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June 30, 1858
Today we ran out of firewood. So we have to go out on the prairie and gather buffalo chips. I filled 10 sacks full of ‘em and hope that will last us a while. I thought Courthouse Rock was amazing, and with the extra time we had I drew a picture of it so I could remember it!
July 6th, 1858 Horse Creek Crossing
After a nice fourth of July and spending many quiet nights around the campfire hearing legends from other pioneers we arrive at Horse Creek Crossing. We are met by a Sioux Indian tribe, and they are not friendly. They demanded a lot of our oxen, sugar and bacon so they would let us pass over their land without trouble. When I first saw the Indians I decided to get my gun ready. But, all they wanted to do is trade. The wagon train decided to go to the top leader and negotiate. We learned that they wanted us to trade because they were low on supplies, especially food. We worked out an agreement and we got out with no trouble. |
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Fort Laramie! July 11, 1858
When we stopped at Fort Laramie I was overjoyed! This a perfect time to stock up on supplies. I was relieved to find the Indians friendly outside of the fort selling very nice stuff for a very low price. I bought moccasins, buffalo robes, eggs, flour, sugar, bacon, and I had my animals shod. I have to admit, I smelled like stinky cheese so it was nice to get a hot bath. And my friends were happy too, they didn’t want to hang out with me, I think because they were sick of my smell! When I leave here I may cry because this is like heaven. I hope Oregon will be even better than this place here. Still no sign of our dog, Watch. We are hopeful he was the dog picked up by the Cavalry, and have left notice on the Billboard. I have found out it would not be smooth sailing from now on...people say there is a lot of deserts to cross and poisonous animals ahead. But, I found out there were a lot of water stops on the way! I was overjoyed and filled with hope! I heard news of Watch being with the Army cook. I am headed over there to see if it is indeed our dog.
July 12, 1858 We were glad to find the cook had kept our dog Watch for us. He seemed to have gained a little weight and that will do him good for the rest of the journey. This morning we are headed toward Guernsey, WI. Some of the children got separated from the wagon train. We stayed and helped Pa feed and water the animals. I heard talk of a search party |
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was sent out to look for the missing kids. All we knew was that some went with this girl named Lucy. Was it Lucy...Olsen?
July 13, 1858 Ayers Natural Bridge I heard tell of the children making it back safely. It sounded like they had an adventure, and I didn’t want to miss out on another adventure. So, I went with Otis, Sean, and Kitty to find the natural bridge. We got caught in a tangle of pricker bushes. But we could see the bridge, and it was amazing! On the way back we picked berries. They made a great dessert! We made sweet biscuits with cream and berries. I wish we could have walked across the bridge, but seeing it was still an adventure!
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July 17, 1858 Reshaw Bridge
Today is raining again. I was racking my brain to think of something good about this trip. I got no answers though. I was going to pay the toll to cross the bridge because I might as well get out of this storm as fast as possible. And I was mighty happy that I made that decision. Everyone else who waited got soaked and had to pay the toll anyway.
July 22, 1858 I spent the day cooking, cleaning and gathering this white stuff off the ground. Ma made bread with it. I thought it looked a little odd, but it tasted pretty good. And I didn’t get sick. I was okay. My friend, Sarah Oak didn’t eat hers because it was green. It wasn’t too bad though. That night Sarah and I went to the rock and carved our names. Sarah carved her name and her kitten’s name. Sarah Oak and Norman 1858.
July 23, 1858 We can see Devils Gate in the distance. The name indicates that the Devil himself must have sent that stampede toward us. All of our livestock got spooked and scattered across the plain. We’ve set up camp tonight and me and my friends have set out to gather them back up.
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July 30, 1858 Reaching the Continental Divide Today marks the half way point of the journey. We had a quick journey up the mountain, but we found out going down was like ten times harder. And I yell “What the heck is going on here??” I thought we would have a easy way down like a horse back ride. But I got mighty mad that it was a steep trip down. I did notice the rivers were flowing in the opposite direction then they were before. Sarah told me they are the waters going to the Pacific Ocean, or as Mr. Glib called it, the Specific Ocean.
August 1, 1858 (Today is Otis’ birthday) through August 9, 1858 The wagon train split here. We decided to take the long route because there was water on the way, and grass for our animals to graze on. Even though it took longer, it was worth it. When we arrived at Fort Bridger I picked up a job mending fences. They paid me with a yoke of oxen, which was very helpful since for me to trade was a two for one deal again. I didn’t want to loose anymore oxen. In the morning I am heading for Thomas Fork Crossing where our other wagonmates should be waiting for us, since they took the shorter route. |
