As we say our farewells to summer and look ahead to a new academic
year and fall season filled with possibilities and promise, there always seems
to be a bitter-sweet mix of sadness and joyful anticipation. Sadness for putting
lazy, carefree days behind us and joyful anticipation of new opportunities for
learning and growth. And with the joyful anticipation comes lots of newfound
energy that takes us through the first stages of hard work. But once the novelty of starting a new project wears off, the
day-in-day-out drudgery can be a bit overwhelming and we must rely on sheer
determination and perseverance.
During those moments, it is good to learn from those who have gone before us
for words of wisdom and hope; it is during those lulls that we can turn to The
Oregon Trail pioneers and lean on their courage and experience. Here are just
three examples of the fortitude, strength, and perseverance exhibited over 150
years ago.
From Lucinda
Spencer’s remembrances of her 1847 journey across The Oregon Trail:
Up to this time…all was going well. The distance [remaining]
was only 60 miles, but there was more suffering and hardships to be endured…than
in the entire journey. The first day the weather was pleasant but cloudy; at
night, the rain began to descend in torrents and the next morning it was
succeeded by a cold, driving sleet and snow.
The road became a quagmire through which the teams and teamsters
floundered until Summit Prairie was reached. The storm increased in fury and in
the morning, it was found that ¾ of the stock had perished, leaving only enough
to haul 3 or 4 wagons; into these the provisions, bedding and children were
placed while the men and women heroically waded along in the mud.
On the 16th day of October 1847, the teams were
unhitched for the last time at Salem, Oregon and the long journey was finished,
being eight months and sixteen days from the time we left Wilmington, Illinois.[1]
Ezra Meeker retells the
final steps of his 1852 journey (the first of several trips across The Oregon
Trail):
And yet, the dress and appearance of this assemblage were as
varied as the human countenance and as unique as the great mountain scenery
before them. Some were clad in scanty
attire…Here a matronly dame with clean apparel would be without shoes, or
there, perhaps, the husband without the hat; the youngsters of all ages, making
no pretensions to genteel clothing other than to cover their nakedness. We were
like an army that had burned the bridges behind them. Here we were, more than
2,000 miles from home. Go ahead we must. Many were on the verge of collapse.
Some were sick from lack of food and hard work. Such were the feelings as the
motley crowd of 60 persons slowly neared that wonderful crevice through which
the great river flows from the Cascade mountain range.[2]
And George Frederic
Young describes the ability to laugh in the face of danger:
What wretched conditions we endured: Whortleberry swamps that we had to wade
through; horses mired with the least load put upon them. We could only make 3-5
miles a day. A snowstorm covered the
ground with a foot of snow, leaving nothing for the horses to eat but “laurel”
bushes. One horse died; they cut out the hams and saved them for an
emergency.
Laughter appeared in the midst of our fear of “double-dying”
– from starvation and cold! But we were in the
midst of plenty: plenty of snow, plenty
of wood to melt it, plenty of horse meat, plenty of dog meat.
One family had rolled up a feather bed & packed it on
one of the oxen. The animal objected to the unusual load & bolted through
the woods. The feather bed was snagged
on some low-lying limbs, scattering feathers in all directions, like a
miniature snow storm![3]
These stories put my struggles in perspective! As we move through the new season and the
newness of the year wears off let’s persevere with the joy, fortitude,
ingenuity, and determination that those who have gone before us exhibited.
Happy new school year and fall to one and all!
[1] Spencer,
Lucinda. Transactions of the Oregon
Pioneer Association, Fifteenth Annual Reunion. Press of Geo. H. Himes,
Portland, Oregon, 1887.
[2] Meeker, Ezra. 1906. Ox Team Days. Applewood Books.
[3] Young,
Frederic George, ed. The Quarterly of the
Oregon Historical Society, Vol III, March 1902-December 1902. (W. H. Leeds,
State Printer, Salem Oregon).
