Jornada
In some localities 50 or 60 miles, and even greater distances, are frequently traversed without water; these long stretches are called by the Mexicans "journdas," or day's journeys. There is…
Black Camel
This side of Eternity, it is all one now. The last rider has departed for that bourne whence the Black Camel is the only steed.
Rancho
"Rancho" in Mexico means primarily a rude thatched hut where herdsmen pass the night; the "rancharia" is a sheep-walk or cattle-run, distinguished from a "hacienda," which must contain cultivation. In California it…
Paucity of Written Record
For of all the notable episodes in United States history, few have been so scantily annotated as the horseback mail, the trail of which has been indelibly—but only grossly—etched in the panorama of…
The Word “Oregon”
The vast Oregon Territory sprawled from the Pacific to the Rockies across what are now the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming and Montana as well as British Columbia.…
Star Service
In 1845, they imposed a stricter, performance-based classification system on the railroads' compensation and also established the Star Route service to make carriers' contracts in remote areas more competitive. The work of getting the…
The Word “Mail”
The word "mail" derives from Middle English maille, or "metal link," for the woven-metal bags carried by the armed couriers of the Hanseatic League, an organization formed at that time to protect the…
Diamond Mountain
The mapmakers won't print it, says Frank, but back up there on the other side of Diamond Mountain is where the old Trail came through. Two squaws were picking pin.on nuts one day…
The Word Wyoming
The word Wyoming comes from two Delaware Indian words meaning large meadows, and it takes only a day's walk along Highway 26 to reach the state line. As I head toward Casper, to…
Oregon
A great name has been found. Rogers was to make it Ourigan in his second proposal, 1772, and in 1778 Carver was to use the spelling that endured, Oregon. No…
Daniel Boone’s Grandsons
Irving says that two of Daniel Boone's grandsons were with this party. But a grandson of Daniel Boone was by now standard equipment for any adventure story.
Missourians
Harriet Ward and Harriet Clarke were sharply aware of emigrants of lower social standing on the road. Very rowdy emigrants were described as being from Missouri, and the epithet "Missourians" covered…
Schooled In
On the 11-ail, Agnes spent the greater part of her days with her sister On the trail, Agnes spent the greater part of her days with her sister Elizabeth, even though…
Mile 939: Clayton’s Slough
West of Rock Avenue on the Oregon Trail in what’s now central Wyoming, emigrants came to an odorous, swampy place where their livestock often got stuck in the mud and…
Mile 937: Avenue of Rocks
About nine miles west of Emigrant Gap, the Oregon Trail wound through a narrow gap between two ragged ridges of sandstone and shale rocks, upended strata we now would call…