Seeing the Oregon Trail

[Wandering Sagebrush]

For folks looking for a bit of pioneer history...

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/follow-relics-oregon-trail-180960589/

 

[Old Crow]

That article brings back fond memories for us.

In 2009 we did an Oregon Trail trip and loved it. We started at the National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Missouri and then followed the book "The Oregon Trail Revisited" by Gregory Franzwa. After an overview and advice to travelers, it has chapters like "Finding the Trail in Missouri", "Finding the Trail in Kansas", and so on through Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.

We visited river landings, wagon-track swales, the points of interest in the Smithsonian article, national museums, county museums, town museums, campsites, river fords, frontier forts, etc. We drove many miles of back roads and walked miles of cow-pie-dotted prairie.

The book says it will take three to four weeks and for us it was just under four. The last chapter ("The Speed Trip") also describes a ten-day route.

 

[ski3pin]

Pretty cool Mr. Sage! Living on the Carson Route of the California Trail we love history.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Old Crow, that sounds like a great trip and book!

 

[Bad Habit]

Currently reading (although stalled for now), The Oregon Trail, a New American Journey, by Rinker Buck. Author and his brother put together an authentic covered wagon, pulled by 3 mules and traveled the entire Oregon Trail. They followed the original path as much as possible (there really isn't a single path, miles wide in some areas). Lots of the history of the trail and all that the people went through. Really good read

 

[Old Crow]

Old Crow, that sounds like a great trip and book!

We've talked about that trip many times since. It remains one of our favorites.

The book is amazingly detailed and readable. It's basically a turn-by-turn guide with history, comments and stories about the Trail plus plenty of advice for us modern travelers. The author, now deceased, was the principal founder of the Oregon-California Trails Association and was truly an expert on the subject.

I've just learned the edition we used --- the 1997 one (also called the Silver Anniversary Edition) and i believe the last --- is now very expensive. We paid $20 for ours but now I'm not seeing them anywhere for less than $100. The used-book listings can be deceptive on this issue of exactly what edition they're selling so I had to use its ISBN number (1880397234) and match the cover photos to be sure. (Here it is on ABEbooks).

Given the length of time since the last update, I'd recommend contacting the Oregon-California Trails Association for their current recommendations on detailed guides to the trail.