Trail Stories
The journeys that shaped America were across rugged mountains, endless plains, and rushing rivers. Hundreds of thousands of pioneers, traders, and explorers blazed trails that would forever change the American landscape.
The Lewis and Clark, Oregon, California, Santa Fe and Mormon National Historic Trails each tell a unique story of courage, hope, hardship, and discovery. These legendary routes were more than just pathways west — they were lifelines for new beginnings, cultural exchange, and the growing spirit of a young nation.
Santa Fe Trail Stories
Susan Shelby Magoffin (July 2, 1846)
“About nine o’clock we came upon ‘Dog City.’ This curiosity is well worth seeing. The prairie dog, not much larger than a well-grown rat, burrows in the ground…They could be seen all around with their heads poked out, and expressing their opinions I supposed from the loud barking I heard.”
Oregon Trail Stories
Charles Stanton (July, 19, 1846)
“Yesterday at noon we arrived at the ‘culminating point’ or dividing ridge between the Atlantic and Pacific… Thus the great daydream of my youth and of my riper years is accomplished. I have seen the Rocky Mountains – have crossed the Rubicon, and am now on the waters that flow to the Pacific! It seems as if I had left the old world behind and that a new one is dawning upon me.”
Mormon Trail Stories
Jane Davis Lewis (1836)
“The handcarts were small, they consisted of two wheels with a framework extended in front with a cross bar, which was grasped by one who pulled. The clothing and feed were strapped on to the frame, exposed to storms and weather. Only seventeen pounds of luggage were allowed each person.”
California Trail Stories
James Wilkins (September 26-28, 1849)
“Here on the very summit of the backbone of the American continent (and the backbone of the elephant as the emigrants call it), we were favored with a storm of hail, rain, and sleet…
“To add to our difficulties, the lady in our company was taken with the pangs of labor, and we had to descend as quickly as possible over a most rocky road to the first grass, which we did no reach to an hour after dark. The wagon was near upsetting several times. How she stood jolting I cannot imagine.
“I not hastily pitched my tent, which I gave up for her accommodation, and before morning she was delivered of a little girl.”
Sally Hesser (September 6, 1849)
“Our journey through the desert was from Monday, three o’clock in the afternoon until Thursday morning at sunrise….The weary journey last night…will never be erased from my memory.
Just at dawn, in the distance we had a glimpse of Truckee River, and with it the feeling: Saved at last! Poor cattle; they kept on mooing, even when they stood knee deep in water. The long dreaded desert has been crossed, and we are all safe and well. Here we rested Thursday and Friday – grass green and beautiful and the cattle are up to their eyes in it.”
Contact with Native Americans
Jesse A. Applegate (age 7 in 1843)
“We came up the south side of the Kansas River and camped below and near an Indian town of the Kansa Tribe…It was said those Indians grew corn, beans, and pumpkins.
“I admired several of the Indian men I saw there. They were more than six feet tall, straight, and moved with a proud step; wore blankets drawn around their shoulders, and leggins. Their hair was shom to the scalp, except something like a roosters comb on top of the head, colored red…
“In crossing the river the Indians assisted our people in swimming out cattle and horses…Those Indians were friendly and accommodating.”
