There was a happy family in the mid 1800’s. Their names were Mary the mother, Jacob the father, and Jessie the daughter.

“Pa, do we have to go on the Oregon Trail?”

“Why, yes dear Jessie,” answered Pa.

So they packed up all that they could and sold off their house and all of their furniture.  Very soon the wagon was all packed up and headed west.  Once they got to Independence Missouri, they finally got on the Oregon trail.  But, Jessie and Ma didn’t realize that they had to walk from dawn to dusk every single day for ½ of a year. Their only exception was if they got really sick, then they get to ride in the wagon.

Very soon they got very tired. But very bad luck came to them. Their one ox died so they had to push the wagon with all the things in it to the Kansas River, Kansas.  It was such a pain for them that they had to get rid of pretty much all of their stuff.

Once they got to the Indian village fairly close to the river, they bought 8 oxen for $160.    That was most of their money.  They just found out that the minimum is 6 oxen.

Once they left they had to go back because they needed two new sets of clothes per member so that would cost them $60 more.  Now Ma and Jessie would have to drive the carriage.  So Pa would be the only one walking.  It was night now so they camped by a fire pit for dinner. They had baked potatoes.

After dinner they had to sleep with no blanket, pillows, or anything.  It was a very rough night for them, and they couldn’t even get to sleep. They knew that they had a long journey ahead of them. Once they got up they started their long journey ahead of them.

Soon they came to a stop. There was a big, deep stream/river…

They had to find a way to get across.   They thought the river was too deep but they tried it and it worked even though it took hours to go across fighting the current.  The current almost got everything wet.  It took over five hours and they thought they would have to camp in the river.

Once they got out of the river they arrived five miles from Fort Laramie and they hit a rock.  Once they realized it they sent Pa to Fort Laramie to get a medicine kit, some bandages, a wagon wheel, and some pillows and his budget was $30.  They were halfway done with their trip.   Pa came back and put on the wagon wheel.  And their journey began again.

They arrived at Fort Laramie and Jessie got bit by a rattlesnake and died.

A thunderstorm started and their oxen were getting scared.  Soon they found some trees and moved their wagon under the trees.  They had to camp under the trees and woke up with a bright sun.  They had no more problems and arrived in Oregon a month later.