Dogtown and Dobytown
"Beginning in 1858 there were two famous—or infamous—appendages of Fort Kearny, primitive communities which supplied vital needs for civilians and soldiers alike. Eight miles to the east, just off the…
Purchasing Provisions at Fort Kearny
"The most important items to be obtained from the commissary were grain (when available), bacon, pickled pork, and flour, the price of which fluctuated wildly . . . After the…
Fort Kearny Military Reservation
"It was customary for the War department to set aside a military resrvation of 100 square miles; here, in addition to the usual rectangular ten miles square, the reservation was…
Midpoint Between the Missouri River and Fort Laramie
"Fort Kearny was the true beginning of the Great Platte River Road, for it was here that various trail strands joined to become one grand highway for the western migrations.…
Fort Kearny Mail
"'We arrived at Fort Kearny after noon [May 8, 1849]. Here we had an opportunity of sending letters to our friends. The officers are going to send a mail to…
Yclepted
"On August 22 [1849] the Missouri Republican correspondent 'Nebraska' told of a fiasco 'of our last Indian war, in which the chivalry of Missouri, yclepted the Oregon Battalion [out of…
Fort Kearny
"The idea behind Fort Kearny had its genesis in the 1844 report of the Secretary of War, recommending the construction of a chain of military posts from the Missouri to…
Caches Disguised as Graves
"In 1849 Capt. Stansbury found one marked grave which, 'instead of containing the mortal remains of a human being, had been a safe receptacle for divers casks of brandy.' J.G.…
Trailside Graves
"[E]migrants 'had a horror of being buried without a coffin,' but this dismal piece of furniture was too cumbersome to take along 'just in case.' While still within reach of…
Trailside Graveyards
"While isolated graves were the rule, there would be 'many places with 12 to 15 graves in a row,' and Ezra Meeker once counted 57 at one campground. Such clusters…
Changing Attitude Toward Cholera Victims
"While families might grieve, the attitude of emigrants generally toward their fallen associates underwent gradual change as they moved westward. If death occurred during the first few weeks out, as…
Cholera Symptoms and Treatment
"Although some who contracted the disease lingered for many days, it usually struck suddenly, and often the victim was dead within hours, usually after 'great agony.' Diarrhea was such a…
Cholera Numbers
"'The road from Independence to Fort Laramie is a graveyard,' McCollum wrote, and he put the number of burials at 1,500 to 2,000, which would be an overall mortality rate…
Spread of Cholera
"All of these complaints and illnesses of the Great Migration pale into insignificance, however, beside the great killer Asiatic cholera. Variously spelled in diaries colory, chollery, of coleramer, this virulent…
Pony Express and the St. Joe Road
"The main emigrant road meandered west about 150 miles, back and forth across present U.S. 36 from St. Joseph to Marysville, Kansas (which route is not to be confused with…