The Western Experience
My husband and I had been traveling with our group for several months now. When we first set off on the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, we never imagined that our journey would be so difficult. We left many of our loved ones behind because they were not strong enough to make the journey. Back in Missouri, the economy was harsh, especially to farmers such as us. The Panic of 1837 had greatly impacted us financially. The depression that followed motivated us to head west where the climate was less humid, the winters milder, and the land better suited to farm on. As a pioneer woman, I find my circumstances very daunting at times. Not only do I have to worry about my husband, but I have to make sure our son and daughter are cared for as well. This homestead life on the Oregon Trail has given me more responsibility, and I have faced challenges that I have never faced before.
I am weary that this journey will never end. Every night as we set up camp, the other women and I prepare a meal. There are at least seventy fellow pioneers on this trip, and our supplies are limited, so we make do with what we have. I can see the faces of my fellow pioneers what this journey is doing to them. I can tell that they are weary. I can imagine that many of the men dream of sitting by a warm fire again, in a cabin, as their women prepare a meal on a stove in the kitchen. In reality, we have to cook by a campfire, food is getting scarce, and many times I find myself cooking the same things because my choices are limited. I am hoping we will come across a Fort again soon so that we can replenish some of our supplies.
I am very excited to see the journey to Oregon come to an end. When we arrive my husband and I, along with our two children, plan on finding land that we can farm on. Our children are also getting restless on this daunting journey. A few weeks ago, my daughter, Sara, became very ill, and my husband and I were afraid she would not get to see our new home. We feared she had yellow fever, which had been a continuous threat back home. Once Sara’s fever subsided, we knew she would be fine. Others, who were not as fortunate, died along the way. So far, our group has not run into any hostile Indians. The few tribes we have come across have kept their distance. Our scout, Abraham, who is a mountain man in his mid-forties, has been able to look ahead, and so far there have been few surprises.
One of the families who has been traveling with us since the beginning lost a wagon wheel yesterday when they drove over a rut. A young cousin of theirs, who was riding in the front of the wagon was not paying attention when the accident happened. He fell off the wagon, and broke his neck. The young wife he left behind, Hannah, who he had only been married to for a little over a year, was devastated. The young man’s cousins, Jethro and Mathew, immediately helped look out for her. They both took turns driving her wagon, as she only knew how to take care of the cooking and cleaning, which was a woman’s domain in the society we live in today. Many of us pioneer women have at times, had to drive the wagon, especially if our husbands were injured or ill. Before her husband’s death, Hannah had never had to take on that responsibility. I have a feeling she will catch on quickly. Hannah said her final goodbye to her husband as the men buried him in a ridge alongside the Blue Mountains of the Oregon Trail The next day it rained for hours. At times, the rain was so heavy I could barely see the hand in front of my face. When we stopped to rest, this made the cooking, cleaning and washing more difficult. When the rain stopped, the sun would come out, and it would become unbearably hot. I think I prefer the rain. We left just in time to settle our homestead before winter sets in, but because of the rough terrain and extreme weather, we will be lucky if that happens. When we first set foot on the Oregon Trail, we had 2,400 miles ahead of us. We then traveled across Nebraska and then part way through Wyoming. In Fort Laramie, we stopped to rest and replenish our supplies, and then we began the ascent at the South Pass. When we reached Fort Hall, my family, along with other fellow pioneers, headed north to Oregon, the rest headed south to California. After we had made it to Fort Boise, we had to cross the Blue Mountains. We are now traveling up the Columbia River. Today, Abraham, our scout, informed us that once we were finished traveling up this river we would have about one hundred miles left until we reached Willamette Valley. Our journey is almost over. I cannot wait until I see our new home.

References
A Thousand Pioneers Head West on the Oregon Trail, (2015). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-thousand-pioneers-head-west-on-the-oregon-trail.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Oregon Trail, (n.d.). Retrieved from http://myilstu.edu/~jabraun/students/kertzp/page6.htm.
Lazzerini, R., (2006), Frontier Women: Hardships & Triumphs, A Look at the women behind the settlements. Retrieved from www.kindredtrails.com/Frontier-Women-Page1.html.