The Race to Chimney Rock

by Jesse Wiley

  “Half the wagons are stuck,” he says. “We should have stopped before the path got so muddy.”

  “What now?” Ma asks.

  “Well, we can wait out the rain,” he says. “The oxen are getting exhausted. And if we keep trying to move, we might end up hurting them and damaging the wagons, too.”

  You look at the dark sky, covered with clouds. It doesn’t look like the rain will ever stop.

  “I can plug up the leaks on the wagons while we wait,” Pa offers. “And we can try to find a drier spot.”

  Caleb nods, looking grateful.

  “I saw a Pawnee settlement a ways back,” Ma says. “Maybe they can help dig us out.”

  “We’d have to offer to pay them for their help,” Caleb says. “Do you have extra food or money?”

  Everyone starts talking about what to do. Some think it’s better to wait out the rain. They are unsure about asking for help, and what it might cost. Others are eager to get moving toward Chimney Rock again, and are willing to pay for help.

  What does your family decide to do?

  If you decide to wait until it stops raining, turn to page 92

  If you decide to ask for help from the Pawnee Nation, turn to page 46

  Return to page 78

  I’ll just take a little drink of water while Ma boils the rest, you decide. You fill your tin cup halfway, and sip the water slowly. It feels good going down your throat, and you feel refreshed.

  The next day, you feel a gurgling in your tummy as you’re walking along, following your wagon tracks back toward the Trail. Then your stomach starts to ache a little. You can handle it at first, and you keep walking. But soon you start to get serious cramps. Sweating, you feel dizzy and your heart beats fast, and then you get the runs.

  Two days later, you find yourself drifting in and out of sleep. You’re sweating and sometimes, you feel like you’re burning up, but other times you’re freezing. You can’t focus on much except for one thought: you should have waited for Ma to boil the water.

  You die of dysentery.

   THE END

  Return to page 119

  You decide people are more reliable than ropes. First, you help pull a trunk and some barrels out of the wagon to lighten the load. Then Pa and two others slowly back down the hill, bracing the wagon with their arms. The wheels are locked in place, so the wagon slides instead of rolling fast.

  “Heave! Ho!” The men’s muscles strain with the effort. But it works! They stop the wagon from sliding too quickly, and it descends safely down the steep slope. You help Ma lead the oxen down the hill over deep tracks made by other wagons.

  “It’s gorgeous here,” Ma says. Ash Hollow is shady and filled with trees, grapevines, currant bushes, and flower blossoms. You think it’s even nicer than Alcove Spring and the prettiest place you’ve seen since leaving Missouri over a month ago.

  You gulp down refreshing spring water, while Samuel picks currants. They’re sour, but Ma can cook with them.

  You camp for two nights and get a good rest. The oxen rest, too, grazing on the plentiful grass. On the second night, Pa tells the family you will head out in the morning.

  “I know it’s hard to leave,” he says. “But there’s another surprise coming up soon.”

  “What is it?” Samuel asks, excited.

  “I can’t tell you,” Pa says with a mysterious smile.

  Soon you’re back on the Trail, hiking again. But you recognize the surprise when you see it.

  “Is that a . . . castle and a tower?” Hannah gasps, pointing to two huge rocks looming in the distance. They are bigger than any building you’ve ever seen. And they do look like a castle and a tower!

  “No, those are Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock.” Pa laughs. “No one knows how they formed, but they’re important landmarks, and they are how we know we’re going the right way.”

  “Can we get closer?” you ask, excited.

  Getting closer means hiking an extra three miles, but everyone wants to do it.

  As you near Courthouse Rock, you see it isn’t smooth. The edges are jagged and rough. You crane your neck, but you can’t even see the top.

  “Look!” Joseph points. “People here before us carved their names into the rocks.”

  “Let’s do it, too!” you say. “Can we?”

  “Sure,” Pa says. “It’s tradition. Just be careful and be home for dinner.”

  You grab a pocketknife and head for the rocks, along with Joseph and Eliza. The sun is getting lower in the sky, which makes the rocks glow orange.

  “Let’s climb up a bit,” Eliza says. “Lots of people’s names are at the bottom. I want to carve mine closer to the top.” You agree.

  You start to scramble up the rock. You’re having so much fun, you don’t notice the sun starting to set at first.

  “Maybe we should go back down,” you say.

  “Let’s climb for a few minutes more,” Joseph protests. “I see a flat spot just a little higher. I bet it’s got a great view. Let’s carve our names there so no one else will carve over them.”

  You pause. You’ve come this far already, so surely a few more minutes won’t hurt. You glance at the sky. Suppertime is approaching, and you want to be back before it gets dark. What do you decide to do?

  If you agree to climb a little farther, turn to page 17

  If you insist on stopping where you are, turn to page 115

  Return to page 46

  You decide to trade your sweet goods for more important items.

  “If you mix the citric acid with a little lemon and water, it tastes like lemonade,” the merchant tells Ma.

  “Won’t fresh lemons be hard to find?” Ma asks.

  “Well, you can use vinegar instead of lemons,” he says. Yuck! You hope no one makes you drink that.

  You look at the piles of supplies the merchant has. There is food of all sorts. You see every kind of tool and dish, from frying pans to knives. He even has a carved wooden chest of drawers.

  “Where did all this stuff come from?” you ask.

  “I traded for some of it,” the merchant says proudly. “And I collect items people throw off their wagons. You’d be amazed by some of the crazy things people pack.”

  “Like what?” you ask.

  “One family from New York brought along jars of fancy olives, and even some nice furniture. Once they hit the Trail, they realized they were overloaded. Then, they threw it off.”

  “And you just take it?”

  “It’s better than leaving it outside to rot,” the merchant says. “In fact, I’ll make you a deal. If you find me any good things, I’ll buy them from you.”

  I can get back the molasses that way, you think.

  You end up getting back your molasses and more. It turns out you’re good at finding things people want. And you make really good deals, too!

  Pretty soon you start selling to other people besides the merchant. Ma and Pa decide to set up a shop, and you trade things with pioneers passing through. With the endless stream of goods thrown away along the Oregon Trail, you earn lots of money.

  There’s no need to go any farther. You can make a fortune and buy land right here on the prairie. Maybe when you’re older, there will be an easier way to get out West. Who knows, someone might even build a railroad one day.

   THE END

  Return to page 19

  You wait for Ma to boil the water before you drink it, because she thinks the rotting branches and leaves that were in the water might make you sick. You’re so thirsty, you gulp the water down while it’s still warm. It doesn’t taste great, and it still smells a little funny, but it quenches your thirst.

  After eating and drinking, everyone is ready to get moving again. But now that your guide is gone, which way is the Oregon Trail?

  Luckily, your wagon wheels have left deep ruts in the dirt. This is the first time you’ve been glad your wagon is so heavy!

  You follow the wagon-wheel ruts back the way you came. After
three long days, you find your way back to the Trail. A large wagon train is passing through. Pa speaks to the wagon captain, who agrees to let you join them.

  Most of the people in your new wagon train seem really nice. But one man seems a bit aloof. You see him poking around your wagon during campfire.

  “There’s something strange about that man,” you tell Ma. “He was near our wagon last night.”

  “Let’s keep an eye on him, then,” she says.

  After what happened with Will, your whole family is a little less trusting of strangers. You decide to keep watching him.

  That night, you see the man snooping around another wagon.

  You wonder if you should say something to the wagon captain. What if you’re wrong? You don’t want to accuse an innocent person. But what if the man is taking things that aren’t his?

  If you tell the wagon captain what you saw, turn to page 66

  If you decide to wait until you know for sure, turn to page 100

  Return to page 119

  Fording the river seems like the best option. You’ll save both money and time. First, Caleb sends in good swimmers with long sticks to scout ahead. They check to make sure the river doesn’t suddenly get too deep.

  “It’s no more than two- or two-and-a-half feet deep all the way across,” one swimmer says.

  “But the current is strong,” another warns. “We need to be careful and take small, slow steps to feel for the bottom without slipping.”

  Someone suggests you cross the river diagonally, heading downstream. That way you’ll travel with the current, and the trip will be easier because you won’t have to push back against the river. But you’ll have to spend more time in the cold water, and you’ll end up farther down the river than if you go straight.

  Going straight across the river will be a shorter distance to cross. It’ll save you time, but you’ll have to work harder.

  Everyone talks about which way is the best way to cross: straight ahead or on the longer, colder diagonal.

  What do you all decide?

  If you go diagonally across the river, turn to page 127

  If you go straight across the river, turn to page 25

  Return to page 103

  Can’t we just stay here, Pa?” you ask. “It’ll sure be nice to take a break from the Trail.”

  “Yes,” Ma chimes in. “It’s so beautiful here. We couldn’t ask for a nicer place to camp.”

  Pa shakes his head sadly. “But what about the dream?” he asks.

  “We have plenty of time for our dream,” you say. “But we’re all so tired, and this is the perfect place to rest.” As you speak, Hannah plucks yellow wildflowers from a plant and hands them to Pa. Samuel pulls berries off a bush and pops some in his mouth. He makes a face when they’re tart.

  Pa looks at all of you, and then he stares at the wagon. Finally, he laughs at Samuel’s expression.

  “I guess we can camp here for a while, while I rebuild the wagon,” he says. “A lot of wagon trains pass through here. We can join another one in a few weeks or so.”

  You all help Pa clean up the mess of the wagon, and set up camp near the spring. The water is crisp and cool. It’s the best you’ve ever tasted. Everyone feels a little better after washing up.

  The next day, Pa cuts down a few of Ash Hollow’s cedar trees. He makes planks to repair the wagon. It’s nice to see him working as a carpenter again. He whistles as he hammers boards together. The extra wood comes in handy for firewood.

  But after a while, you notice that the pile of wood is growing bigger and bigger, and the days are turning into weeks. Caleb and the rest of the wagon train are long gone.

  “What’s all that wood for?” you ask Pa.

  “I’m making a log cabin,” he says. “We can live in it as long as we want, and if we decide to leave, other pioneers can use it for shelter.”

  You look at Ma, and she smiles.

  “Yes,” she says. “Pa and I agree we don’t need to go farther. We’ll live here for as long as it makes us happy.”

  You see wagon trains come through, filled with dusty and exhausted travelers. Some of them need their wagons repaired. Pa does this in exchange for supplies. Ma sells some of her fruit pies, which soon become famous. And you are very happy in Ash Hollow. Sometimes dreams change. You wonder if you’ll ever take on the Trail again.

   THE END

  Return to page 75

  With the help of five strong Pawnee young men, your wagon is freed from the mud. Afteward, Pa and the oldest Pawnee man in the group smile and shake hands. Everyone offers the young men gifts, but they only accept a little food. One of them gives Hannah a small doll carved out of wood, which she clutches happily in her hands.

  When Pa checks out your wagon, he notices the rear axle of the wagon is bent. It must have gotten damaged when the wheels were stuck.

  “Thank goodness we brought those extra wagon parts,” he says, getting to work to replace the axle. A few hours later, the rain finally stops and the sun comes out.

  “The sunshine feels so good,” Ma says, looking happier than she has in days. The group makes camp, and Ma starts a fire using lumps of dried buffalo poop called “buffalo chips.” The hot meal is nice after days of cold biscuits and tough buffalo jerky. Your jaw still hurts from gnawing on that chewy dried meat.

  The next morning you have to cross the Platte River. There’s no ferry, but this river is tame and only a couple of feet deep.

  “We can ford this pretty easily,” Caleb tells everyone. He leads the horses and cows into the water first. Pa drives your team of oxen along. He walks through the water, but you ride in the wagon with Ma, Hannah, and Samuel. Pa did a good job plugging up the wagon leaks with candle wax and tar. Nothing gets wet, including you.

  After you cross the river, Caleb says you’re near a famous spot called Ash Hollow. It’s known for its fresh water, berries, and trees. You haven’t seen any of those for a week.

  “I want berries!” Samuel says, and everyone agrees. You remember how nice the fresh water at Alcove Spring was, three weeks ago.

  But getting to Ash Hollow will be a challenge. You have to make it down a steep hill without crashing your wagons. You talk about the best way to get the wagon train down safely, and you hear several different ideas.

  “Maybe we can lower the wagons with rope,” someone suggests.

  “Or we can walk in front of them and brace them. We’d use our own strength to stop the wagons from sliding downhill,” Pa says.

  Both ideas might work. What does the group decide to do?

  If you use ropes, turn to page 75

  If you use your own strength, turn to page 31

  Return to page 27

  I think we should head out next week,” you say. “We can beat the crowds on the Trail and get to Oregon first. That way we can get the best land.”

  “I think you’re right,” Ma says.

  Pa nods in agreement. “But we’ll have to get a lot done quickly before then!” he says.

  For the next week, everyone scrambles to get ready for the trip. You load up the rest of the wagon with food, clothes, camping gear, and tools.

  Soon the wagon is overflowing with supplies for the long journey. On top of all that, Pa packs huge sacks of grain to feed the oxen. You need to carry it because the grass won’t be long enough for them to eat for a few more weeks.

  You’ve joined a wagon train with other families, and together you’ve all picked a captain named Caleb. He comes over and frowns at your wagon.

  “That seems a bit overloaded,” he says, looking worried. “Do you think your oxen team can pull it?”

  “These oxen are young and strong,” Pa says. “I’ve tested them out, and I think they can do it.”

  “All right,” Caleb says. “We push out tomorrow!”

  * * *

  You’ve been on the Trail for two weeks now. At first, everything went well. Your wagon train moved at a good pace. The oxen had a lot of energy, co
vering about fifteen miles a day, and you managed to keep up with them.

  But now, things are different. Everything hurts. Your legs, feet, and lower back are sore from walking. And you have blisters on your feet. Every time you take a step, you wince. You look at Hannah and Samuel trudging alongside you. They look just as miserable as you.

  You really want to rest on the wagon, but Pa says every extra pound makes it harder on the oxen. And besides, there’s little room left in the wagon with all the supplies.

  “I want to ride on the wagon,” Samuel whines.

  “I can’t walk anymore,” Hannah declares. “My feet don’t want to move another step.”

  Ma looks worried. “Maybe we should unload some of the things we don’t need right now,” she says. “I’ve seen flour sacks, bacon, and even an iron stove on the side of the Trail. People must have thrown them off their wagons.”

  “But we paid for all of these things,” Pa protests. “If we push on to the next trading post, we can swap them for something else.”

  “The kids are so tired of walking. And the load is too heavy for the oxen,” Ma says.