Samuel Connor McMillen
May 1,1858
Dear Diary,
I am slightly regretting leaving. My family and I have decided not to
buy the oxen because my brother Robert has his own. Oh no! My wife has just
told me that the water is bad. Now we are going to have to dump it. We'll
have to find new water and leave tomorrow. We will boil the water to kill
the bacteria.
May 2, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have chosen to cross the river.
July 12, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have decided to make our child stay by the wagon. I'm afraid for her
safety by the cliff. I have learned about Bill Hickok and how he killed many people.
I also learned about the hardships on the Oregon Trail. Wild Bill Hickok killed many people
including his friend without meaning to.
July 13, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have decided to stay on the trail because of the climb. We have
missed out on a lifetime experience.
July 17, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have decided to cross the bridge. We have to pay $11 because we have
one wagon, which is $5, and we have six animals, which is $6.
July 23, 1858
Dear Diary,
My brother and I went to take a bath and I must say, I'm looking mighty
fine! My brother and I have been walking around Fort Laramie buying some
supplies. I am surprised we survived the muddy water because one oxen didn't.
Now we have six oxen and one horse. We kept everyone else safe by
circling the wagons so nothing could get out. A few oxen were able to
escape
on July 20. We have made a big mistake. Louise just had a new baby
named Madison America Smith. I am worried about the trip ahead.
July 28, 1858
Dear Diary,
The buffalo are coming. I think we should take cover in the wagon. We
made it, but we lose a day of travel due to the scattering of our animals.
We managed to shoot some buffalo.
July 30, 1858
Dear Diary,
The captain has made the decision to keep some people at the wagon and
some to dig. We have found the ICE!
July 31, 1858
Dear Diary,
We are in the Rockies and half way to our destination. The water is
very fast and I have seen some waterfalls along the way. It seems very hard
to get these wagons down this….. Oh no! Our wagon just turned over and we
lost a wheel! We lost lots of supplies and are water cask!
August 1, 1858
Dear Diary,
Today Mr. Whitman recovered from his snake bite. Thankfully Dr. Honnymon
helped him with whiskey.
August 1, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have to make a big decision and we are going to Fort Bridger. We
found good water and meat. We also made a big pot of soup.
August 8, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have decided to replace four oxen at Fort Bridger. We have read a
sign that says Indians are ahead so we must beware. I am very worried
because they might attack us.
September 8, 1858
Dear Diary,
We men are having a meeting about the Indians. They are sending two
scouts out.
September 9, 1858
Dear Diary,
I did not get burned from the hot springs we came upon. I
researched them and knew how dangerous they were. My brother was not so
fortunate.
September 10, 1858
Dear Diary,
I am very worried about the Indians.
September 13, 1858
Dear Diary,
Today we come to the toll which costs $2 per animal and $15 per wagon. All
together
we have to pay $39.
September 20, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have to make a plan to cross Snake
River.
September 21, 1858
Dear Diary,
Today we face a very dangerous trip down the mountain. We must find a
way to get down safely. I think we should put the animals behind
us and hook them to ropes to keep us from going to fast.
October 5, 1858
Dear Diary,
We are about to come to the place known as Dead Man's Pass, which got
it's name from an exploring party who found a man wandering and worn out from
exhaustion, hunger and thirst. They carried him awhile until they set him
down and found that he was dead. Having no equipment to dig a grave to bury
the man, they placed his body in the hollow of a tree on the river side, and
covered it with bark and sticks. The place of the burial to this day is
known as Dead Man's Pass.
October 12, 2858
Dear Diary,
Some immigrants came to the mission with a tattered wagon, two almost
broken wheels and a broken axle. We saw them and asked if they wanted to buy
our wagon, our extra wheels, and axle for a total of $96.00. They agreed
quickly and said they would be soon on their way down the Barllow Toll Road.
October 12, 1858
Dear Diary,
My fellow friend John and I are going out to scout. I am very scared. But
I am doing it for a good cause.
R.I.P.
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Last Updated: 08/28/04