Oregon Trail Journal
By: Katelyn La
My Family
My Supplies
- 4 blankets (12 BWU)
- 1 clock (5 BWU)
- 2 gallons of coal oil (24 BWU)
- 1 cooking stove (75 BWU)
- 1 family set of dishes (20 BWU)
- 1 dutch oven (6 BWU)
- 15 yards of fabric (12 BWU)
- 2 flint and steel (4 BWU)
- 1 frying pan (6 BWU)
- 3 lanterns (9 BWU)
- 1 spinning wheel (25 BWU)
- 1 animal feed (30 BWU)
- 2 extra boots (8 BWU)
- 6 clothing (120 BWU)
- 4 eating utensils (4 BWU)
- 3 first aid family kits (30 BWU)
- 2 hunting knives (6 BWU)
- 2 rifles (20 BWU)
- 2 snowshoes (8 BWU)
- 1 hammer (2 BWU)
- 1 pitcher and small bowl (10 BWU)
- 1 oxen yoke repair kit (15 BWU)
- 1 rope 100 feet (20 BWU)
- 1 shovel (7 BWU)
- spare wagon wheel (15 BWU)
- 1 set of 4 steel animal traps (20 BWU)
- 1 vice (5 BWU)
- 2 dried beef 25lbs each (50 BWU)
- 2 dried fruit 10lbs each (20 BWU)
- 1 wood box (25 BWU)
- 1 salt 25lbs (25 BWU)
- 1 pack of vegetables 25lbs (25 BWU)
- 2 water barrels 20 gallons each (320 BWU)
- 1 ammunition box (2 BWU)
Total BWU's: 812
Day 1
We continue on the trail and we see a Native waving to us. We stop and find out the Native wants to gamble: if we lose, we owe him something; if we win, he owes us something. My wife does not agree that it is safe to gamble with the Native, but we do it anyway. We ended up losing his bet and lost $25 to him. We now have $100 total. Our wagon train needs wood and our wagon has some, but some wagons did not bring any wood boxes. Our train lose some time and speed looking for more wood.
Total BWU's for DAY 1: 825
Total $ for DAY 1: $100
Day 2
We refill our buckets in the river. There was another ferry, so we chose to cross the river in it for $45. Our wagon now has $55 dollars total. Our family agrees to try not to spend it in the future until it's necessary. With extra space in the wagon, we could afford to go hunting, so I went, and I gained 10lbs of rabbit (dried) and used 1 ammunition box (835 + 10 - 1 = 844) The total BWU's we have now: 844
We need rifles along the way and 6 wagons have them, so we gain some speed. Along the way, my wife gives birth to a baby son. We decide to name him Jeremiah. He is a happy and healthy newborn and we are glad and thankful for him. Later along the trail, we come to two separate roads. We choose the shorter road- the risky burial grounds. My family is uneasy about this route, but our wagon train still takes it, so we will all get to our destination faster. The rumors of the Natives in the burial grounds and the attacks that occur here make everyone feel more cautious as we travel down this road. As we continue along, we all get caught in a dust storm, but we make it out safely and gain speed along the way.
Total BWU's for DAY 2: 844
Total $ for DAY 2: $55
Day 3
I decide to go hunting because we now have over 200 BWU's of room. I gain: 15lbs of wild turkey (dried) and use one ammunition box. Total BWU's now: 758
We are running out of water right now, and it's not just our wagon, it's everybody's. The only source of water we could find was stagnant and dirty, so we tried to think a solution to get it drinkable. We tried our solution, and it partly worked, so we gained a little speed as we continued on. We come up to the Sheyenne river and have to cross it. The river conditions are not good, so I use the little bit left of our money to cross the river in a ferry. I had to pay $50 and now I have $5 left. We lose some our food (758 BWU's - 10 vegetables - 10 fruit - 30 beef/meat) so we now have 708 BWU's total.
Total BWU's for DAY 3: 708
Total $ for DAY 3: $5
Oregon Trail Reenactment with a Conestoga Wagon. Digital image. Wikimedia. Department of the Interior National Park Service, 31 Dec. 1960. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
Canipe, Steve. Wagon.jpg. Digital image. Pics4Learning. N.p., Summer 1997. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Day 4
We try to travel across the desert, and we make it. The only thing our family lost was all the non-dry food. (-15 vegetables) We are now going up the mountain. It is cold and icy near the top, and we choose the shortest and most treacherous path to cross the mountain. My family is now afraid of what might happen, and I admit that I am also frightened of what may happen. The way up the mountain is steep, so we have to cut down our supplies to 500 BWU's to haul our wagon up. (608 - 75 stove - 5 clock - 20 dishes - 4 eating utensils - 4 boots = 500) I now have 500 BWU's. As we go up, we get stuck in the mountain pass, and slowly freeze/starve. My children are weakening the most. We keep reassuring them that everything will be alright while everyone is slowly starving to the point of cannibalism. I only hope for my family to survive or die a peaceful death. However, now, I'm not sure it's possible, but all I can do for now is at least try to help.