Don Wildman

I guess the ultimate bonding experience for all these travelers.

I mean, if they hadn't already gone out together as a group signing on to one of these trains, I'm sure many of these people created communities among themselves by the time they reached their destination.

You mentioned these diaries.

There must be tons of tons of things to read from people going across, right?

Interesting.

Yeah, it's a tremendously dangerous experience as well.

There are a lot of negatives here.

I mean, the disease factor, you had cholera, dysentery, of course, never fun.

Contaminated water sources, the source of that dysentery, I'm sure.

Lots of accidents, river crossings.

Heavy wagons, there are accidents all the time, I suppose.

I mean, probably not as much as the movies would, you know, it doesn't happen as often as we think, but certainly a big factor.

You mentioned these diaries.

I want to read an excerpt from one of those diaries.

Her name is Eliza Ann McCauley, dated May 11th, 1852.

which is towards the later part of the story and the Oregon Trail.

So bear with me as I read a little bit of what she has written.

"...got up early and took the wagons down a little nearer the ferry so as to take advantage of the first opportunity to cross.

A dreadful accident happened here today.

A boat manned by green hands was taking a boat of cattle across.