The American West 03 - Wagon Trails to the West (1849) - from Timelines.tv

Summary

In 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

00:00

🌅 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.

05:00

🏞️ 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.

Keywords

💡Emigration

Emigration refers to the act of leaving one's own country to settle in another. In the context of the video, it highlights the mass movement of people, including the family of Sally Hester, from the East Coast to California during the mid-19th century. This was part of a larger trend of seeking better opportunities and escaping hardships, which is central to the theme of the video.

💡Covered Wagon

A covered wagon is a type of wagon with a fabric covering that was used by pioneers for travel and as living quarters during the westward expansion of the United States. The video emphasizes the use of covered wagons as the primary means of transport for the emigrants, illustrating the humble and challenging conditions of their journey.

💡American West

The American West refers to the western regions of the United States, which were largely undeveloped and inhabited by Native American tribes during the 19th century. The script describes the journey through the American West, emphasizing the vastness and the unknown challenges faced by the emigrants, which is a key aspect of the video's narrative.

💡Pioneer

A pioneer is someone who is among the first to explore or settle a new area. In the video, the term is used to describe the early settlers who braved the journey to California, blazing trails for future settlers. Their actions and experiences are central to the theme of exploration and the settling of the West.

💡Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail was a popular route for American pioneers who migrated to the West and Northwest of the United States during the mid-1800s. The script mentions the journey to Oregon and California, indicating the trail's significance in the westward expansion and the pursuit of a better life.

💡Cholera

Cholera is an infectious disease that can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration. In the script, it is mentioned as a disease that was raging among the emigrants, causing many deaths and illustrating the harsh realities and dangers faced during the journey.

💡Independence Rock

Independence Rock is a large granite monolith located along the original Oregon Trail in Wyoming. It served as a landmark and a place for emigrants to carve their names, indicating their progress. The script refers to it as the halfway point of the Hester's journey, symbolizing both the achievement and the challenges that lay ahead.

💡Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, known for its rugged terrain and harsh weather conditions. The script mentions the Sierra Nevada as one of the obstacles the emigrants had to overcome, highlighting the physical difficulties of the journey.

💡Donner Party

The Donner Party refers to a group of American pioneers who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846–47, with some resorting to cannibalism to survive. The script mentions the Donner Party as a tragic example of the perils faced by emigrants, adding a somber note to the narrative.

💡Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act of consuming the flesh of one's own species. In the context of the video, it is mentioned in relation to the Donner Party's desperate survival measures, underscoring the extreme conditions and the lengths to which some were driven during their journey.

💡Pioneer Re-enactors

Pioneer re-enactors are individuals who recreate historical events or lifestyles, often dressing in period clothing and using tools and methods from the past. The script mentions modern-day re-enactors traveling the same trails as the pioneers, providing a connection to the past and a way to understand the experiences of the emigrants.

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