Trail Diary: Emigrating to Oregon in 1853

Matthew Kuboushek

Dr. Kristin Anderson-Bricker

HIS 230: Community and Identity in the American West – IA

April 30, 2018

 Kuboushek 2

February 2, 1851

Dear Cousin Mable,

IT has been thirteen years now since we moved out of New York and

settled in Beavercreek, Ohio in the thirties and it has been eight years

since we dug our stake up out of Ohio and came hear1 to Iowa.2 My how the

years can catch up to you! As you know your cousin, my wife, has already

accompanied me for two moves now. She was anxious about the first move

when we first got married and she is still bitter about the move we made

from Ohio to Iowa.3 Now my brothers and I are planning to dig up again

and head over to the Oregon Territory, and I’m thinking I’ll waste lots a

lead shooting down all the pots and pans she’ll throw at me when I tell her

we’re moving again.4 Anyway this gets to the point I’m trying to make. I

need you to send a letter to Ester.5 Encourage her. Tell her that the move is

1
The overland immigrant did not necessarily have the high literacy. The fictitious overland character presented
in this assignment with consistently make these grammar and spelling mistakes: “Hear” will be used in place of
“here;” “They’re” and “their” will not be used and the form “there” will always be used; occasionally he will
produce run-on sentences; “flower” will substituted for “flour;” and “weather” will be substituted for
“whether.” An example of poor literacy can be found on pages 130-131 of Faragher.
2
Noah represents an emigrant that has moved twice prior to his overland journey. He is a third stage mover who
has one child over the age of 15 at the time of the move named Benjamin. His other children at the time of the
move are Delilah (12), Esther (10), Mary (7), Levi (4), and Jonah (1). “Farm woman could expect to raise five or six
children of her own” (Faragher, 57). The father of third-stage families generally moved twice, often, “from his
birthplace of the east coast first to the Appalachian or Ohio River region and finally to the western frontiers of
Illinois, Iowa, or Missouri.” (Faragher, 18).
3
“Three quarters of writers left homes in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri…” (Faragher, 16)
4
“An active struggle between husband and wife was often the consequence of a husband’s declaration of the
intention to move” (Faragher, 164).
5
Husbands occasionally sought the help to family members in order to get their wives to consent to a move. An
example of this can be found on page 164 of Faragher.
 Kuboushek 3

a good idea, that she’ll make new friends and whatever else it is that you

women worry about.6 By the time this letter makes it to you I will already

have told her. And I’m sure the hominy7 will taste like rooster8 feed until

you help her cool off.

Weather or not you can convince her, it needs be for us to hit the

trail. Oregon is the place to be. We stuck our claim in Iowa far too late in

the game the lands we got are sandy you can’t raise a crop of weeds on it.

How can an honest man hope to pay of his debts on land so poor?9 In

Oregon I hear the lands are much better.10 I want to dig my spade into

that fertile, Oregon ground. I want to know want it feels like to prosper as

a farmer. That is the life I want to past on to my sons, Ester needs to

understand that. There future is important to me. I want to give them a

place where they can learn to be good strong11 men, like our forefathers

who braved the frontier as heroes12, and not be tempted to abandon my

6
Women were often, “[regretful of] their inability to sustain close and deep attachments with other women”
(Faragher, 136). Given that Noah’s wife Ester would have moved twice, the loss of her friends would have been
weighing heavily against her willingness to move. And given that Noah has heard her complain about moving in the
past he would have been well aware of the resistance he would face.
7
“Corn, for example, was served fresh, softened with Lye and fried (hominy)…” (Faragher, 53). If Ester decided to
neglect how long she softened the corn with lye, in this case to spite her husband, the hominy would taste like
regular corn.
8
Men often used euphemisms for animals when speaking to women. Noah is writing to his female cousin so he
would have used “rooster” instead of “cock” (Faragher, 121).
9
Noah is upset with his poor economic condition and hopes to win Cousin Mable’s favor by exaggerating the
condition of the land. According to Faragher, “many [farmers] were leaving a bad economic situation: unable to
find productive lands, unhappy with the out-of-the way location of lands they owned and burdened with debt”
(Faragher, 17).
10
Faragher mentions that most emigrants “wanted to claim new and better farmlands” (Faragher, 16).
11
Strength was an important part of male Identity (Faragher, 102).
12
The prospect of heading out on the trail had a “romantic allure” which men identified with the lives of earlier
generations of men. “Here on the trail was an opportunity to bring to life the male self-image” (Faragher, 135).
 Kuboushek 4

wife and me in our old age.13 I do not like this new world I see them

growing up in. The railroad and other changes take a lot of the dignity

out of farming that’s why we left Ohio and we need to find a place where

we can live independent of all this complication.14

Weather or not Ester wants to go she will have to come along.15 In

order that things move along more smoothly I ask that you write back to

her.

Noah Anderson

13
Noah expresses his fear that his children will move to far away if he fail to emigrate. “For couples of the third
stage, with near-grown children soon to set out on their own, the move was perhaps a last chance to find the kind
of home and farm suitable for their later years, perhaps in a region of abundant good land where their children
would not be tempted so far afield their own search for a place to settle” (Faragher, 19).
14
Noah offers an opinion that values self-sufficiency as opposed to the new commercial farm practices that were
ascendant during the time. Referring to the self-sufficient family farm Faragher mentions that “Farmers clung to
these old attitudes tenaciously…” and Faragher also mentions that commercialization was being brought to the
Midwest by the introduction of the railroad which was starting to occur at this time (Faragher, 40, 42-43).
15
The decision to move was ultimately left to the husband and wives were ultimately force to accept his decision
due to the legal and social expectations of the time. Noah indicates this fact by suggesting that his wife is
ultimately unable to stop the move (Faragher, 163-164).
 Kuboushek 5

Invoice16 0017

Smithfield General Store

101 6th Street

Ames, Iowa

March 14, 1853

Billed to
Noah Anderson

*******************************************************************
Item: Quantity17: Price:
Wagon 1 ct.18 $ 90.00
oxen 7 ct.19 $ 350.00
Running gear 3 ct.20 $ 300.00
Flour 1350 lbs. $ 27.00
Biscuit 270 lbs. $ 8.10
Bacon 900 lbs. $ 45.00
Coffee 135 lbs. $ 9.45
Tea 9 lbs. $ 4.50
Sugar 225 lbs. $ 22.50
Lard 450 lbs. $ 27.00
Beans 450 lbs. $ 36.00
Dried Fruit 270 lbs. $ 64.80
Salt 90 lbs. $ 3.60
Pepper 18 lbs. $ 0.72
Saleratus 18 lbs. $ 0.72

16
The items and amounts on the invoice are based on the chart of pages 192-193 of Faragher
17
Unless otherwise stated, all the numbers are multiplied by a factor of 2.25 from the necessary provision list
(Faragher, 192-193). Decimals have been rounded up. The factor of 2.25 is derived from the group size of 9
persons divided by four because the inventory list was based on a party of four.
18
Noah was built two sturdy wagons prior to his trip so he only needs to buy a third wagon from the store.
Emigrants often built their own equipment. (Faragher, 21). Noah needs a total of three wagons to accommodate
his wife and six children and one hired man. One wagon could accommodate 4 people. (Faragher, 23). The hired
man is Obadiah Aldrich (aged 21). He approached Noah looking for passage to the Oregon. “…single men would
approach a family or party with an offer of assistance in exchange for board. (Faragher, 37).
19
Noah was already in possession of five oxen for use on his farm which he intends to use on the trial. Oxen were
necessary draft animals for farm work and were needed to pull the plow. (Faragher, 49).
20
Noah did not believe the running gear already in his position were suited for the trail so purchased a set for each
wagon.
 Kuboushek 6

Whiskey 3 kegs $ 15.00

Model 1841
Mississippi rifle21 2 ct. $ 45.00 +
trade22
Colt 1848
Dragoon23 3 ct. $ 35.00 +
trade24

Gunpowder 13 lbs. $ 3.25

Lead 34 lbs. $ 1.36
Shot 23 lbs. $ 2.30
Percussion Caps25 1000 ct. $ 18.0026
Matches 3 ct.
cooking utensils $ 45.00

Total: $1154.30

21
The Mississippi gun was a popular among emigrants during at this time due to sales of outdated weaponry of the
US government (Garavaglia, 234). Noah purchased one for himself and one for his son. The hired man brought his
own rifle and 2 pistols. Emigrants carried guns on the trail: “Each family would already possess firearms, but the
Indian presence was sufficient inducement to trade up in quality of add to their store” (Faragher, 22).
22
Noah traded his old rifle with his purchase. The trade reduced the cash he paid at the sale.
23
“Colt's big .44 caliber six ­ shot Dragoon revolvers, which he began sending to the Ordnance Department early in
1848, also went into commercial channels, quickly gaining favor with civilian buyers” (Garavaglia, 276). Noah
purchased two pistols for himself and one for his elder son.
24
He also traded in two pistols he already owned the trade reduce the cash he paid at the sale.
25
The rifles purchased by Noah use percussion caps instead of a flintlock, so he bought percussion caps as well
(Garavaglia, 235).
26
This amount was arrived at by taking the 2018 price of percussion caps listed of Cabella’s online store (“CCI® No.
11 Percussion Caps”) then running that number through an inflation calculator (“$549.90 in 2018 → 1853 |
Inflation Calculator”). 1000 caps in 2018 =$549.90 adjusted for inflation equals $18 in 1853.
Weight calculations27 My guns31 :

Death 10
Flower 1350
Taxes 10
Biscuit 270
Myzzledumber32 5
Bacon 900
Injun Popper33 5
Coffee 135
Magic wand 5
Tea 9
Obadiah’s guns :
Sugar 200 22528
Rifle 10
Lard 450
Two Pistols 10
Beans 450
Powder 13
Dried Fruit 270
Lead 34
Salt 90
Shot 23
Pepper 18
10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 10 + 10 = 55
Saleratus 18
55 + 13 + 34 + 23 = 125
Tonsil-Paint29 3 x 25 = 75

Total Food30

1350 + 270 + 900 = 2520

2520 + 135 + 9 + 225 = 2889

2889 + 450 + 450 = 3789

3789 + 270 + 90 = 4149

4149 + 18 + 18 +75 = 4260

27
This page represents Noah’s personal calculations
of the weight of his provisions. The numbers are
taken from the invoice on pages 5 and 6. The weight
of goods that would not have been bought have
been taken from of Faragher and multiplied by a
factor of 2.25 just as on the invoice (192-193).
28
Noah miscounted the amount of sugar he had,
crossed it off, and wrote the correct number
alongside it.
29
“Tonsil-Paint” was a slang term for whiskey used in
1850 shortly before the year Noah set out on his trip
(Green, “Alcohol”).
30
Here Noah’s calculations are expressed as mental
math
31
Noah has nicknames for each of his guns
32
“myzzledumper” is a slang term for pistol used in
1850 (Green, “Weapons & Wounds”).
33
Noah suggests his fantasy of shooting Indians by
naming one of his guns “Injun Popper.” Men on the
trail cultivated an “aggressive self-Image,” and
“measured themselves against the already
romanized images of their heroic pioneer fathers
and grandfathers traversing the Wilderness Road
and Cumberland Gap” (Faragher, 99, 178).
 Kuboushek 8

Other stuff:

Matches 3

Cooking Tools34 63

Soap 147

Sleeping Gear35 135

Sewing Tools36 23

Work Tools37 45

Clothes 225

3 + 63 + 147 = 213

213 + 135 + 23 = 371

371 + 45 + 225 = 641

Food: 4260

Guns & Ammo 125

Other Stuff 641

Total Necessaries:

4260 + 125 + 641 = 5026 pounds

That leaves

6000 ~ 5026 = 974 pounds38

For things to trade and tools39

34
cooking utensils cargo weighting 1,000 to 1,200 pounds (Faragher,
35
Bedding 23).
36 39
Sewing Kit “The farm tools were the first things to pack after
37
Essential tools essentials” (Faragher, 23).
38
Emigrants generally had a little extra space on
average families should have been able to pack in
 Kuboushek 9

Prologue40

Noah Anderson set out in a kinship party41 from Council Bluffs in 185342. His party

includes himself (age 41), his wife Ester (age 35), and his children: Benjamin (15), Delilah (12),

Esther (10), Mary (7), Levi (4), and Jonah (1)43; he also has a hired man: Obadiah Aldrich (21).

Other members of his party include his brother Robert (35); Robert’s wife Helena (31); and their

Children: Robert Jr. (13), Paul (11), David (11), Elizabeth (7), and Ellen (4); Noah’s brother Seth

(26); Seth’s wife Abigail (21); their children: Charlotte (2) and George (in utero)44; and Noah’s

brother Nathan (23); Nathan’s wife Elizabeth (22)45; and their children: Frederic (3) and Dahlia

(1).46 Robert represents a second stage family that has already moved once from New York to

Iowa in 1840 after he got married. In 1840 the parents of the Anderson clan (Adam and Anita)

also moved to Iowa with Seth and Nathan when Seth and Nathen were still children. Seth and

Nathan married after they arrived in Iowa and are traveling to Oregon in a honeymoon

emigration. Noah’s family is spread among 3 wagons, Robert’s family is between two wagons,

Seth is taking one wagon, and Nathan is taking one wagon.47

40
Some of the information in the prologue is duplicated in prior footnotes for the other documents and does not
have an accompanying footnote.
41
“The most common organizing principle for the party, however, was kinship. Close to half of all the emigrant
families traveled in larger-than-family parties based on kin” (Faragher, 33).
42
“…nearly six out of every ten emigrants jumped off from Council Bluffs after 1851” (Faragher, 25).
43
“…a mean of 29 months intervened between births throughout a woman’s twenties and thirties” (Faragher, 58).
44
“For most of their vital years farm women lived under the dictatorial rule of yet another cycle, a two-and-a-half
year cycle of childbirth, of which nineteen or twenty months were spent in advanced pregnancy, infant care , and
nursing” (Faragher, 58).
45
“…There was an average gap between marriage ages for men and women of about five years…” (Faragher, 146).
The average marriage gap for this party is relatively close at 4 years. (6+4+5+1)/4=4
46
“Few newlywed men had previously moved as adults: for them the move to the coast would mean setting up
their first homes and farms. Honeymoon emigration were a tradition. Second stage families-those with young
children-had also first moved at the time of their marriages…. Now these young families were making their second
major move. After eight to ten years of marriage, six to eight years of farming the same ground… these families felt
secure enough to… move to the coast” (Faragher, 19)
47
One wagon could accommodate 4 people (Faragher, 23).
 Kuboushek 10

Noah Anderson prepared for his emigration by constructing two wagons and buying a

third his personal caravan is being pulled by 3 teams of oxen. He has room for 6,000 lbs. of

cargo on his wagons.48 Essential cargo comprised 5026 pounds of Noah’s cargo space the

remainder was occupied by farm tools, goods to trade (including 100 pounds of tobacco) and

Ester’s favorite rocking chair.49 The money for the move was acquired after two years of

preparation by finding extra working in town, selling homemade goods, and finally selling the

farm.50 Noah managed to save eighty dollars for the journey for ferries and other expenses.51 The

final months before the move were occupied with soap-making,52 clothing manufacturing,53 and

frequent trips to town.54 The Anderson clan finally left Council Bluffs of Wednesday, May 4th.55

48
“Emigrants commonly employed a 2,000 to 2,500-pound farm wagon with a flatbed about ten feet long with
two-foot sides” (Faragher, 21). Noah Anderson opted for three 2,000-pound wagons because 2,500-pounds
wagons would be unnecessarily large and expensive for the nine people he is transporting.
49
“Women fought valiantly to preserve the domestic Environment…” (Faragher, 168). For this reason Ester insisted
of brining the rocking chair along. It was also common for emigrants to bring trade goods and for husbands and
wives to arrive at a compromise about what to bring. “Filing the few pounds of space left after tools had been
packed was a matter of contention between men and women. Wives argued for household items and furniture;
husbands might want a few pounds of trade goods to placate begging Indians. A temporary compromise was
generally negotiated which allowed women to pack some of their household possessions…” (Faragher, 71).
50
“Since little could be taken, the object was to liquidate the property and accumulate all the cash possible”
(Faragher, 67).
51
The emigrants brought “cash for toll ferries…, emergency provisions along the way, and cash for the first few
weeks on the coast while the men looked for work.” (Faragher, 22)
52
“Soapmaking was an important preparatory task” (Faragher, 68).
53
Women industriously labored making clothing prior to the trip (Faragher, 68-69).
54
Emigrants made “numerous trips to town” prior to their departure (Faragher, 67).
55
“[The Emigrants] traversed the [first leg] of the trip generally pleasant early May weather” (Faragher, 7).
 Kuboushek 11

May 4
We left from Council Bluffs. good start.
56 57
18miles 58

May 5
Grassy and hilly land. 59
17 miles

May 6
Ferry crossing. 60
Spending money, don’t like it. 61
long wait. 13 miles.
62 63

May 7
Rained in the A M and hailed the largest I had ever seen. 64
Slow going. 12
Miles65

May 8
Sabbath.66 Good Drinking.67 Won 2 dollars in Poker.68

May 9
19miles. Guarding stock tonight I hate guarding stock. 69

May 10

56
Men… typically employed the impersonal ‘we’” (Faragher, 129).
57
“Men’s writing was usually plain, unadorned, and terse” (Faragher, 130).
58
“Men measured their success in units of forward progress: the mileage they calculated and noted in their daily
journals” (Faragher, 74).
59
This part of the journey was spent traversing “rolling hills with a plentiful supply of grass, wood, and water”
(Faragher, 7).
60
The Elkhorn river ferry was shortly outside of Council Bluffs (Kreutzer, Nebraska and Northeastern Colorado 37).
61
“Men and women shared a strong concern for economic matters: purchases, miscellaneous costs along the trail
(especially tolls at the river ferries which galled the best-humored of emigrants despite the savings of time)…”
(Faragher, 13).
62
Ferry crossings could be delayed by a long wait. (Faragher, 72).
63
“Each day’s tally of miles was pitifully small-twenty miles a day was the goal, fifteen was more typical…”
(Faragher, 7).
64
(Peters, 123).
65
“These three broad themes-practical matters, health and safety, and natural beauty-account for over two thirds
of the measured content of both men’s and women’s diaries” (Faragher, 14).
66
The Sunday rest was more easily observed in the early part of the trip (Faragher, 95).
67
“Another Male emotional release… was liberal recourse to the whiskey cask…” (Faragher, 93).
68
Card playing was popular expression of male self-indulgence (Faragher, 97).
69
“Guard duty was another responsibility that fell to men” and “…was probably the most hated male chore but
one-chasing lost stock” (Faragher, 74).
 Kuboushek 12

16miles. A man could farm70 this western prairie ground but I reckon
would only sprout wheat no c71

May 11
No movement. Women did laundry. 72

May 12
Forded the Platte River 13miles. cool May weather

May 14
19 miles. Guard duty Again

May 15
Sabbath. Wrestling and cardplaying. 73
Good time. 74

May 16
Overtook a Co. of Californians: one lady & maid in the Co. & a drove of
Cattle.75 21 miles. Boy!76 I wouldn’t be this footsore if I walked to the moon
& back!

May 17
Very Cold. Country uneven. 17 miles. I got a bad cough.
77 78

May 18
Went 2 miles then we came across a buffalo herd.79 Good hunting. Women
Washed.80 poor sleep.

May 19

70
“…[Emigrants] kept practicing their skills at assessing farmlands throughout the trip” (Faragher, 13).
71
“no c” is Noah’s short hand for “no corn.” “…Men regularly left names out, neglected to record dates, and
abbreviated their words and phrases, sometimes beyond recognition” (Faragher, 130).
72
“In most parties women spent a full day washing about every two weeks” (Faragher, 79).
73
“Not the least of the competitive sports was wrestling and rough-and-tumble fighting…” (Faragher, 116).
74
“Collective games, storytelling, singing and Dancing… were important ways of building and sustaining social
cooperation” (Faragher, 86).
75
(Peters, 123).
76
“Boy!” is a term of exasperation used in 1849 (Green, “EXCLAMATIONS…”).
77
(Peters, 123).
78
“In any constantly kept-up diary, one might expect a comment on the writer’s state of health in nearly every
entry” (Faragher, 13).
79
“Hunting has continually recurred as a theme in these pages because of the important it assumed for emigrant
men” (Faragher, 135).
80
“The wagons made frequent, unavoidable stops for one reason or another, and women invariably used these
occasions to wash” (Faragher, 78).
 Kuboushek 13

We when 14 miles then came to Ft. Kearney.81

May 20
Stayed the day in Fort Kearney. checked provisions. Bought a sack of
flower.82 I feel fresh with good sleep.

May 21
Left Kearney. Saw some distant Injuns to the East. 83
20 miles
May 22
Sabbath. Too many stops. Next Sunday we are going to keep on the trail.84

May 23
19 miles. Obadiah got in an argument with my son. Fighting broke out. I
let him learn what it was like to be a man then broke it up.85

May 24
21 Miles. Guard duty. mighty tired

May 25
Came across Buffalo after 3 miles traveling. Stopped to hunt.86

May 26
11 miles traveling. Came over a hill and buffalo were right in front of the
party. Great hunting. Shot down 5 bulls.87 Killed the most of anybody.88

May 27
21 Miles with a stiff hangover

May 28

81
“By making good time, [emigrants] could reach Fort Kearney on the Platte by late May” (Faragher, 7).
82
“Emigrants who found their supplies inadequate could buy such commodities as grain (when available), flour,
bacon and pickled pork upon requisition from the commissary” (Kimball).
83
The passage to Oregon entailed the passage through Indian Territory. Although emigrants “saw very few Indians
along the route,” a few Indians still constitutes an amount greater than zero, so the observation of Indians has
been included in Noah’s diary (Faragher, 31).
84
“…From the responsible male point of view, a regular weekly stopover was simple too costly in time” (Faragher,
95).
85
“…Men’s aggressive attitude was most apparent in their frequent fights with each other” (Faragher, 101).
“Children learned not only the sexual division of Labor, but also a comprehensive set of cultural rationalizations
about gender” (Faragher, 89).
86
Noah ignores the activity of the women who did laundry this day. “Indeed, men so disregarded women that in
male diaries and recollections women were practically invisible” (Faragher, 103).
87
“Bull” had a sexual connotation that was more common to male speech (Faragher, 120-121)
88
“Hunting had a strong ego-supporting function for men” (Faragher, 99).
 Kuboushek 14

Rainy. It stopped raining before noon. The country is rather level. Camped
near the river.89 12 miles

May 29
Rainy Sunday. Kept traveling. 11 miles.

May 30
That Yellowbellied Obadiah 90
thinks he can fake sick and make Ester drive
the wagon.91

May 31
Buffalo 10miles. pleasant.

June 1
15 miles. Land hear is pretty dry.92

June 2
Forded river. Crossed California Hill. 93

June 4
15miles Guard duty. Getting hard to find good pasture 94

June 5
Sabbath. getting shut eye.

June 6
Buffalo 4 miles

June 7
Footsore 15 miles95

June 8

89
(Peters, 132).
90
“Time and again in men’s accounts of their trips, they took spiteful aim at the few shirking able-bodied males
who dared to hitch a ride on one of the wagons” (Faragher, 74).
91
“…during the hours of travel women were either working or on call, available to lend a hand, do a critical job, or
take over for an ailing male” (Faragher, 75).
92
“Here the land turned drier and the grass brown in the increasing heat of June” (Faragher, 7).
93
“Two of these South Platte crossings forced wagons on a steep, difficult climb up California Hill…” (Kreutzer,
Nebraska and Northeastern Colorado 13).
94
“In the evenings the stock sometimes had to be driven a distance for grazing” (Faragher, 73)
95
“Walking fifteen or so miles of trail each day was, in the best conditions, enough to tire any man” (72).
 Kuboushek 15

At night we came to Chimney rock which had been visible to us for 15miles.
It is a pillar of rock & sand 250 ft. in height & wholly detached from the
neighboring hills.96 12miles97

June 9
Guard duty 17miles

June 10
My boy got a stern cussin’ 98
out after he nearly lost our oxen on guard
duty.99 16miles

June 11
15 miles. Pleasant. Sneezing all day.

June 12
13miles. I came down with a nasty Cough.

June 14
17 miles. Good place for camp. Few mosquitos and well-watered

June 15
14 mile made it to Fort Laramie 100

June 16
Stayed at Laramie and checked over supplies. We leave tomorrow.101

June 17
Carved my name in Register Cliff. 102
17miles. My knee is sore

June 18
The land hear sure is dry. 103
14 miles

96
(Peters, 148-149).
97
This diary entry is somewhat longer and more elaborate than most others: “…Notes on natural wonders could
run on for pages as men and women described their first encounters with the plains or mountains or their
attempts to scale the heights of Chimney Rock or Devil’s Gate” (Faragher, 14).
98
“Swearing, for example, was a convenient way of expressing frustration…” (Faragher, 92).
99
“A slipshod night’s watch could halt a party often for days as men roamed to prairie, often unsuccessfully, in
search of the stock” (Faragher, 74).
100
“After some 300 miles along the Platte, the emigrants arrived at Fort Laramie” (Faragher, 9).
101
“…The fort was an important supply post for travelers. But after only a day or two of rest the wagons were
again on the road to the South Pass…” (Faragher, 9).
102
Located shortly outside of Fort Laramie, Register cliff was a popular place for emigrants to write their names
(“Register Cliff”).
103
The leg after Fort Laramie was spent “traveling through rough, dry, hilly country” (Faragher, 9).
 Kuboushek 16

June 19
12 miles guard duty

June 20
Only 2 miles. Women insisted on doing laundry. I cleaned Death and
Taxes

June 21
Came alongside Cottonwood Creek 104
10 miles

June 22
17miles the night sure is cold 105

June 23
Guard duty. Dusty 106
16 miles

June 24
We spent the night with another group of emigrants. It was a good time to
drink and dance.107

June 25
10miles with the jim-jams 108

June 26
We decided to take the Sabbath. Still a little worn out from two days ago

June 27
18 miles. We’ve been traveling for almost 2 months now.

June 28
Forded Deer Creek. 109
8 miles

June 29
16 miles guard duty

104
Cottonwood creek was a point along the Oregon Trail (Kretzer, Across Wyoming, 45-46).
105
“…The summer nights turned quite cool, a sign that they were making the gradual ascent to the summit of the
continental divide…” (Faragher, 9).
106
“Driving, and especially herding the cattle, meant eating large portions of dust” (Faragher, 72).
107
Faragher gives an example of emigrants coming together to dance on the trail: “When there was a dance,
married folk as well as the young joined in dancing” (Faragher, 145).
108
“jim-jams” was a slang term for hangover in 1852 (Green, “Alcohol”).
109
The deer creek crossing occurred at this point of the trail (Kretzer, Across Wyoming, 54).
 Kuboushek 17

June 30
Spent the day inspecting the party as our clothes got washed. Obadiah got
in a brawl with Benjamin again.

July 1
After 3 miles the boys and I took to a buffalo hunt 110

July 2
River crossing at red Buttes. 111
6miles

July 3
Heavy rain 15 miles. Wagon lurched forward and struck my foot mighty
painful.

July 4
Celebrated the Fourth of July. Fine food , drinking, shoot guns off ,
112 113 114

smoking, and wrestling. Seth Jammed his finger and Nathan got a black
eye.

July 5
Rain. 6 miles from camp came to Independence Rock which is a large oval
mass of primitive rock alone on the prairie.115 10 miles

July 6
Sweet Water too high on account of rain. 116
Seth had a son born today

July 7
Still too high. weather pleasant. took to playing cards and drinking

July 8
Crossing was dangerous lost 20 pounds of flower. 117
very bad

110
Noah suggests the group experience of the hunt. “Hunting well illustrates a second characteristic distinction
between the work of the sexes. In their roles as leaders of the march, men had to work together with other men”
(Faragher, 86).
111
Red Buttes was a river crossing along the Oregon Trail (Kretzer, Across Wyoming, 57).
112
“…the Fourth of July was the social high point of the year…” (Faragher, 119).
113
Women on the trail might surprise the party with special foods brought out of special occasions (Faragher, 70).
114
on the Fourth competitions occurred with “the shooting off of cannon, small arms, and fire crackers”( Faragher,
119).
115
(Peters, 184).
116
“’Came to a creek so high we could not cross, camped…’” (Faragher, 78).
117
River currents could “…sweep away goods, stock, or men…” (Faragher, 73).
 Kuboushek 18

July 9
12 Miles. Pleasant.

July 10
The Sweetwater has cut its way trough a spur of mountains, foaming for a
mile or more through a rocky gorge with perpendicular or impending
walls from two to five hundred feet high. The place has the name of “The
Devil’s Gate. 118” Passing over the ridge through which the river has cut its
way we again enter the valley of the stream, and had our first veiw of the
snowy summits of the “Wind River Mountains—“ the first mountains
covered with perpetual snow we had ever seen. They set against the blue
western sky in a long line of sharp serrated peaks, white and pure and
cold.119 God sure can make something beautiful.120 13miles

July 11
14 miles. The nights get pretty cold

July 12
Passed by Split Rock. It looks like the crosshairs of a gun121 10 miles.

July 13
We crossed over Ice Slough today It was a strange place. we were digging
up whole chunks of Ice mid-July.122 10 miles.

July 14
12miles. Guard duty. Exhausting night

July 15
We made it to the South Pass.123 10 more miles of dusty travel.

July 16
12 miles fair weather. feeling alright.

July 18

118
Devil’s gate is a landmark located on the third leg of the trip (Faragher, 9).
119
(Peters, 184).
120
“Every person seemed to adhere to a naturalistic aesthetic standard which appreciated the landscape as God’s
artistic master piece” (Faragher, 14).
121
Split rock was a rock formation on the overland trail. (Kretzer, Across Wyoming, 20).
122
Ice slough was a landmark on the overland trail. “Ice Slough, astonished emigrants dug clear, sweet ice—a
treat!—from beneath the turf in mid-summer” (Kretzer, Across Wyoming, 20)
123
“South Pass was conquered Mid-July” (Faragher, 9)
 Kuboushek 19

Night got below freezing.124 14 miles

July 20
River crossing. 6 Miles guard duty

July 22
We encountered some Mormons today operating a Ferry crossing. 125
11miles

July 23
Hunted some elk today. Good fun. 2 miles.

July 25
We had wagon wheel break on us yesterday today spent foraging for
wood.126

July 26
back on the road. dust real bad today. 14 miles

July 27
13 miles. Pleasant.

July 28
Finally made it to Fort Bridger. 6miles. I had to trade in Majic Wand to
127

buy the flower I lost earlier in the trip.

July 29
Warm. I spent nearly the whole day with water in my boots after we left
Fort Bridger. must be a tear in the leather. 7 miles.

August 2
Mourning fog lifted by midmorning. We came to Thomas Fork river
crossing somebody with money though they would try and get some of ours.
At this crossing emigrants like ourselves could pay one yellow bird128 per

124
“Summer nights high in the Rocky Plateau were so cold that Ice formed on the tops of water bucket”
(Faragher,9).
125
The Mormons operated the Lombard Ferry on the green river (“Green River”).
126
“Only a lucky man did not have to jerry-rig or abandon a wagon along the road” (Faragher, 73).
127
“…Most [emigrants] swung south, following water and timber, 110 miles to mountain man Jim Bridger’s supply
station…” (Faragher, 9).
128
“Yellow Bird” is a slang term for one dollar in use in 1853 (Green, “Money”).
 Kuboushek 20

wagon to get across on a toll bridge.129 We can’t buy poverty like that.
Forded river. 4 miles.

August 3
Dry. Mountains everywhere. 14 miles.

August 4
Hard day. Came to place called “the Big Hill.” All of us got together130 with
rope to get the wagons up and down the biggest and longest hill we have
even seen.131 8 miles.

Cool night. Had to watch the oxen. No wood. 14 miles

August 8
We had a number of slues to cross & at about 11 o’clock we arrived at the
far famed Soda Springs.132 The first one we visited was clear & the water
equaled the best soda water it was very strong. It boiled up out of the solid
rock—as they all do—& in its ebullitions resembles the slaking of lime.
placing the face near the surface the vapor has the same effect which the
inhaling of hartshorn produces.133 13 miles. Pleasant.

August 10
17 miles. Warm. Spent the night with some folks out of Dubuque. I lost five
dollars gambling in euchre. Obadiah got drunk and lost 22 dollars. These
Dubuquers sure know how to whip a man at euchre.

August 11
Bob and I had a disagreement 134
over President Pierce 135
fighting broke
out. finger broken. 14 miles.
August 15
Pleasant. had to guard oxen again. finger swelling gone down. 14miles.

129
“This ford was noted for causing trouble to wagon train crossing the stream. In the 1850s two bridges were
built and their owners charged $1 per wagon as a fee” (“Take Time to Explore”).
130
Male work had a cooperative quality to it, and men would “…[assist] one another in the difficult stretches”
(Faragher, 86).
131
The big hill was a major obstacle on the Idaho portion of the trail (“Take Time to Explore”).
132
Soda Springs was a geyser field which produced carbonated water. It was found in the Idaho portion of the trail
(“Take Time to Explore”).
133
(Peters, 202).
134
Politics where very important to Americans during the mid-19th century and could get very heated (Faragher,
117).
135
Franklin Pierce was president in 1853 (“Franklin Pierce”).
 Kuboushek 21

August 17
pushed to get to Fort Hall made 16 miles. got to Fort Hall 136
near sundown.
warm. finger splinted up.

August 18
Traded some tobacco for flower.137 Left Fort Hall late afternoon. 4 miles.

August 19
following the Snake River. 138
dusty. 15 miles. This country is rough.

August 20
Pleasant but very dusty. Road lay along by the [Snake] River a good 139

deal of the way. Before noon we came to the American Falls140 of the
[Snake] River. The falls are not perpendicular but the water dashes &
foams down rocks making a grand sight. After noon we crossed Falls creek
so named from the many cascades in it. some very pretty ones are in sight
of the rock.... Towards night we crossed Rock Creek. Crossing very bad and
rocky. The creek is very rocky. Camped near the [Snake] River. Some very
pretty cedars trees were near. Different from any I had ever seen. Grass was
very poor.141 14 miles.

August 23
dusty. The mosquitoes 142
are as thick as hail. the oxen are bothered. Traded
with Indians143 7 miles

August 26
Crossed the Raft River today. easy crossing. didn’t even need to triple yoke
teams on the wagons.144 Today we came to the place where the California

136
“The emigrants reached Fort Hall in mid-August…” (Faragher, 9).
137
During this time Fort Hall operated as a trade post (Kertzer, The Tangle of Trails through Idaho, 8).
138
“Out of Fort Hall the emigrants clung to the cliff ledges alone the south bank of the Snake River…” (Faragher,
10).
139
The diarist this entry was taken from knew the Snake River as the Lewis River (Peters, 216). The name has been
changed back to the Snake River for this assignment.
140
“Out of Fort Hall emigrants… passed the spectacular American Falls…” (Faragher, 10).
141
(Peters, 216)
142
Emigrants recounted how mosquitos harassed them during the emigration on this leg of the trail (Peters, 217).
143
“Emigrant journals often remarked on the spot’s natural beauty and sometimes mentioned trading with Indians
for fish at this location.” (Kertzer, The Tangle of Trails through Idaho, 18).
144
At river crossings, “most often [emigrants] double- or triple-teamed oxen and drew each wagon across.”
(Faragher, 73)
 Kuboushek 22

and Oregon trails split. The tracks left by all the wagons can be seen for
miles.145 6 miles.

August 28
Traveled 2 miles then came upon a herd of elk. 146
Hunted the rest of the
day. pleasant.

August 31
10 miles. very dusty. miserable guarding cattle amid so many mosquitos.

September 3
Seth’s infant son died today from pneumonia. this way discovered after 147

6miles on the trail. He was buried alongside the trail.

September 5
15 miles.

September 7
Bad. Lost an entire wagon. The hitch snapped as It was going downhill.
148

oxen are ok. We have to overload the other two but not by much we’ve
covered most of the trail and eaten about half our supplies. Getting tough.

September 9
Rain. cool air keeps the bugs down. pleasant. 8 miles.

September 11
It has been raining a lot for three days now. Rivers are starting to swell.
Passed by a place called Thousand Springs. Neat sight. Thousands of
streams of water flow out of the hillside into the Snake River.149 I’m sure the
rain added to it. soaked to the bone. Miserable. 8 miles.

September 12

145
“…after crossing the narrow, gravel-bottomed Raft River they made their choice. The flow of traffic split, the left
branch turning southwest to California and the right branch going west to Oregon, and the diverging wagon ruts
they created still are plainly visible for several miles west of the river crossing.” (Kertzer, The Tangle of Trails
through Idaho, 25).
146
This section of the trail is still in Idaho. Even today elk are still numerous enough to be hunted for recreation
(“Elk Hunting”).
147
“Counting infant deaths alone, one in five children died before its fifth birthday…” (Faragher, 58). There are
seven children under the age of five on the trip statistically at least one should die.
148
“Only a lucky man did not have to jerry-rig or abandon a wagon along the road” (Faragher, 73).
149
“Thousand Springs is an area where countless cataracts once burst from the rimrock and cascaded down to the
Snake River” (Kertzer, The Tangle of Trails through Idaho, 69).
 Kuboushek 23

We decided to stop today to mend our wagons and do a little hunting.

Cool. good forage.

September 14
On account of all the rain the river is too high to cross.

September 16
The water went down enough to ford the three island crossing.150 It was
hard. warm. 3 miles

September 18
made 7 miles. staying the night in Fort Boise. 151
Good time to play cards
and drink.

September 20
Pleasant. Passed one CO. who lost two persons a man & woman who left
152

an infant also lost 88 head of cattle. And another company who by the
sinking of a boat lost 3 wagons & all their provisions & some of their
clothing & and have since broke two wagons one yesterday.153 Had noon
victuals with the other CO. grass is good. 15 miles.

September 22
I would have to sell my wife into slavery to pay the tolls for the ferries in
this country. They charge $6.00154 a wagon!155 6 miles.

September 25
Nathan lost an Ox. I lent him one of mine. dusty. Bad cough. 7 miles

September 28
Came to another river crossing.156 Watched the stock. 8 miles.

September 30

150
“The main route of the Oregon Trail intercepts the Snake River at Three Island Crossing…” (Kertzer, The Tangle
of Trails through Idaho, 72).
151
“After 175 miles of difficult travel, [the emigrants] crossed and left the Snake, headed north to the Boise River,
followed its bottomlands for 100 miles to another Hudson Bay facility, Fort Boise” (Faragher, 10).
152
“CO.” is an abbreviation for company. In this case it means a company of other emigrants.
153
(Peters, 186).
154
“Crossed the ferry paying $6.00 per wagon…” (Peters, 225).
155
“…Tolls at river ferries… galled the best-humored emigrants despite the savings in time” (Faragher, 13).
156
After leaving Fort Boise, emigrants hade to make several river crossings (Faragher, 11).
 Kuboushek 24

Forded a river. Not so warm as it has been very pleasant. Road better than
yesterday but hilly.157 10 miles.

October 2
Decided to take the Sabbath so our river-wreaked clothes could get
washed.158 Obadiah caught some fish.

October 6
Today took on the hardest part of the trip. We needed ropes and pulleys to
climb up and down the Blue Mountains.159 I think if these mountains were
further east no one have the courage to come to Oregon. 3 mile. hot.

October 9
We are almost there. Crossed another river. Spotted a bull 160
moose but we
couldn’t get to it on account of the river between. 10 miles.

October 13
Been raining a lot. but we had to cross a river anyway. Its getting late in
the year and we need to beat the winter.161 6 miles. Pleasant.

October 17
One of my oxen drowned at a river crossing. and a wagon broke down. 3
miles.

October 18
Spent the day foraging and fixing the wagons. Obadiah and Benjamin
got in a fight.

October 21
Rained. Getting cold and wore out. 8 miles.

October 24
I have a fever but not serious.

October 26

157
(Peters, 258).
158
“For parties that agreed to “rest” on Sundays, the day was turning to washing…” (Faragher, 78).
159
Emigrants followed the trail “…until it approached the dreaded Blue Mountains. Here the Oregon emigrants had
the worst of it, making the grades only by the grace of ropes, pulleys, and quickly made winches, descending by
using the same ropes and sheer human muscle power to restrain the wagons” (Faragher, 11).
160
“Bull” was a taboo word specific to the male sphere (Faragher, 121). However, Noah would not be afraid to use
the word in his diary.
161
Emigrants feared that an early winter could trap them in the mountains (Faragher, 10).
 Kuboushek 25

Made it 14 miles. The Columbia River is nearby. fever passed. Spent the
night with some Emigrants from Indian. Smoked and had a good time.

October 28
We finally made it to the Dalles and got on a ferry to head down river.
We’ll be let off at the Willamette after a few days.162

162
“Finally, one way or another, sometime in October the emigrants reached their destination at the mouth of the
Willamette” (Faragher, 11).
 Kuboushek 26

Epilogue

Prompt: We would like you to reflect upon the process of creating a fictionalized trail diary in

light of the principles you have learned in The Novel.

My first reaction to this assignment was that I wanted to be as detailed as possible and

make it as realistic as it could be. I started out by creating the backstory for the kinship party.

Some of the backstory is reveled in the letter that Noah writes to his cousin. I even had ideas

about incorporating a response letter that Noah’s wife would have made to her cousin, but I did

not have enough time. I wanted to start with a letter because it would add to the realism of the

story and provide another dimension to explore the world I was creating, and it would function

as exposition. I also wanted to make it as entertaining as the medium would allow so I

incorporated quirks into the documents, for example when Noah is calculating the weight of his

provisions he lists the names of each of his guns. The writing style of the overland emigrants

limits the story-telling capacity of their diary by forcing me to write in a first-person point of

view, but I managed to produce some rising action. The loss of a wagon, the death of a child, the

landmarks, and celebrations all function as plot points in the story; the latter portion of the diary

is especially dense with setbacks--and keeps with the history--as the party struggles to get to

Oregon. However, the writing style of the emigrants naturally saps the emotion out of story, so

my diary is left without a clear climax. I am left with the impression that if I ever became a

novelist I would end up writing a monstrously detailed world with its own history. I would

basically be a bad Tolkien if I became an author.

 Kuboushek 27

Prompt: How did the process of applying historical content with verisimilitude to a fictional role

play challenge or enhance your understanding of the principles of literary fiction as explore in

The Novel?

At a minimum, explore three ideas/concepts/theories raised in The Novel that the

experience of writing historically accurate fiction helped you understand better or in a

different way.

Dr. Kanyusik mentioned that in creating a fiction character it is better to show rather than

tell. The audience should bear witness to the development of the character and experience their

personality in some way. However, because the diary format of this assignment, it is more

difficult to get into the mind of my emigrant. I attempted to follow Dr. Kanyusik’s instruction by

making the first few documents of exposition pull the reader into the world that the character

Noah Anderson is living in. The documents also accomplish verisimilitude by mimicking the

methods of communication that were available during the 1850s. The letter that he writes to his

cousin reveals his personality and values in a way that can be seen, and, like the exposition for

most stories, the letter reveals the plot of the story: Noah wants to move west so that he can

finally do well for himself on the free Oregon land and bequeath a better life to his children. The

invoice and scratch calculation sheet where also meant to draw the reader into the world of Noah

Anderson in a way that would be more enjoyable than simple prologue.

I employed defamiliarization in several ways in Noah’s diary: Noah makes deliberate

grammar and spelling mistakes, I change the font several times, and I force the reader to

investigate documents that Noah would have possessed. The aforementioned examples also keep

with the history and even help to more accurately replicate it. For example, in more standard

story the audience would not expect font changes such as using a cursive font or a typewritten
 Kuboushek 28

font, but, by changing the font, I convey the historical fact that much of the writing from this

period would be handwritten or typewritten. Defamiliarization seems aid the historical voice the

text is attempting to convey.

Verisimilitude could also be a great hindrance to the narrative. There was much in the

story that the reader would not be able to find out. The point of view of the character, Noah

Anderson, limited what I could say about the world he was living in. I could not convey emotion

beyond anger and frustration, and I had to remain quiet on most of the other emigrants. The

audience fails to learn anything substantial about the other people in Noah Anderson’s world.

Keeping a historically accurate point of view was probably the greatest obstacle to writing a

riveting fiction. The men of this time were repetitive, plain, and apathetic; these qualities usually

undermine fiction writing.

Prompt: How did the process of doing this assignment enhance or challenge your understanding

of Willa Cather’s novel, O Pioneer!?

When Dr. Kanyusik was teaching O Pioneers! he said that the literary model Cather was

using aimed for an accurate representation of reality. O Pioneers! is not an accurate

representation of reality. Alexandra does several things that a frontier woman would never do.

She is unmarried for all he childbearing years163 when most frontier women, “…married before

their twentieth year.164” Alexandra is given authority over her male brothers after her father

dies.165 However leadership of the family would generally fall to men: “…whenever decisions

were made they were made by men alone.166” When Alexandra does marry, it is to a younger

163
(Cather).
164
(Faragher, 146).
165
(Cather, 10).
166
(Faragher, 111).
 Kuboushek 29

man and not for economic reasons; in fact Alexandra saw herself as getting married to a

friend.167 Faragher on the other hand, expresses that the men were usually a few years older that

the women they married,168 and marriage was in larger part based on the economic benefits it

offered through division of labor: “In popular opinion a good marriage was a bargain between

two strong-willed characters for an equitable and advantageous division of labor.169” Men

provided women certain social and economic protections they otherwise did not have, and

women kept house and raised his children. But Alexandra has no children170 while she should

already have 6 children at her age.171 Alexandra also neglects household work for the preference

of farm work and managing her business: “Alexandra’s house is the big out-of-doors, and that it

is the soil that she expresses herself best.172” Actual Midwestern women did most of their work

in and around the house and were not in a decision-making position; as Faragher points out,

“Women played no public roles but remained in their domestic spaces, in a mild kind of rural

American purdah.173” These are just a few of many examples in which O Pioneers! fails at

creating an accurate representation of reality. Alexandra does not follow the community norms,

which regarded marriage and family life as a person’s “highest calling174,” nor does she represent

the female identity of the 19th century. Cather’s novel convinces me that I need to be wary when

a historical fiction attempts to portray a historical setting because it may not be the goal of the

author to represent history accurately.

167
(Cather, 122).
168
(Faragher, 146).
169
(Faragher, 156).
170
(Cather).
171
“Farm woman could expect to raise five or six children of her own” (Faragher, 57).
172
(Cather, 32).
173
(Faragher, 181).
174
(Faragher, 144).
 Kuboushek 30

Works cited

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https://www.cabelas.com/product/CCI-No-Percussion-Caps/705047.uts.

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Faragher, John Mack. Women and men on the Overland Trail. 2ed. New Haven, Connecticut:

Yale University Press, 1979.

“Franklin Pierce.” The White House Historical Association. accessed May 11, 2018.

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“Green River: Lombard Ferry.” Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 2018. accessed May 11, 2018.

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Kimball, Beverly Murray. “FORT KEARNY - GUARDIAN OF THE PLAINS.” Buffalo County

Historical Society 11, No. 6 (June, 1988). http://www.bchs.us/BTales_198806.html.

Kreutzer, Lee. National Historic Trails Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guide: Across Wyoming.

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https://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/upload/WY_ATRIG%20Web.pdf.

Kreutzer, Lee. National Historic Trails Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guide: Nebraska and

Northeastern Colorado. National Park Service Department of the Interior 2006. accessed

May 10, 2018. https://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/upload/NE_ATR_IG_web.pdf

Kreutzer, Lee. National Historic Trails Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guide: The Tangle of

Trails Through Idaho. National Park Service Department of the Interior 2008. accessed

May 11, 2018.

https://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/upload/ID%20ATR%20IG%20Final.pdf

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1828cc1afca4/

“Take Time to Explore.” The National Oregon/California Trail Center. accessed May 11, 2018.

http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/LocalTrailLandmarks.htm

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