Calamity in the Cold

by Jesse Wiley

  The doctor at the fort stops to check in on you and Wahya. “It’s a good thing you stopped to rest when you did. You’ve been wearing yourselves out—you’re exhausted!”

  Some of the families want to leave without you. They don’t want to get sick, and you can’t blame them. You’re so close to Oregon City. You say goodbye to the Clay brothers and all the other families. Only your Cherokee friends stay behind at the fort with you. Wahya is still recovering. He’s been the sickest of them all, and he’s too weak to go on just yet.

  “We’d also never leave you behind.” Tsula hugs your mother. “Not when we started this journey together.”

  Ma smiles weakly. She looks so pale. You’ve been very sick, but she’s been worse off than anyone in your family. You know Pa was afraid she might not make it. The strain of the journey on her and little Jaime has been very hard.

  After a full week of resting and recovering at Fort Vancouver, you and your Cherokee friends are finally well enough to continue down the Columbia River. Everyone is still tired from being sick, but you’re more eager than ever to get to your destination.

  You reach Oregon City at last. It’s much later in the year than you and your family anticipated, but you’ve persevered to get here.

  Right away, you and your friends stop at a local inn to rest. You don’t want to get sick again, just when you’ve gotten to Oregon City! The next morning, you explore the city with Inola and Wahya. Emma and Atsadi go with you to try to keep you all out of trouble.

  Your two families end up building one homestead together. You see Inola and Wahya every day. With the money you saved avoiding most of the forts along the Oregon Trail, you’re able to purchase new livestock, including sheep, cattle, and goats. Much to Emma’s chagrin, you also buy a new mule, whom you name Fred Junior. He’s not as stubborn as the first Fred, but he still likes to play tricks on you sometimes.

  Pa and Tsayoga decide to open up a general store together to sell food and supplies to pioneers coming into Oregon City. You, Wahya, and Inola like to run around the store and meet new people. You’re excited to begin your new life.

  Congratulations! You’ve completed your journey on the Oregon Trail!

   THE END

  Return to page 120

  Guide

  to the Trail

  You are about to embark on a historic journey as one of the 400,000 pioneers who traveled westward between 1841 and 1870. Like thousands of others, you seek a new life and opportunities. The trek will be roughly 2,900 miles (4,670 kilometers), with everything tightly packed into your covered wagon. Along the way, you’ll see majestic landscapes, meet new friends, and endure challenges like never before.

  PACK YOUR WAGON

  Your ten-foot-long covered wagon, also called a prairie schooner, will carry the supplies you need for your trek West. There won’t be room for you, so you’ll walk alongside your wagon. Pack only what is most important. Don’t overload it!

  Be prepared! You will need two hundred pounds of food per person, mainly flour, bacon, sugar, cornmeal, beans, rice, vinegar, baking soda, and citric acid. Fruits and vegetables will be scarce on the Trail, and citric acid is used to stave off scurvy. (It wasn’t until the twentieth century that ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, was discovered to be the actual cure for the disease.) Don’t forget tools and replacement parts, such as wheels and axles. Take camping gear such as a tent, bedrolls, kitchen utensils, cast-iron skillets, matches, and candles, as well as rope, a rifle for hunting wild game, animal traps, and a medicinal kit.

  Avoid taking luxury items, such as fancy foods, heavy furniture, or nice clothes. You’ll also need to buy a team of oxen. For additional support, you can purchase a pack mule or horse.

  Spend your money wisely. You don’t want to use it all before you get to Oregon City. You’ll need to pay for supplies like blankets and food. Be prepared to pay tolls to cross rivers.

  JOIN A WAGON TRAIN

  Pioneers will band together into wagon “trains,” which are groups of wagons traveling together. Smaller groups are more manageable than large ones. Keep your group together at all costs. The advantages of larger wagon trains include safety in numbers, helping one another with skills, hunting and gathering, and protection. There are many dangers on the Trail, so a larger wagon train increases your chances of survival and success.

  It is the wagon-train captain’s job to decide when the wagons start in the morning, when they finish at night, and when to stop for lunch. They also assign guards and decide what order the wagons travel in. No one wants to always travel at the end of the train, breathing in the dust from the other wagons, so you will all take turns.

  GO WEST

  Keep on the lookout for bad weather, dangerous spots along the Trail, and places to rest. Making sure you have enough energy for the day is paramount: if you’re exhausted, you can get sick much more easily. Listen to your fellow pioneers, stay close to water sources, and stick together.

  Your days will start as early as four in the morning, with breakfast, chores, and loading your wagon. A seven a.m. bugle means it’s time to start the long day’s journey. The wagon train will roll along until six p.m., except for an hour’s lunch and rest time, called nooning.

  At the end of the day, you will corral your wagons, set up camp, take care of your livestock, and cook dinner. If you can’t find firewood or kindling, you can burn dried patties of buffalo dung called buffalo chips. Around the campfire, you can share stories, get to know your fellow pioneers, dance, and listen to music, if someone knows how to play an instrument.

  Dangers!

  SHELTER

  Finding or building shelter is the most important thing to do in bad weather or before nightfall in the wilderness. You need it for protection and warmth. It can help block the wind and keep your campfire burning. A lean-to is a quick shelter to construct made of branches and mud.

   SICKNESS

  Cholera and dysentery are deadly diseases on the Trail that can kill a person within a day. Highly contagious and caught by drinking unclean water or eating uncooked food, cholera was the main cause of death on the Trail. Symptoms are shaking, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, and it usually results in death. Cook food thoroughly, avoid being near dead or rotting carcasses (as those can easily spread disease), and always boil your water.

  BAD WEATHER

  Sudden snowstorms can occur even in summer on the plains, leaving you unprepared. Hailstorms, avalanches, icy rain, torrential winds, and other inclement outdoor conditions can be fatal if you’re not careful. Stay alert and aware when climbing mountains in avalanche country. Make a shelter and a fire to protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia. If it’s a sunny day after a snowstorm, be careful: the sun reflecting off the snow can blind you.

  STARVATION

  In colder months, it can be hard to find food. Ration your food wisely. Dig around for camas roots near driftwood around the riverbanks, as rodents like to hide the roots inside their holes. Even tree bark and cattails can be decent sources of food when nothing else can be found.

  ANIMALS

  Predators such as bears and snakes can hurt or kill you. If you run into a grizzly bear, make yourself big and loud. Try to scare it away. If you run, it will chase you. If you’re out hunting for food, bring others with you. Never go out into the wilderness alone, and always be aware of your surroundings.

  FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA

  It’s all too easy to lose feeling in your hands and feet when traveling in deep snow and ice. Make sure to stop often to build a fire and warm up, or you could lose limbs and even die. Always wear enough layers to keep warm. Avoid going on icy ponds.

  Finding Your Way

  In 1845, if you make it to Independence, Missouri, you will strike out into the open wilderness of the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Northwest terrain. There are very few settlements along the way, with no roads and very few towns. The United States comprises twenty-seven states and busy towns back East, including the rec
ently added state of Florida. During your travels, look for the famous landmarks listed here.

  Ask for advice and guidance whenever you can. Often Indigenous Nations, such as the Cherokee, Mandan, and Umatilla, can provide assistance and helpful advice, especially if there are unknown dangers or rough terrain up ahead.

  FORT MANDAN

  This fort was originally built by Lewis and Clark to survive the harsh winter with the help of the Mandan Nation. The fort eventually eroded away and sank into the Missouri River, lost forever.

  POMPEY’S PILLAR

  Named for Sacagawea’s child Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, or “Pomp,” Pompey’s Pillar is a great rock formation rising up out of the landscape along the Yellowstone River. Clark’s name and the date of his discovery are carved into the rock.

  WHITMAN MISSION

  Fort Whitman was built in 1836 by husband and wife Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, missionaries and some of the first pioneers along the Oregon Trail. Narcissa Whitman was the first white woman to cross the Rocky Mountains. The mission was a stopping point for pioneers until 1847, when it was destroyed.

  Look for these landmarks between Missouri and Oregon City:

  DISTANCE FROM JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA:

  NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: 564 miles (908 km)

  INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI: 1,103 miles (1,775 km)

  FORT MANDAN: 1,820 miles (2,929 km)

  POMPEY’S PILLAR: 2,063 miles (3,320 km)

  WHITMAN MISSION: 2,721 miles (4,379 km)

  It’s a cool evening in late May. Goose bumps cover your skin, so you reach into your covered wagon for a coat. The sun has just set in the Lone Elm Campground. Around you, the other thirty-nine wagons in your train rest close by. You hear laughter and music and smell the mouthwatering scent of meat and sweet fruit pies.

  You let out a yelp when your little brother accidentally drops a tin plate right on your foot.

  You groan. “Benji, you have to be careful.”

  “Sorry,” four-year-old Benji mumbles. Your dog, Tippet, sits beside him, wagging his tail.

  It’s not really Benji’s fault. He’s only hungry—and so are you. “It’s fine, Mukki.” You call him by his Pequot nickname. “I didn’t need that toe anyway. Here, bring these plates to Mama.”

  Mama is pulling supplies out of the back of your covered wagon, getting ready to cook a hearty dinner. You run over to help her. It’s been a long day. You’ve been traveling for about twelve miles on the Trail to reach Lone Elm Campground from Independence, Missouri. You can’t wait to sink into your bedroll.

  “Just in time.” Mama kisses you on the forehead. “Could you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, Mama.”

  She nods over to a covered wagon some yards away in the corral. “Invite Mr. Southworth to join us, will you? We have plenty to share.”

  Although Mr. Southworth has been in your wagon train since the start of your journey, you’re still shy. You’ve seen Mr. Southworth fix many bent iron rims, including one for your own family’s wagon wheel. But you don’t really know him that well beyond his great blacksmithing skills. Until now, he and his mother, Pauline Hunter, had been traveling, enslaved by the man you know to be their master. Half of your original wagon train—forty wagons out of eighty—split off a few miles back. The others wanted to take a northern route. Mr. Southworth stayed with your wagons while their master went north with Mrs. Hunter.

  “All right, Mama.” You start off to Mr. Southworth’s wagon. “I’ll be right back.”

  When you arrive at Mr. Southworth’s site, he’s preparing his own dinner.

  “Hello, Mr. Southworth.” You fidget and wipe your hands on your clothes, then relax as you smell the sweet aroma of baked apples in the air. “My mama asked if you want to join us for dinner. Though what you’re cooking smells tasty!”

  Louis Southworth is in his early twenties. He has a kind smile framed by a thick black beard. A pocket watch hangs on the vest of his gray woolen suit. “That’s quite kind of you. I’ll bring some food to share and be right on over.”

  You nod and skip back to tell Mama.

  Mr. Southworth arrives and Papa and Benji are preparing supper alongside Mama. Mama cooks a juicy chicken over a spit while you and Papa peel potatoes. Benji runs around the camp with Tippet.

  “Mr. Southworth! Glad you could join us.” Papa rises to meet him.

  “Thank you, Ben. I brought an apple pie to share. My mother’s recipe.” Mr. Southworth sets down the pie and shakes Papa’s hand firmly. In his other hand, he holds an oblong wooden case.

  “I hope your family likes apple pie, Kutomá.” Mr. Southworth smiles at Mama.

  You cook up a delicious meal of roast chicken, potatoes, cornbread with dried corn from your garden back in Connecticut, and fresh milk from Mr. Southworth’s cow, Dilly. You wish you had a cow. Instead, you have three goats, two fat sheep, and a stubborn horse named Spot to herd them. Of course, you’ve got oxen to pull your wagon, too. After you eat and enjoy Mr. Southworth’s warm apple pie around the campfire, Benji points to the funny-shaped case near Mr. Southworth.

  “What’s that?” Benji’s eyes widen.

  “Come and have a look for yourself.” Mr. Southworth flips open two silver buckles.

  You gently pry the case open. “A violin?”

  Mr. Southworth laughs and picks it up. “I’d call it a fiddle, but ‘violin’ works too. Would you like to hear it sing?” When you and your brother nod in excitement, he fits the fiddle underneath his chin and plucks the strings to test the sound. Pleasant twangy music echoes through the campground.

  “Excuse me,” calls a new voice. All of you turn to see Fergus McAllister, another neighbor, approaching. He looks worried. His shock of red hair sticks up on all ends, and his thick red brows are furrowed. “Sorry to interrupt.” He has a thick Scottish brogue. “But I just hoped to have a word with you folk.”

  “What seems to be the trouble, Fergus?” Papa’s brow furrows.

  Fergus rubs his beard. “Well, I’ve been talkin’ to a few other families and they’re packing up and heading out. They heard from a local passerby that there’s been a nasty pack of bandits called the River Rush Gang lurking about the Trail . . . and they’re headed this way.”

  Papa and Mama exchange worried looks with Mr. Southworth.

  “Will we be robbed?” Benji jumps to his feet.

  Mama hushes him and holds him tightly to her chest.

  You cup your hand to Papa’s ear. “Maybe we should talk to Captain Beauregard. Tell him we should leave. Now.”

  “Hmm. I think we should,” says Papa, troubled.

  You go with him, Fergus, and Mr. Southworth to find the captain of your wagon train, John Beauregard, sitting at his own campsite with his wife, Stella, and their son George, who made a mean face at you earlier. You stay behind Papa, just in case.

  “Excuse me, John.” Papa steps into the campsite. “We need to talk.” He tells John and Stella about the potential danger nearby.

  “What are you suggesting?” John puts his hands on his hips. “We just camped down for the night. We can’t up and leave now.”

  He’s right: everyone is exhausted after the long day. The last thing you want to think about is walking more. But after hearing about the bandits approaching, you don’t want to be robbed, either. You’d have nothing left for the journey to either California or Oregon—whichever you choose. And yet if you keep going now, your tired animals won’t make it very far. What should you do?

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