The American West 03 - Wagon Trails to the West (1849) - from Timelines.tv
Summary
TLDRIn 1849, the Hester family embarked on a perilous 2,000-mile journey from Indiana to California, seeking a better life amidst the Gold Rush. The five-month trek through uncharted territories was fraught with challenges, from inhospitable prairies and hostile Native American tribes to treacherous mountain paths and scarcity of resources. The diary of 14-year-old Sally Hester offers a poignant glimpse into the determination and resilience of the pioneers who braved the Oregon Trail, leaving a lasting legacy on American history.
Takeaways
- 📅 The journey began on Tuesday, March 20th, 1849, with Sally Hester's family leaving their home for California.
- 👨👩👧👦 The emigration involved 500,000 men, women, and children traveling by covered wagon through the American West.
- 🌅 The destination was the Pacific coastlands, including Oregon and California, known for fertile soil and a life-giving climate.
- 🛳️ Sally's journey started by steamboat from Indiana to Saint Joseph, Missouri, which was the edge of civilization at the time.
- 🛤️ The journey was a 2,000-mile, five-month passage, starting from the plains and moving through various terrains.
- 🌼 The plains were beautiful but offered no protection from the weather or from the indigenous tribes whose lands were crossed.
- 🔍 The travelers had to be cautious of potentially hostile tribes, such as the Pawnee, and double their guards at night.
- 🗺️ The route followed watercourses for survival, as water was essential for both the travelers and their animals.
- 📝 Independence Rock marked the halfway point of the journey, where many travelers recorded their passage.
- 🏞️ The journey included traversing difficult mountain terrains, with challenges such as scarce water and forage.
- 💀 The Donner Party tragedy was mentioned, where the group resorted to cannibalism to survive after getting stranded in the Sierra Nevada.
- 🌟 The journey concluded on September 21st, with the travelers reaching their destination and pondering the future in a new land.
Q & A
What significant event is described in the diary of 14-year-old Sally Hester?
-The significant event described in Sally Hester's diary is the emigration of her family and others to California, which was part of the larger movement of 500,000 people during the American westward expansion in the mid-1800s.
Why did the families decide to leave their homes and travel to California?
-Families decided to leave their homes and travel to California in search of a better life, with fertile soil and a climate that promised a new lease of life, particularly for those with health issues like Sally's ailing father.
What was the mode of transportation Sally and her family used at the beginning of their journey?
-Sally and her family began their journey by steamboat from their home in Indiana to the town of Saint Joseph, Missouri.
What challenges did the emigrants face during their journey through the plains?
-The emigrants faced challenges such as the vast, inhospitable grasslands with no protection from the weather or from the indigenous tribes who resented their passage through tribal lands.
Why was the Pawnee Nation considered dangerous and hostile during the journey?
-The Pawnee Nation was considered dangerous and hostile because they were protective of their lands and viewed the emigrants as intruders, leading to the need for the emigrants to double their guards at night and form a corral with their wagons for safety.
What was the significance of Fort Laramie in the journey of the emigrants?
-Fort Laramie was a significant location as it marked a point where the emigrants had passed through and were moving into the more broken landscapes of Wyoming, indicating progress in their journey.
What difficulties did the emigrants encounter when traveling through the mountains?
-In the mountains, the emigrants faced difficulties such as difficult terrain, scarcity of water and grass, and the physical exhaustion of both humans and animals after months of travel.
What was the significance of Independence Rock and why was it important to the emigrants?
-Independence Rock was a marker signifying the halfway point of the journey. Emigrants would record their passage there, and it served as a place of reflection on the challenges faced and those yet to come.
How did the emigrants cope with the scarcity of water and grass during their journey?
-The emigrants had to use whatever water was available, even if it was not fit to drink, and they had to endure the lack of grass for their animals, leading to the animals becoming worn out.
What tragic event is mentioned in the script related to the Donner Party, and what were its consequences?
-The tragic event mentioned is the Donner Party's entrapment in the Sierra Nevada due to late arrival and snowfall. The consequences were dire, leading to the resort to cannibalism as a means of survival.
How long did the journey from Saint Joseph to California take for Sally Hester and her family, and what was the final outcome?
-The journey took five months, covering a 2,000-mile passage. The final outcome was that Sally Hester and her family, along with the rest of their party, reached their destination, though they arrived as strangers in a strange land, uncertain about the future.
Outlines
🌅 The Journey Westward Begins
The first paragraph of the script details the start of a perilous journey undertaken by the Hester family and others in 1849, seeking a better life in California. They left their Indiana home by steamboat to Saint Joseph, Missouri, which was the edge of civilization at the time. The travelers were a diverse group, including poor farmers, workers, Mormons, and new European immigrants, all seeking a second chance in the West. The script describes the initial leg of the journey through the prairies, the formation of wagon corrals for safety against Native American tribes, and the family's progress through the Pawnee Nation, with its challenges and the beautiful yet inhospitable landscapes they encountered.
🏞️ The Struggle and Triumph of the Pioneers
The second paragraph recounts the ongoing journey of the pioneers, including the Hester family, as they faced the harsh realities of the trail. It describes the re-enactment of the journey by modern-day pioneers, emphasizing the importance of water sources and the difficulty of maintaining wagons in the dry terrain of western Nebraska. The script mentions Independence Rock as a significant halfway point, where many travelers succumbed to cholera. The journey's second half involved navigating the mountains, enduring scarcity of water and forage, and the physical toll on both humans and animals. The tragic fate of the Donner Party is also referenced, highlighting the extreme measures they resorted to for survival. The paragraph concludes with the Hester family's arrival at their destination, reflecting on the five-month ordeal and the uncertainty of what the future holds in the new land.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Emigration
💡Covered Wagon
💡American West
💡Pioneer
💡Oregon Trail
💡Cholera
💡Independence Rock
💡Sierra Nevada
💡Donner Party
💡Cannibalism
💡Pioneer Re-enactors
Highlights
The diary of 14-year-old Sally Hester documents the family's journey to California in 1849.
Emigration of 500,000 individuals to California and Oregon via covered wagons.
The journey promised fertile soil and a healing climate for Sally's ailing father.
The trip was expected to take five months and cover 2,000 miles.
Sally's journey began with a steamboat ride to Saint Joseph, Missouri.
Saint Joseph was the starting point and edge of civilization in 1848.
The emigrants gathered at Saint Joseph included poor farmers, workers, Mormons, and recent European immigrants.
The journey through the prairies was beautiful but presented challenges such as lack of protection from weather and Indians.
The Hester family encountered the Pawnee Nation, known for being dangerous and hostile.
Travelers had to be vigilant and double their guards at night to ensure safety.
Independence Rock marked the halfway point of the journey.
Cholera outbreaks and graves were common sights along the trail.
The terrain in the mountains was difficult, with long poles needed for the stock and scarce water and forage.
The Donner Party's tragic story of cannibalism to survive the harsh winter in the Sierra Nevada.
Sally's diary ends with the family's arrival at their destination, reflecting on the long and perilous journey.
The journey was not only about survival but also about seeking a better life in the West.
The reenactment of the journey by modern-day pioneers provides insight into the challenges faced by the original emigrants.
Transcripts
tuesday march 20th 1849
our family consisting of father mother
two brothers and one sister left this
morning for that far off and much talked
of country california
a way farewell to kind teachers and
schoolmates
a last glimpse of our old home on the
hill
and we were off
the diary of 14 year old sally hester is
just one record of an epic experience in
american history
the emigration of 500 000 men women and
children by covered wagon through the
american west
their destination lay beyond the indian
lands explored by francis parkman beyond
the rocky mountains beyond the desert
and the sierra nevada
all the way to the pacific coastlands to
oregon and california
in sally's words the land of gold and
italian skies
here it was said a good life was waiting
fertile soil and a climate that would
give a new lease of life to sally's
ailing father
it was a journey that would take five
months
a 2 000 mile passage in the humblest
means of transport
imaginable these first pioneers blaze
the trail that would open the west to
millions
for sally the journey began by steamboat
from her home in indiana to the remote
town of saint joseph missouri
we're standing on the western edge of
civilization back in 1848
this was missouri and it was part of the
united states but right across the river
in what is today kansas was indian
territory
that was the territory of the sac and
fox and kickapoo indians
so when you left st joseph you're
literally headed out into the wilderness
saint joe april 27th
well here we are safe and sound
and we expect to remain here several
days
laying in supplies and waiting our turn
to be ferried across the river
the town presents a striking appearance
a vast army on wheels
there are wagons as far as the eye can
see
and crowds men and women and children
and the cattle and horses upon which our
lives depend
the immigrants who'd gathered at this
point of departure were a mixed bunch
most were poor tenant farmers tired of
renting land
or workers who'd hit hard times in the
crises of the late 1830s
some were mormons escaping religious
persecution
others were fresh off the boats from
europe they'd come to the states for a
better life only to find this new world
as crowded and oppressive as the old
in the west they saw the promise of a
second chance
worth the dangers of the journey ahead
on may 6th the hesters were ferried
across the missouri in a party of 50
wagons
the first leg was prairie
may 21st
sunday
our family's all in good health
when we lessen joe my mother had to be
lifted in and out of our wagons
now she walks a mile or two without
stopping and handles the wagons as spry
as a young girl
this is a beautiful spot
the planes are all covered with flowers
the planes were beautiful but
inhospitable just grassland for hundreds
of miles
no protection from the weather
nor from the indians who watched
resentful of this alien procession
through their tribal lands
we are now in the pawnee nation
a dangerous and hostile tribe
we are obliged to watch them carefully
and we double our guards at night
when we camp we form a corral with our
wagons and inside of this corral we
drive our cattle
six weeks into their journey and the
hesters had passed fort laramie and were
moving northwest through the more broken
landscapes of wyoming
it's a terrain familiar to pioneer
re-enactors
as candy moulton explains
we're out here today on the cherokee
trail
which was a route to california in 1849
and 1850
and the folks who are traveling here by
wagon train are obviously modern day
reenactors but we just like to go by
wagon about four miles an hour and
behind mules and horses we travel along
we've traveled a lot of trails in the
past together
respecting maggie get up
when you
begin traveling on the trails you follow
the same terrain that they followed 150
years ago
almost always you stay near the water
courses because that's what you had to
have in order to
water your animals and for yourself as
well
farther to the west in western nebraska
the land starts to dry out
your wagon will start to dry up and so
you had to do a lot more repairs on your
wagons day after day after day and it's
exhausting exhausting travel
on july 2nd 1849 the hesters reached
independence rock
the rock was a marker the halfway point
and a place to record your passage
many of these people never made it
names carved here match up with names on
gravestones further up the trail
we as the company are all in good health
but the cholera is raging
graves everywhere
and the great journey was only half over
with the planes behind them the
emigrants now had to contend with the
mountains
sometimes the terrain is just very
difficult you start getting into the
mountains and it's long poles and hard
on stock and you've already been
traveling for maybe two two and a half
months by the time you get to that point
the grass and the forage isn't as good
and they would go 20 30 40 miles without
water
august
20th water and grass is scarce
and what water there is isn't fit to
drink
but we're obliged to use it
for there's nothing else
the roads are rocky
and the dust is horrible the men wear
veils tied over their hats
and when they reach camp at night they
are covered with dust from head to heel
most people made it without any problem
but of course not everybody did and the
most well-known of all the trail
tragedies going to california is the
donner party
what really happened is they got to the
sierra nevada too late and their stock
was worn out and they were worn out and
it started to snow and they got stranded
thursday september 14th
we arrived at the place where the donna
party perished having lost their way and
being snowed in
two log cabins
and the bones of human beings and
animals
was all that was left to tell the tale
of that ill-fated party
what sally's
diary does not mention is that the way
they survived was to resort to
cannibalism eating each other in order
to actually just survive that awful
period in the snow of the sierra nevada
and now it's september 21st
and thanks to a kind providence
we are nearing the end of our long and
perilous journey
a five months trip from saint joe and a
party of 50 wagons at last reached this
haven of rest and with strangers in a
strange land
i wonder what the future will hold for
us
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