Table of Contents In this book you will read about the Oregon Trail and westward expansion from three perspectives Each perspective is based on real things that happened to real people who traveled or experienced the Oregon Trail As you’ll see the same event can look different depending on one’s point of view Chapter 1 4 Abigail Petersen Pioneer Chapter 2 1 2 Kuckunniwi Cheyenne Tribesman Chapter 3 2 2 Charles Mills Soldier at Fort Laramie Look Look Again 30 Glossary 3 1 Learn More 3 1 Index 32 About the Author 32
4 1 A letter from my husband’s brother William changed our lives Pack your things and kiss your mother goodbye Abigail We’re going West David whooped as he handed me the letter A year ago William left our rural Illinois community with a group headed toward the untamed land west of the Mississippi River He hoped for good soil and mild winters Abigail Petersen Pioneer
5 neither of which we had at home Times have been tough for the past few years We all wanted a new beginning and eagerly latched on to the idea of expanding the United States all the way west William found what he was looking for in Oregon Country He claimed land in the Willamette Valley at the very end of the Oregon Trail Now he was sending for his wife Elspeth and their three children David decided we were up for the adventure too Within a month we purchased supplies sold our farm and most of our belongings and headed toward the beginning of the trail in Independence Missouri Our family was just one of hundreds that gathered in Independence in May 1843 It was later called the Great Migration of 1843 Altogether we had 1,000 people 120 wagons and nearly 5,000 head of cattle as we started the 2,000-mile trek to Oregon Country We hoped the journey would only take five
