March
18, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we set out for our long journey out west to start a new and
hopefully happier life. I am nervous and excited about our big journey.
Sincerely,
Margaret
March 19, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we earned $100 for doing extra
work in Independence Missouri.
We are getting supplies that are most
definitely
needed with our extra money. . .
Like a cooking kit and things like that!
Sincerely,
Margaret
May 1, 1858
Dear
Diary,
I’m very nervous about this big decision.
Kids are running around out here.
Should we really leave our
home?
What if we hate it in Oregon? What
if someone dies along the way? Today
we found out that we have a last chance to buy horses, oxen and mules.
We decided not to buy
anything because we have to have more water if we buy
any more animals.
Sincerely,
Margaret
May 1, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we could get more water before we left, so
of course we got some.
I have to go get some water.
Sincerely,
Margaret
May 2, 1858
Dear
Diary,
We just found out that the well we got the water from has Cholera.
We talked to our wagon train. We are going to boil it so it kills the
bacteria. This was our Captain
Daniel’s idea. I hope it works so
we will not all get sick.
Sincerely,
Margaret
May 4, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we had a choice to climb and take a short cut through the mountains
or stay on the trail. We decided to
stay on the trail so we will not get lost or tire out the animals as
much.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 12, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today the kids had a chance to go up to the rocks with Lucy.
Abby decided to go because she wants to be famous.
She is brave and ready for a fun and exciting
adventure.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 12, 1858
Dear
Diary,
I have learned to keep Ally with us at all times because she wants more
adventure than washing clothes. I
also brought some books with me to teach the girls with, and
learn from the information. They
told me that so
many people died (that makes me a little bit more nervous about thus trip) and
there was another trail called the Santa Fe Trail.
There was a farmer named Jesse Applegate who
led about 5,000 people to the
west on the Oregon Trail. I also
learned that you could get cholera from raw seafood or water.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 13, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we had a chance to take a short cut but there could be Indians
there, so we decided to stay on the trail just in case.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 17, 1858
Dear
Diary,
The storms are very bad. There is a bridge that costs
money
to cross.
We are going to take the bridge because what if the storms keep on coming? We will have wasted
time waiting here.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 18, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today Louise knap-Clap smith had a baby girl.
She named the baby Madison America Smith.
She is so cute. I got to
hold her. Her nickname is Maddie.
She is the sweetest little thing you have ever seen.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July
20, 1858
Dear
Diary,
We have to keep the animals away from the Muddy waters. It has alkali
because it is so dangerous. From
our wagon train we made a circle around them, and had them locked in there with
guards.
Three of our oxen got out and died.
We had to buy new ones. It cost us $200 for four.
We are worried about money.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 23, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we stopped at a Fort called Fort Laramie.
We all had a nice bath. We
also sent a letter to California to George’s parents.
We read the bulletin board and got a message. It said ``Hope to
see you soon. We miss you very much"
Lone Marcus & Narcissus Whitman. It
was from George’s parents! Oh no!
Our axle broke! Luckily we had brought an extra one with us!
Sincerely,
Margaret
July
23,1858
Dear
Diary,
I am nervous and happy about this trip.
I am nervous because of all the dangers of the trails and I am happy
because we get start a new life with
a new home.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July
24, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today Ally got her first schooling lesson.
She is so happy about this. Morgan
is starting tomorrow. She has been so excited.
I am not sure why she has been so excited,
but at least she
is happy for the rest of us.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 28, 1858
Dear
Diary,
We are at Devil’s Gate. We
have to go single file because it is so narrow.
The ground is rumbling. Oh
no! The buffalo are stampeding. George’s
leg is hurt very badly.
He is limping. He
was trying to save Ally and Morgan. George
is okay
though. We lost a day of traveling
because we had to round up the stock.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 30, 1858
Dear
Diary,
We are at Sweetwater Station. Captain
Daniel says some men should dig and the women should stay to watch the wagon.
Daniel, Daniel, and Robert are going to dig. The rest are going to move the wagons a mile or two away.
Sincerely,
Margaret
WE HAVE ICE. The men found it!!
July
31, 1858
Dear
Diary,
We are now at South Pass. It
was fine going up but not so fast. I
do not think that we will make it. It
is a very fast current. If someone
falls they probably will die.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July
31, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Those poor McMillan’s. Their
wagon wheel fell off and broke in half. They
only have 1 cask of water left! I
think they should ask if anybody has extra water or fill it up in the river.
Sincerely,
Margaret
July 31, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we earned two heards of cattle and one yoke of oxen.
George is feeling very grouchy today because of his leg.
Sincerely,
Margaret
August
1, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today the Honeyman's helped George with his snake bite.
They lent us some whiskey to help George with his wound.
There were lots of other cures for this, but this one worked well.
Sincerely,
Margaret
August 1, 1858
Dear
Diary,
Today we came to a fork.
Both ways have their ups and downs.
We have to take one route. We
are taking Fort Bridger because there is more water. When we took it we found really good water and had a bath.
This was the right way to go! Mrs.
Honeyman is missing two blankets and Mr. Honeyman heard Indians.
Sincerely,
Margaret
August
8, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have made it to Fort Bridger, but we need to work because we need to
buy four new oxen. They are so
tired and we need to get more supplies. On
the trail we heard Indian’s. That scares me a lot.
All the stories I have heard about them I hope they are not true.
People tend to make up things about traveling west on the Oregon Trail.
Sincerely,
Margaret
August
8, 1858
Dear Diary,
Today we read the bulletin board. It has a sign that says "BEWARE INDIANS
ATTACK AT MASSACRE ROCK." I don’t
think many people have made it across alive.
I’m not sure I want to pass, but that is the only way to go from here.
We have to pass
it in a day or two. This
is very frightening for all of us, especially the children on our wagon train.
Sincerely,
Margaret
September
8, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have been on the trail for one hundred thirty days. We are all very tired but managing
to hang in there. All
of the men are meeting to make a plan. The plan is that Daniel and Robert are going to see if there
are any Indians around. Everybody is
going to be armed very well.
Sincerely,
Margaret
September 9, 1858
Dear Diary,
Today some people did not know about the Hot Springs and were burned.
Everybody in our family didn’t know about them.
The only person who got burned was Morgan. She went over to
look at them and she stuck her hand out and it got burned.
She is doing pretty well though.
Sincerely,
Margaret
September 10, 1858
Dear Diary,
I am so nervous about this because some people claim to have heard
Indians and that makes me very nervous. I
have to keep my family safe from any dangers along these trails.
Sincerely,
Margaret
September 30, 1858
Dear Diary,
The people who were burned are doing better.
We have said good-bye to the Snake River.
It was one of the harder things on the trail for us because we lost our
cooking kit and blanket crossing the river.
We have about four hundred miles left to go now.
I am very nervous because what if it is not everything that I hoped it
would be? What if we don't make
it? It we will have wasted all these months but at least it was a fun adventure.
Sincerely,
Margaret
September 30, 1858
Dear Diary,
We have left the beautiful but cold and hard Snake River.
We are wishing to get there soon. It
has been a hard and challenging trip so far.
We have all used up so much of our energy, but we are just so happy to be
almost there and that makes us coast onwards.
Sincerely,
Margaret
Ladd
Canyon
October 5 1858
Dear Diary,
Hello! Today we have to make a plan to get our wagon down the trail.
We made it down safely but two people didn’t.
We helped them collect their supplies.
They both lost an Oxen. They
can be saved though. Everyone is
fine. I’m glad things were not worse. I’m getting excited that
we are so close. I felt like our
girls have been very brave.
Sincerely,
Margaret
October
5 1858
Dear Diary,
Today we are going on Deadman's Pass.
I am very nervous about this because it is so narrow and
the hostile Indians
may attack us. This makes me
nervous because nothing really bad has happened to us
so far. I have a felling that
something bad is going to happen.
Sincerely,
Margaret