Oregon Trail Journal.
By: Mur Hendriks
Journal Enter #1
We have been traveling for three days, and we finally reached the Missouri river. The stream wasn't flowing very hard but our family doesn't like to take many chances. We decide to pay the Indian who was on the other side of the river $25 to take the ferry. We safely made it past the river with only a few drops of water covering our already filthy, dirty skin.
After crossing the river we moved along the path we had been following before. We found a perfect spot to hunt. I decided to make use of one of my ammunition boxes and hunted for our family. Sadly, I was not a very good hunter yet. I didn't have the luck to shoot any animals and came back with no meat to pleasure my family. We moved along with empty stomachs and met an Indian gambler. He decided to make a deal with us. The deal was if we won a challenge we'd get some good ol' money but if we lost we'd give it to them. We lost the dang deal but we showed great effort so the Indian gambler decided to let us move on without winning or losing any money.
Jounal Entry #2
Some of the other families got out their rifles and ammunition boxes. They were getting ready to hunt. I decided to do the same. We can't live off of vegetables and pinto beans forever. I use one of my ammunition boxes. After a while of sitting in silence behind a bush, I decide to give up. I once again go back to our wagon with an empty stomach. When I got back I saw that one family even got 50 pounds of fresh meat! Zach frowned when he saw me come back with nothing but an used rifle.
Our wagon train chose a path to follow. It was the long way to the end of that path yet it was safer then the other road we could've taken. Once again, we took no chances.
Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Oregon Trail Painting.
The Oregon Trail Painting. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons, 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Journal Entry #3
We reached the a very large river. Since we still had $335 left we took the ferry for $50. It was quite expensive but worth it since the river's stream was flowing pretty hard. We got to the other side. What we didn't know was that we had to make a hard decision once we did cross the river. We were to choose what path to take. After 20 minutes of debate we decided we should take the massacre trail. It was a shortcut to the Hades Desert. A man that had traveled this path a few months ago had told us all the tales about Indians attacking anyone they saw at this trail were false. We decided to believe him and started our way to the path, some of us still scared and others all good.
Welcome to the family Benjamin Hendriks.
Journal Entry #4
We got to a stop because some families decided to hunt. I decided to test my hunting skills again. I prayed to God that I could finally hunt some fresh meat for me and my family. Fortunately, He helped me this time.I came back with 5 pounds of fresh meat. It may not seem much but it sure did cheer up my siblings.
Our wagon train had to move on after eating our fresh meat. We wanted to get to our destination faster so each wagon got rid of another 100 BWUs. After a while we reached the Hades Desert. If we survive this we will officially be able to get a new life. However it was a dangerous place here because of Indians and temperatures. We had 4 choices, send 3 pioneers to check the dessert out which could waste time , stay back for the winter, or just follow the path without wasting any time. We decided to do the latter.
We followed the path. We lost all our food which led to cannibalism and because of the cold temperatures some of us froze to death. People have gone crazy and started eating people. All my siblings have died while I'm hiding from the other people. They will find me soon but for now I'll hide behind these bushes with my journal in my arms. My journal; the only thing I have left.
RIP Benjamin Hendriks