Traveling the Oregon Trail

The journey west on the Oregon Trail was difficult and sometimes deadly. 300,000 - 500,000 people traveled to the Pacific Northwest between 1841 and 1884, with about 10 percent losing their lives along the way.

Public domain, Wikicommons

The 2,000-mile overland trip from the Midwest to Oregon and California was lengthy and very difficult. In good weather, a wagon train would complete the journey in five months. The average wagon train traveled about 10 - 20 miles per day, over rough terrains such as rocky land, crossing dangerous rivers, and traversing steep hills and mountains. Of course, the distance they ventured each day was dependent on the weather, the difficulty of the landscape, and unexpected obstacles along the way.

Public domain, Wikicommons

It wasn’t cheap to outfit a Conestoga wagon. The total cost of the trip with supplies could be as much as $1,000. Putting that into perspective, $1000 in 1850 equals nearly $40,000 today. The recommended amount of food for each adult was 150 lbs. of flour, 20 lbs. of corn meal, 50 - 150 lbs. of bacon, 40 lbs. of sugar, 10 lbs. of coffee, 15 lbs. of dried fruit, 5 lbs. of salt, half a pound of saleratus (baking soda), 2 lbs. of tea, 5 lbs. of rice, 15 lbs. of beans, and 25 pounds of green apples or peaches. The travelers enjoyed fresh game when it was available, as well as wild berries.

Here is a price list of some of other necessary items they often had to purchase:

Ox - $30-35 each, with 4-6 oxen needed
Mule - $10-15
Pack horse - $25
Riding horse - $75
Milk cow - $70-75
Cattle - $8-20
Covered wagon $70
Tent - $5-15
Rifle - $15

On the trail there were other things that you had to pay for such as tolls for crossing bridges, ($0.15 - $0.50) ferrying rivers ($2 - $5) per wagon, and Indian moccasins ($0.50) to replace worn out shoes.

Public domain, Wikicommons

The entire Conestoga was narrower than a full-size bed and slightly longer. Including its tongue, the average wagon was 18 feet (5.5 m) long, 11 feet (3.4 m) high, and 4 feet (1.2 m) in width. It could carry up to 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) of cargo. Every stitch of the family's belongings needed to be packed into the wagon, leaving no room for beds or the comforts we take for granted. The families either camped in the open under the stars or slept on the ground beneath the wagon or in a tent.

Beans, cornmeal mush, Johnnycakes or pancakes, and coffee were the usual breakfast fare. Fresh milk was available from the dairy cows that some families brought along, and pioneers took advantage of the rough rides to churn their butter in a bucket hanging on the side of the wagon.

Painted by Emanuel Leutze, Public domain, Wikicommons

Contrary to popular belief, Indians were among the least of the settlers' problems while in transit, though the settlers themselves certainly believed otherwise. While there were cases of Indian attacks on western wagon trains, the majority of settlers made their cross-continent journeys without incident. Shootings, drownings, being crushed by wagon wheels, and injuries from handling domestic animals were the common killers on the trail. One of the biggest killers was disease, namely cholera, diphtheria, and dysentery. Wagon accidents were most prevalent. Both children and adults sometimes fell off or under wagons and were sadly crushed under the wheels.

Considering everything that wagon train travelers endured, it’s a miracle that any of them made it to trail’s end, but many of them did, and their stories are an intriguing part of our U.S. history.

A woman fleeing her past runs straight into her future.

Laney Dawson is desperate to leave Council Grove, KS. Her abusive father is getting out of prison in a week, and she refuses to allow him to hurt her again. With few options available for a young woman, she poses as Lane, a teen boy, and hires on with a family traveling the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico. Laney regrets lying to the kindhearted Buckley family, especially Ethan, the oldest of the five siblings. As her feelings for Ethan grow, she knows she needs to tell him the truth, but will he leave her at the next town when he learns she's a woman?

Amazon

Vickie McDonough is the CBA, EPCA and Amazon best-selling author of 54 books and novellas. Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie’s books have won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, OWFI Best Fiction Novel Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, doing making cards, gardening, reading, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

HHH Book Day January 2024

 

STAY WARM AND

SNUGGLE UP WITH A GOOD BOOK

 

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Boxed Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

 

 

BRIDE BY BEGUILEMENT

By Debbie Lynne Costello

Kirsten father’s last will and testament stipulates that she must either marry, lead the plantation into a first year profit, or forfeit it to her uncle. Thefts are hurting the profit and marriage is proving no easy option. Every suitor seems more enamored with the land than with her. Silas’s last year at veterinary school ends abruptly when he is called home to care for his young orphaned sisters. Troubles compound when he finds an insurmountable lien on the family home and an unscrupulous banker is calling in the loan. How will the two overcome pride and distrust to find real happiness?

 

 

LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT

By Linda Shenton Matchett

Can two people emerge from the clouds of past hurt to find a silver lining of love? Evelyn Reid would rather fly than do anything else, so when war engulfs the U.S., she joins the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. She is tapped for pursuit plane training...the dream of a lifetime until she discovers the instructor is her ex-fiancé, Jasper MacPherson.  Rotating stateside, fighter pilot Jasper MacPherson is assigned to teach the WAFS how to fly the army way. Bad enough to be training women, but things only get worse when his former fiancée shows up as one of his students.

 

 

SECRETS DARK AND DEEP

by Sherri Stewart

TV anchor, Maddie Caldecott, has a secret so deeply buried she doesn’t remember it. As an investigative reporter, Maddie can dig out the truth of any story, but she can’t unearth the secret she’s blocked. Police Detective, Brody Messner, is at his wits end. How can he protect Maddie from Absalom if she resists his every suggestion. From Orlando to Zürich, he follows her, trying to stay one step ahead of her assailant.

 

 

APRIL’S PROMISE

By Terrie Todd

(from an Amazon review): “Wow…just wow! Terrie Todd has written another winner of a book. She is one of my favorite authors and April’s Promise will now be one of my all-time favorite books. What a blessing to read a Christian historical fiction that goes deep into sensitive, hard issues and deep into what it looks like to trust God in those hard times! A blessing of a book!

 

 

MUTINY OF THE HEART

By Vickie McDonough

Heather Hawthorne has no reason to like Lucas Reed, the man who deserted her cousin Deborah when he learned she was carrying his child. Lucas Reed is an American whose fight for liberty ruined her father's wealth, which led to his death. Deborah's dying wish is that Heather take little Jamie to his father in Charleston. But how can she leave the child she's come to love as her own with a man who never wanted him? CBA, EPCA, and Amazon best-selling author, Vickie McDonough, spins a swashbuckling tale in Mutiny of the Heart.

 

 

TITANIC: LEGACY OF BETRAYAL

A Time-Slip Novel

By Kathleen E. Kovach, et al.

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection. Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart. Review: “I told my wife to move this book to the top of her reading list... This titanic story is more interesting than the one told in the Titanic movie... She will absolutely love it.”

 

 

APPALACHIAN SONG

By Michelle Shocklee

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

 

 

 

A CHERISHED BETROTHAL

Book 3 of Scouts of the Georgia Frontier

By Denise Weimer

Patriot Ranger Alexander Morris vowed revenge on the warrior who killed his brother and father. Elspeth Lawrence, a survivor of the same massacre whose sister was taken captive, teaches Cherokee children at her father’s school. She’s never stopped longing for the boy who saved her that fateful day, but when their paths are reunited on the eve of revolution in the South Carolina backcountry, more than her wealthy Loyalist suitor stands in the way. Alex can’t remember the massacre, or Elspeth, but his hatred for the Cherokees he’s been ordered to court as allies threatens to choke out the seeds of love and healing.

 

 

AND THEIR NUMBERS GREW

By Naomi Craig, et al.

“A must read if you enjoy Biblical fiction. It isn't difficult to draw spiritual parallels that are relevant today as the authors expertly connect reader and character through poignant biblical scenes that tug on the heart. The narrative touches the imagination so that Scripture is illuminated and you wonder how you would react had you been there. This book moves with the rhythm of an evangelistic heartbeat. With plenty of takeaways and concepts to ponder, these stories will not disappoint. If you enjoy biblical fiction and a moving plot, be sure to check out And Their Numbers Grew.” ~ Amazon Reviewer

 

 

DESTINY SERIES: SWEPT INTO DESTINY, DESTINY’S WHIRLWIND, DESTINY OF HEART, WALTZ WITH DESTINY

By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

Get whisked into the lives of the McConnell women in this historical Christian fiction series. Follow these strong women from the days of the Civil War through the epic battle with Hitler. Discover what has inspired readers all across the world as these four books are brought together as a set for the first time. "The message of the Destiny series is even more applicable to today than when it first released. Praying for America’s repentance and to embrace God like never before." Debra B.

 

 

POLLY

Apron Strings, Book One

By Naomi Musch

When Polly Holloway’s fiancé returns home from the Great War with a French war bride, Polly hopes to mend her shattered heart by using her homemaking skills and a special cookbook to open a fashionable ladies’ tea room in her Victorian house. But Ross Dalton, the interfering tavern owner down the street, arouses her suspicion. Ross met God on the battlefield; however, his friendly overtures aren’t enough to pierce through Polly’s belief that he’s a bootlegger who’ll tarnish the neighborhood. How can he convince her he’s a changed man, especially when real bootleggers double down to force him into their schemes?

 

Hudson, Wisconsin - History of a Storybook Town

 

Every town and village has its history, it's humble beginnings. Thousands upon thousands of romantic novels have been crafted around the growth and communities of such towns. Let me tell you about one of them that I have a special interest in.

Hudson, Wisconsin is a town of around 15,000 people nestled in the bluffs along the idyllic St. Croix and Willow rivers as part of Wisconsin's most western boundary. The St. Croix is a tributary that winds down from the north country and joins the Mississippi only a few of miles south of town. The town is the county seat of St. Croix County. Sounds pretty, doesn't it? It is.

Looking across the St. Croix river at Minnesota from Wisconsin at Interstate Park, Wisconsin

Photo via Good Free Photos

Hudson was merely a dot in the wilderness in 1840 when two French fur traders, the brothers-in-law Louis Massey and Peter Bouchea, paddled into the mouth of the Willow River, saw the land's position and bounty, and settled there. They named the place simply Willow River. But only a few years later, another settler by the name of Joel Foster didn't think it was enough to describe the beautiful views afforded the settlement, and he renamed it Buena Vista which does mean "beautiful view". Another Wisconsin town would come to claim that name, however, in commemoration of the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American war. 

The name would come to rest as Hudson in 1852, when the town's first mayor, A.D. Gray, who hailed originally from New York, claimed that the St. Croix's views so reminded him of the Hudson River back home, he re-designated the town as Hudson, and so it has remained.

Hudson's Humble Beginnings, photo credit unknown

By this time, lumber was becoming a booming industry in the new state, and Hudson's sawmill become a hub of activity where logs were floated down from the big northern pineries and sent on their way to the Mississippi and beyond. Then came the railroads and greater growth and, well, that's history, folks. 

Downtown Hudson in the 1920s, photo credit unknown

Hudson lays claim to having birthed professionals from politicians to football players, but one of the bits of history I found interesting was that it was considered in 1914-1915 to be the boxing capitol of the northwest. At that time, the population of Hudson was a mere 2800 or so souls, yet as many as 15,000 people might descend upon the small town on a Saturday night to watch the matches. They could do that too, because Hudson was also one of the only towns to have it's own toll bridge, making it quickly accessible to the Twin Cities  in Minnesota (Minneapolis & St. Paul).

Postcard of Hudson's Interstate Toll Bridge, 1913-1951

Why my interest in Hudson?

Quaint and beautiful Hudson, Wisconsin is the setting of my just-released novel Polly (Apron Strings, Book One). I spend a lot of time choosing the settings for my stories, and for this one I even took an informal poll among my Facebook friends and family. So I thought it would be fun to take a look into this story setting, since Polly takes place in 1920 during an era of change for small towns everywhere.

Polly hoped to see her small city grow, but it was closer to the middle of the 20th century before the population of this small city really began to shift. It's become the tourist destination Polly envisioned, especially known for some fabulous restaurants. Therefore, it seemed to me to be the perfect setting for a girl who'd been wounded in love to get a fresh start--and since Hudson was not far by train to the Minnesota Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, she could be connected to the changing culture and moods of the nation.

Alas, I am not the only writer to find Hudson to be an interesting story location. There are other stories set there, and at least two Hallmark movies were filmed in modern-day Hudson. If you are still nurturing your Christmas spirit (or just never tire of holiday Hallmark movies) check them out. You can find "A Christmas Wish in Hudson" written by Lisa Hepner and "Christmas Lovers Anonymous" by Lexi Giovagnoli, Lisa Hepner, and Elizabeth Snoderly streaming online.

The St. Croix River at Hudson Today (photo: Wikimedia by Alexius Horatius)

Downtown Hudson Today (photo by 123dieinafire at English Wikipedia)

Hudson has been known for other things over the years, including the brewery caves I mention in Polly, it's riverboating, Food Walk tour, museums, and historic Octagon House and it's B&Bs including one in a Victorian mansion like Polly's. 

If you enjoy exploring the history of older homes, I'll tell you about those in my post next month.

In the meantime, I hope you get a taste of Hudson here, and in the pages of Polly, Apron Strings, Book One, available now! Also, be sure and preview Nellie, Apron Springs book two (1930s), releasing in mid-February. Each book in the series takes on the next decade, as Mrs. Canfield's Cookery Book changes hands to a new heroine.

Until next time,

Naomi Musch

https://naomimusch.com/

WWI is over, and Polly's had her heart crushed. Ross is home from war, but life changed him on that battlefield. Now competing neighbors with seemingly opposing goals, can a simple cookbook offer them a connection?

Polly, Apron Strings Series, Book One ~ A Vintage 1920s Romance

Hot Air Ballooning Through History -- by Donna Schlachter -- with Giveaway

I recently visited the San Diego Wildlife Safari Park and took a ride in a tethered hot-air balloon. We rose about fifty feet into the air, securely attached to the ground with a thick metal cable. Although I don’t like heights, I wanted to experience this amateurish sensation because a story about hot air balloons has been working its way in the back of my mind.

Which got me to thinking about the history of said balloons, and the topic of this post.

First flight with animals -- www.seattleballooning.com

I was surprised to learn that the first balloon was launched by a Frenchman in 1783, and the passengers were a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. Unfortunately, the flight lasted only fifteen minutes before crashing to the ground. Apparently all animals survived.

 

Montgolfier flight seattleballooning.com

The first flight with people happened two months later, when two French brothers, the Montgolfiers, took off from the center of Paris and flew for twenty minutes without crash landing. They’d gotten their inspiration from smoke from fire hovering over Parisian rooftops for hours before ascending into the clouds. Their first designs were paper bags filled with smoke, which led to a larger paper bag filled with hot air. The six-hundred cubic-feet capacity balloon rose so quickly that the tether ropes broke, and they rose to six hundred feet above the ground. Later that year, an even larger paper balloon reached one thousand feet in altitude and covered three-quarters of a mile. Another balloon of 23,000 cubic feet, released from its tethers, rose 6,000 feet in the air.

Two years later, in 1785, another French balloonist and an American co-pilot crossed the English Channel, which was considered the first test for anything involving balloon flight.

But tragedy struck that same year when de Rozier, the world’s first balloonist, was killed when he attempted the same journey.

First hot air balloon   www.seattleballooning.com

The first North American flight took place in 1793, with George Washington watching. The balloon with two men aboard lifted to 5,800 feet from the Philadelphia Prison Yard, safely landing in Gloucester County near New Jersey’s coastline, covering about twenty miles in an hour.

Civil War balloon  www.seattleballooning.com

During the Civil War, Thadeus Lowe partnered with the Union government to use hot air balloons to spy on the South. Ten balloons were commissioned into the Balloon Corps, flying more than 3,000 times. Not all was smooth sailing, however, Union General Porter flew a balloon that broke its tether lines and flew over enemy lines. Luckily, the winds changed, and he landed near where he had originally launched.

Government gets involved www.seattleballooning.com

In the 1930s, high-altitude balloon flights led to scientific exploration of the upper atmosphere. Both military and passenger airplanes were flying at ever higher altitudes, and more information was needed to provide oxygen systems and other safety and support systems for passengers and cargo. In 1931, Swiss scientist Piccard flew at 52,000 feet in a hydrogen gas balloon. In 1934, the US Navy launched balloons to study weather patterns from inside a pressurized gondola. And, in 1935, Stevens and Anderson set a record that held for twenty years, at 13.7 miles, or 72,395 feet. All of these early stratospheric flights paved the way for space travel, as well as improved air safety regulations and aircraft design requirements.

In 1935, Emmer and Marek set new records by flying a balloon with over 63,000 cubic foot capacity, and fueled by a pressurized petroleum burner. But it was Emmer’s solo flight that is still discussed by ballooners , using propane for the first time.

In more recent years, the Japanese developed bomb-carrying balloons designed to cross the Pacific Ocean and attack the United States. Many reached the mainland, and a few caused fires. One killed bomb killed six people in Oregon in 1945. Large and armed with incendiary and high-explosive bombs, the goal was to start fires in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, hoping to reduce the natural resources being used in the war. Of the 9,300 balloons released, only a few hundred reached shore. Most of those landed in remote areas, and most bombs didn’t detonate.

However, the Fugo (wind ship) campaign caused a lot of anxiety and fear in America, mostly as a reminder that Japan could and would attack an enemy more than two thousand miles away. This activity also proved that the jet stream could be used as a weapon, as well as highlighting how technological innovation could alter a power struggle between countries.

Following World War II, ballooning enthusiasts were determined to keep the sport alive. The first sport balloon flight in the US soon came,, launching from Minneapolis and landing in the countryside two hours later. New materials were developed for the balloons, along with sturdier basket designs, ballast, more efficient furnaces, and, of course, more enthusiasts with higher dreams.



Giveaway: Although not related to hot air ballooning in any way, leave a comment to enter a random drawing to win a free ebook copy of A King for Kinsella. Remember to leave your cleverly disguised email address so we can find you if you win.



Link to book: Series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5F246HT and to the rest of the “Mail Order Papa” series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5F246HT

 

 

About A King for Kinsella:

Kingston Marchmont flees Australia in search of a new life—and a new opportunity to prove he isn’t the man wrongfully convicted and transported.

Kinsella Jackson struggles to raise her four children following her husband’s mysterious death. Did he jump? Was he pushed? Or was it an accident?

Can King find the new life and fresh start he seeks, and can Kinsella release the past and look to the future?

 

 

 

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed career writers. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651



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Resources:

https://balloonfiesta.com/Hot-Air-History

https://seattleballooning.com/when-was-the-hot-air-balloon-invented/