Oregon Trail Diary
Submitted by: Barbara Watson
School or Affiliation: Skyline High School, Idaho Falls, ID
Endorsed by: These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have
attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher
from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural,
western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC
uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the
participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met
at the Workshops.
Date: May 1994
Description: As America expanded across the continent,
her settlement of the west by the pioneers was one of the major accomplishments of the
19th century. As westerners, my students especially need to appreciate the hardships their
ancestors endured as they traveled across the plains to reach their various destinations.
This diary simulation provides dual opportunities for students to write their own
historical fiction as well as to gain a deeper understanding of the various landmarks and
trails of the Oregon Trail.
The students come into come into class the day they begin their western unit, and the
day's destination is already on the board; they begin writing as soon as the tardy bell
rings. This activity continues throughout the entire western unit so that students may add
details from their studies to their own diaries for added realism.
Throughout this unit, the bulletin board should contain a U.S. map with all the various
western trails marked on it. Each day a small picture of a Conestoga wagon can be moved to
that day's destination along the Oregon Trail. Then around the map, pictures of the
different landmarks on the Oregon Trail as well as any other pictures of pioneers moving
could be displayed. This all helps the students get a feel for the time and place that
they are writing about.
Grade Level: Appropriate for grades 5-11.
Materials: Any history book about the Oregon Trail.
Procedure: Announce to the students that they are about
to move west and will be keeping a diary about their adventures. They must do the
following before the next class day:
- Create a new identity for themselves. This would include an old-fashioned name, age,
occupation, spouse, and family (minimum of two children and possibly grandparents,
cousins, uncles or aunts living with them). Having a spouse is required because most
adults were married then.
- Find or make some kind of book to write in and some type of ink to write with. One idea
is to "age" paper by wadding it up, dipping it in tea or coffee, and once dry,
binding it in some manner.
Topics For The Paper:
- Decision to Move. Husband decides to move to Oregon (with or without the
wife's advice). Wife obeys and pregnancy or illness is no excuse not to go or to postpone
the trip.
- Independence, Missouri. Meet at the southeast corner of Courthouse Square
and wait until enough wagons show up to form a wagon train. Tell what you brought with you
(supplies, heirlooms, animals) as well as what the town looks and feels like.
- First Night--Crossed Blue River. Describe your first day of travel by
wagon plus crossing a river. Camp near the flour mills run by river power, and buy flour
from either Blue Mill or Fitzhugh Mill. Someone on your wagon train is bitten by a rattle
snake and dies hours later.
- Crossed Kansas River. Used the Pappan Ferry run by two brothers who used
two canoes with poles to carry the wagons over. They coiled a rope around a tree to lower
the boat into the water. The river was 200 yards wide, rapid and deep current. Animals
swam, and it cost $4/wagon, .25/mule, .10/man. One of your children falls off the wagon
and is swept away by the current and drowns.
- Fort Kearny. Mail letters and buy supplies.
- Ash Hollow. This is the first steep grade you've encountered, and it was
so scary that people did not even talk for the last 2 miles. You lost several hours
holding the wagons back with ropes (to keep them from racing down the canyon), so you
decide to camp in the grove of ash trees at the bottom of the canyon.
- Courthouse Rock. You passed a huge rock that looked like a castle or jail.
It was all alone on the prairie and you've been watching it for days. The ground has
changed from lush green to browns and tans. In fact, it is so dry that your lips and nose
are cracked and parched, but this evening relief came with a thunderstorm which lit up the
sky with all the lightning. Your animals became frightened, and you have to calm them
down.
- Chimney Rock. You passed a tall rock formation out in the middle of the
plains. It is hot and you're bothered by the boils on the back of your unwashed neck.
- Scott's Bluff. On the south bank of the Platte River, you pass a high
cliff. There is no wood and you're forced the use buffalo chips to make your fire (it does
give a distinctive taste to the food).
- Fort Laramie. This Mexican-style fort made of adobe seemed to be out in
the middle of nowhere. There is water on two sides. You buy supplies.
- Independence Rock. It's the Fourth of July and you spend the next couple
of days celebrating around this huge granite rock that is 3-4 acres in size and looks like
a giant whale. You celebrate independence with patriotic singing, picnic lunches, and
carving your name on the rock.
- Sweetwater River Crossing. You camp near the river because it is a lush
area with good water and grass for the animals. Indians attack this evening, and while
your wagon train fought them off, several friends died.
- South Pass. Today you crossed the Continental Divide, allthough it was so
gradual a climb that you were unaware at the time. This pass is only 3/4 of a mile in
parts, but it marks the beginning of the Oregon Territory.
- Steamboat Springs. You passed this natural phenomenon but did not want to
camp there. It is an opening in rock where hot mineral water shoots out and emits a noise
like a high pressure steamboat whistle (though not very loud). The water is hot, pungent,
and had a disagreeable metallic taste to it. One of your children burned his/her tongue
trying to drink it.
- Soda Springs. You've decided to camp here in a cedar grove where there are
round openings several feet in diameter. One hole contains a natural soda water and you
baked several batched of bread with the water you don't have the use yeast. The other hole
contains water that is like beer. Several men drank too much of it and got giddy.
- Fort Hall. Although this isn't the nicest fort you've stopped at, it does
sell fresh vegetables, which you've not had since the trip began. You buy supplies, but
they're expensive: sugar - .50/pint; coffee - .50/pint; flour - .25/pint; rice - .33/pint.
- Fort Boise. You've been traveling along the Snake River plain and you
finally see a lot of trees in this valley where you decide the camp for the night.
- Valley of Grande Ronde. You're almost there and now you're in a
beautifully lush valley with berries everywhere. You spend several days picking fruit and
resting.
- Barlow Road. You decide to use the toll road rather than raft down the
Columbia River. Even the road, though, is dangerous as it plunges down cliffs, so you have
to slow your wagon by wrapping rope around trees to gently guide it down the steep
incline. You can see Mount Hood in the distance, and some decide to stay here.
- Willamette. You've reached your destination and it's as beautiful as you'd
heard.
Tying it All Together:
The overall goal is to get the students to write creatively and gain empathy with the
early pioneers.
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