A few years ago, my husband and I faced the adventure of traveling with two elementary school-aged children from the Kansas City area to Ashland, Oregon. We decided to make the journey as hundreds before us had done; to follow the Oregon Trail.

By: Deborah Ground Buckner

A few years ago, my husband and I faced the adventure of traveling with two elementary school-aged children from the Kansas City area to Ashland, Oregon for a family reunion.  We were at a point in life where time was plentiful but money was not.  Examining our travel options, we decided to make the journey as hundreds before us had done, to follow the Oregon Trail.  We loaded our minivan with our luggage, a cooler of "provisions," and enough books, toys and small games to keep the young 'uns occupied along the way.  We also planned strategic stops, both to provide a break from the road and to visit historical spots along the way.

Early travelers to the west made a final stop for provisions in Independence, Missouri, before embarking on the trail.  Our first stop was a visit to the National Frontier Trails Museum .

Here, in this museum and interpretive center, visitors can learn of the three major trails west: The Oregon Trail, The Santa Fe Trail, and the California Trails.  Independence was the "jumping off" point for each.  The collection includes authentic covered wagons, diaries, letters, and artifacts from those who made the journey in the early to mid-1800s.

Highways along the route of the old Oregon Trail are marked, providing a little reassurance to even the best of navigators.  We were soon traveling U.S. Highway 24 with a turn-off on a local road to Alcove Spring, a popular picnic rest spot for early travelers (and for us as well).  A short walk down a path took us to a beautiful, cool spring with watercress growing (which we cut and added to our sandwiches).  No doubt this was a welcome respite to pioneer families walking alongside their ox or horse-pulled wagons for some 20 miles per day.

Our first day's travel continued onto to Interstate 80 and to Fort Kearny , Nebraska. The original Fort Kearney, a post established to protect Oregon Trail travelers, no longer stands, but ancient cottonwood trees and earthworks from the original fort can still be seen.  A replica of the stockade provided an exciting place for the kids to run around after a long afternoon of riding.  There is also an interpretive center, a blacksmith's shop, and sometimes re-enactors of period soldiers.

Continuing on I-80, we passed O'Fallon's Bluff, worth a stop to read historical markers and see the ruts left behind from wagon wheels.  Then we encountered California Hill where ruts are clearly visible here as well.  There is a also a road allowing modern travelers an opportunity to share the experience of our ancestors in driving up this steep hill.  We, of course, had to make this ascent, and for a moment of wondering whether the van could reach the top with transmission intact, I felt a great kinship with those brave pioneer women who watched their wagons make this perilous climb. 

We continued across Nebraska.  While I took my turn at the wheel, I was enchanted by the beautiful, golden wheat fields we saw along the way.  I found myself humming "America the Beautiful," completely carried away by the beauty of my country and paying no attention to my foot on the accelerator.  Unfortunately, a vigilant Nebraska Highway Patrol officer did pay attention and stopped me for going 80 miles per hour.  I considered for a moment telling him I had simply been swept away by the beauty of Nebraska, but quickly concluded no one would believe that story.

The day's travel included a visit to another dangerous hill, this one, fortunately, without a modern day road.  Windlass Hill was so steep that many pioneer caravans took a two- or three-day detour to avoid it.  Those who did take this route used ropes to lock their wheels and maintained a tight and steady grip while trying to lower the wagon-packed with the provisions for the journey and the few treasured items too dear to leave behind-safely down the hill.  Now part of Ash Hollow State Historical Park, we had the opportunity to walk up the hill.

Continuing on to Scott's Bluff, we passed several sites that were often mentioned in pioneer journals of the trip: Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock and Chimney Rock. 

The children wanted to know why people were so excited about rocks.  We explained that after days and days of walking with the wagon and seeing nothing but the flat, endless prairie, it was exciting to see anything different.  Early travelers who spotted these huge rock formations "called them as they saw them."  They became welcome landmarks for those who came later, a sign that they were still on the right trail.

The next day took us on U.S. Highway 26 into Wyoming and a long visit at Fort Laramie .  At this National Historic Site, we visited a cavalry barracks outfitted for the Indian Wars, officers' quarters, and the surgeon's house.  The children enjoyed the Junior Ranger program, sending them on a scavenger hunt around the fort grounds and rewarding their completion of their search with an official badge.

The day continued with a stop at Register Cliff outside of Guernsey, Wyoming, the cliff is an amazing piece of history, a place where travelers stopped to etch their names into the rock, providing lasting testimony that they had made the trip this far.  I could have stayed there hours reading all the names, but this did not hold the attention of the rest of the family for a great length of time.

We passed Independence Rock so-called because it was a site traveler's making good time on the Oregon journey expected to see on or about Independence Day.  A later sighting might put them in danger of encountering harsh weather before reaching their destination.

The next day we crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass.  This was a major point for pioneers, their entry into the frontier of Oregon Country.  For us, it was a quick stop and run-around, then onward to Fossil Butte National Monument. This provided another opportunity to earn Junior Ranger badges and a pleasant afternoon of examining fossils.

Our journey continued the following day with a brief stop at Soda Springs were pioneers paused to take in the wonder of naturally carbonated waters, then a stop for lunch at Fort Hall in Pocatello, Idaho.  The day continued with travel to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, and an overnight stop in Boise.  Along the way, we stopped at Three Island Crossing State Park where many pioneers chose to make a dangerous crossing of the Snake River to have an easier route on the north side.

We were nearing our destination as we entered Oregon on the sixth day, traveling from Boise to Pendleton, Oregon.  We stopped for lunch at Farewell Bend State Park. Here, pioneers said "farewell" to the Snake River that they had followed.  

Our final day of travel took us to the Dalles, the ending point of the overland portion of the Oregon Trail.  From here, the pioneers took the Columbia River by raft or barge, many selling their now exhausted oxen to pay for passage across.  From this point, we drove on to Oregon City with a visit to the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. 

Our journey had lasted only one week, compared to the months of our forbears, and we had faced only the dangers of vigilant highway patrol officers, road construction, and cranky kids who were easily soothed by a swim in a motel pool each evening.  But with the journals left behind by these rugged travelers and our own imaginations, I think we all developed a sense of what was involved in settling the West.

Did the children enjoy the travel?  Both made a point of sharing the experience with their classes when they studied western travel.  My son took the greatest pride in a classmate saying, "Wow! You followed the Oregon Trail. I only got to go to Disneyland!"