPFkDrrcmdJ=h1440.John Clark (https://octa-journals.org/merrill-mattes-collection/…) wrote on May 15, 1852, "All were up. Broke the cracker barrel to make fire & roasted the hawk for myself. The rest done without. Put forward on the road by sunrise. Past a man just buried from Perry's train. He was not fairly covered. His old boots still on his feet pointed up through the sand. We had no spade to cover them so we had to pass on. Over a wide & level plain without water, but a few trees in the distance, to Big Blue, 15 miles. Here was over 100 waggons waiting their turn to ferry & ford. Some drove through but we, like many others, paid three dollars & took the boat. This is a mild running stream, 50 yards wide. Large cottonwood on the banks, grass on the flat. A little trading post on the bank that sells awful dear. Sugar, coffee & bread, 50 cents the pound. Whiskey six bits the pint, or 50 the drink." ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

May 21 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California Trail204th Road follows the approximate route of the Trail for about 2.5 miles from where it crosses Clear Creek in Nemeha County, Kansas (GPS coordinates -96.193, 39.939). We often think of the hardships along the Trail, which were many. However, we sometimes forget that, though the Trail is said to begin in the "Jumping Off Towns", travelers along the Trail had many points of origin from which they had to begin their journey prior to arriving at the Missouri River crossings. These hardships were not only felt by the people, but by their animals as well, which were unaccustomed to the grueling schedule of daily travel. Andrew Hall Gilmore (https://octa-journals.org/merrill-mattes-collection/…) began his journey near Terre Haute, Indiana. Having already traveled 400 miles to St. Joseph, his party consisted of six wagons, fifty-two oxen, six horses, and twenty-three men. Now, eighty miles from St. Joseph, Gilmore wrote on May 17, 1850 – "A cool wind from the North, cool enough for overcoats. Started at eight o'clock; after traveling a few miles the face of the country became almost level except occasional swells that occurred beautiful on the surface at regular intervals, like spreading meadows; the soil very good, on some parts coarse gravel; the roads fine but quite dusty. Passed today the carcasses of six dead horses, making in all 17 horses and mules since leaving St. Jo., that have sunk under the fatigue of the journey. Encamped for night in the wide prairie by a pool of muddy water which was unfit for everything else but our cattle; but tolerable good water and wood was obtained by carrying them 3/4 miles. Travelled 18 miles." The 1823 drawing by French artist Theodore Gericault was downloaded from https://www.artsy.net/artwork/theodore-gericault-dead-horse. ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

5 days ago

Congrats to OCTA's intern on her graduation from New York University. She starts her professional career on Monday. As a parting gift, she created a new podcast for OCTA. Stay tuned. We'll debut it very soon! ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

5 days ago

OCTA's 40th Annual Casper, Wyoming Convention Registration - https://mailchi.mp/indepmo/e-news-for-monday-july-13659357 ... See MoreSee Less

OCTA's 40th Annual Casper, Wyoming Convention Registration

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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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