Oregon Trail: This is the 19th year that Onekama students have taken the virtual trip to Oregon. This year each wagon party is using the Oregon Trail 3 CD on a Macintosh Computer. The students watch a series of documentary videos about the trip. They "dress" for the trip, decorate their Journals with their adventures, and have a great time traveling.

Dear Journal,
Our wagon train leader has been on this trail five times. This is only my second day here. Last night our wagon train leader took a whole hour just trying to get all the wagons circled.

"We need to keep our animals fenced in to keep them safe and make they stay," the wagon train leader said.

"I don't see why we can't just tie the darn animals up. It'd be a lot easier," Uncle John said to Ma.

Despite his remark when it came to suppertime Uncle John was quite glad to get the other people's recipes for pie and custard. Even though all we at on the trip was bacon and dried bread. The supper fires were outside of the people's wagons in side the circle. I didn't like the food much and got very tired of it but at least I felt suceere at night.
Anna,
on Evening Tasks

Dear Journal,
It takes people 3 hours to get across the river because they have to caulk the wagon so the water doesn't leak in the wagon. If the water leaked in the wagon there would be a big problem like all the food would be ruined or soaked. You would lose some staples and other stuff. Some people could even drown.
You could even lose your wagon or wagon supplies or very spicy things.

Drew,
on the danger of river crossing

Dear Journal,
Today we reached the Kansas River. I asked Momma and Uncle John, "How are we going to get across?"

They said, "Let's caulk the wagon and float across. I've always thought that it would be safer to chalk it and float then it would be to ford the river. Although it was a long hard process to chalk it, it would be more likely that no one would drown. So all I want right now is to caulk the wagon and float across without a problem."
Mallory,
caulk the wagon or ford the river?

Dear Journal,
Today was an awesome day. We are almost to the Kansas River. I can't wait. I have heard stories of how deep it is. It is 4 feet deep so we can not ford it. It is best if we caulk and float the wagon across. We reached the Kansas May 3, 1839. We are getting the wagon ready. W have to lead the oxen across the river. My cousin did that. But all of a sudden, "Help! Help!"

He went under. An oxen had charged at him. My other cousin saved him . We all thanked him. Now we are on our way to Fort Boise.
Sarina,
a near drowning

Dear Journal,
When I circled the wagons on the Oregon Trail people chatted, played and even traded and ate! Sometimes I write in my Jornal or trade with people! I just love to trade but not with a lady who I call Miss. Fair and Honerable! I like eating the most! I am most of the time always hungry but as long as I eat, I am fine. Well, that’s all! I hope you enjoyed hearing this!

Gabe D
. Circling the Wagons

Every evening we try to go Hunting to get us food like buffalo, deer, elk and bear. But hunting bear is very dangerous because they could attack us. That is called mauling. Two people in our group got mauled allready. The best treatments are dress the wound and use an aniseptic on the wound. I have never got mauled before and for that I am happy.

Derek, Evening Tasks

I guarded the wagon all night long. My children cook dinner and go to sleep. I watch for wolfs and Indians. I said to my kids wake up. A pack of wolfs are coming. So we got moving at daybreak. Good thing.
 

Lucas P. on night duty

On the trail we have been mugged twice after the wagon tipped on the mountain and in the water. It was a good thing that we had extra money to replace everything. All we mostly lost was some food, but he hardly had any food anyway.
Donny
, unfortunate events

Dear Journal,
In the beginning of the trail people could use wood to make fires. But when they could not find wood on the plains they used buffalo dung. What the people mostly ate was bacon. I hope I never have to eat bacon cooked on buffalo dung in my whole life.
Aaron
, on cook fires

Dear Journal,
When we took our trip to Oregon we had to cross the Kansas River. It was a very hard river to cross.

When it was a dry summer we could just cross it, but it wasn't. We had to caulk our wagon and float across. It took us five days just to cross a river. We had to take everything out, then caulk it, then put everything back in.

Some people on the other wagons died because they fell in and drown. It was a very sad day. We went to some of the burials.

We made it across though. I'm glad we did.
Lucie on Crossing the Kansas River

Dear Diary,
Yesterday we went across Snake River. I thought going across it would be easy, but I was wrong. It all started when we saw the river coming up. We were all excited. Then all of a sudden we felt a jolt. We were stuck in the mud. We doubled the team of oxen and made it out. When we got to the river half the day was over. We decided to just ford the river. That way we will be over in a day. When we were ready Pa needed our help. Casidy and I had to help drive because Pa was with the animals. Jame was sick with cholera so he couldn't help. It was hard to steer the wagon. Casidy and I had to struggle but we finally made it I never had worked so hard. I am just glad we made it.

Chelsea,
On the Trail

Dear Journal,
Every evening the women have to make the dinner. We usually make gravy and bread. The bread is burned on the outside and doughy on the inside. To drink you have a little water and some coffee. When the men came back from hunting the women had to skin the meat or some kind of food. We would cook over the fire and it was hard to cook,

Robyn
on preparing dinner

Dear Journal,
When we have to build a fire at night to keep warm my sister and I have to gather supplies like wood. Sometimes when we can't find wood we have to use buffalo chips.

We have hit a few storms and haven't lost any luggage. Our family is doing well, but our dog Maxi died from being in fights with different animals. We all hope everything will turn out good in the end when we get to Oregon.
Kayleigh

Dear Journal,
I ran to my sister and called her name. After a minute I looked a little way to the shore. I saw dad and brother swimming to shore. Laura and me started to swim to shore too. As we were swimming to the shore I thought about how we had lost our wagon in the river. We would get to Oregon with no food, no wagon, nothing at all. Dad yelled at us to hurry so we could hitch a ride with another wagon. After that I thought we would never make it. I guess it was just our bad luck.

Stacy
, on bad luck

Dear Journal,
At about 6 PM we stopped and made camp. After we got the animals in the wagon circle I told my brother John that we needed more fire wood.

"There aren’t any trees around here for miles," said John.

"Then what can I cook dinner on?" I asked as MaryAnn and Emma came over.

"Mommy." Said Emma.

"Hang on sweety." I said "I'm talking to Unkle John."

"You have to make it out of buffalo dung," said John.

"Yucky" said MaryAnn

"Groess", said Emma, "I don't wanna eat food off of animal poopy"

"You have to hunney" I said. "Now you and your sister go get some and put it in a pile right here." For dinner I made bacon and beans. Emma and Mary Ann looked discusted when they got their food because they didn't like the idea of how the food was cooked. At 9 PM we set up our tent, got the blankets, and went to sleep.
Brenna,
on the Oregon Trail

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