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
6 months We wanted to pass through the mountains before snow started to fall The oxen pulling the wagons were strong but slow and we traveled just ten to 12 miles each day Horses while faster wouldn’t have been able to pull our supplies Our wagon carried all of the staples we’d need for the next few months flour sugar coffee rice and bacon I brought my trusty cast-iron skillet for cooking over the nightly campfire Hunting supplies bedding candles and tools were all packed Wagons were packed full with supplies for the long journey
7 tightly into our prairie schooner We also had to bring food for the animals so we hauled bags of grain David guessed that the wagon weighed more than one ton once it was all packed Not an inch of space was wasted but the heavy load meant that we had to walk most of the time At night we formed the wagons into a giant circle with all the livestock in the middle The wagons served as a stockade keeping the animals from escaping into the wilderness Once protected by the circled wagons we started preparing to bed down for the night David and Billy Elspeth’s son unhitched the oxen and took care of the rest of the animals The smaller children collected firewood Elspeth and I found a stream nearby where we gathered water for washing and drinking Then we Read this paragraph closely What is its main point Cite specific evidence from the text to support your answer Think about It
