Westward Ho!

August 13, 2013
Tonight we are camped at Lake Maloney Reservoir State Park, North Platte, Nebraska.  We are camped on the bank with only electric hook-up.  The campground is only about one-third filled and we just drove into a vacant campsite, set up camp, and deposited our money.

Campsite at Lake Maloney Reservoir State Park

 



This morning we visited Rock Creek Station historic site before it opened to the public.  However, the grounds and buildings are open from early dawn-to-dusk time and is a self-guided tour.
It was established in 1857 by S. C. Glenn along the Oregon Trail and the California Trail, along the west bank of Rock Creek.  The station was a supply center and campground for emigrants who purchased supplies and other services such as, blacksmithing.  In March 1859, the property was purchased by David McCanles and his brother, James, who added a toll bridge across Rock Creek, charging each wagon from 10¢ to 50¢ to cross the bridge depending upon their ability to pay.  Also, it is perhaps best known as the place where Pony Express stock-tender "Wild Bill" Hickok gunned down three men.  The reconstructed buildings, pioneer graves, and deep ruts carved by the wagon trains give visitors an appreciation of pioneers along the trails.

Perhaps this is what many pioneers saw when they started coming down the trail into the valley.

 



Original path of trail ruts into Rock Creek

 

 

Original site of Toll Bridge

 

Some of the reconstructed buildings at Rock Creek

 

Our Casita camper is better than this wagon!

 

Wild Bill Hickok article

 

Is this Santa's summer job?

 



Next we visited Fort Kearney at Kearney, Nebraska.   It was founded in 1848 and was the first Western military post built to protect emigrants on the Oregon Trail, and it later served as the headquarters for a number of small outposts along the trail.  Also, it was a home station for the Pony Express, a place where travelers could re-supply, an outfitting depot for Indian campaigns and home of the Pawnee Scouts.  After archeological exploration the stockade, parade grounds and blacksmith shop have been rebuilt.
 

Historic Marker at Fort Kearney

 

Rebuilt blacksmith shop at Fort Kearney

 

Rebuilt storage building used for guns and gun powder.

 

Buildings have been identified and marked within the fort.

 



Also, we visited the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument located directly over Interstate 80 east of Kearney, Nebraska.  It is a museum of and monument to Nebraska's and the Platte River valley's role in westward expansion.  It pays tribute to the pioneers who passed through this region of Nebraska on their way West.

Great Platte River Road Archway Monument

 



Then we visited the Pony Express Station in Gothenburg, Nebraska.  The Sam Machette Station was used as an early fur trading post/ranch house along the Oregon Trail southwest of Gothenburg before it was used as a Pony Express station during its operation between April 1860 and November 1861. The Pony Express carried mail between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. In 1861, the telegraph put an end to the Pony Express.  The Pony Express operated for only eighteen months and it is said that only one piece of mail was ever lost during its operation.

Pony Express Station in Gothenburg, Nebraska

Lonely Campground

August 12, 2013
We are in Rock Creek Station State Historic Park and Campground, Fairbury, Nebraska, Site 11.  In addition to the volunteer camp host there is one other camper in the campground.  We selected a campsite but had to wait until the wild turkeys left before we could set up camp.  As we were setting up camp we noticed that the other camper was packing up to leave.  Oh well, it will definitely be a quiet night in this campground with only critter sounds tonight! This park and campground is located on one of the major meeting areas of pioneers to wait for family and friends to join them on the Oregon Trail.

We are usually on the "Trail" before 8:00 A.M. but this morning we waited for the rain to move ahead of us and did not leave until 9:00 A.M.   We returned to the Oregon Trail at Lone Elm Campground, Olathe, KS.  This campground is on the main branch of the Santa Fe Trail and was the site of a spring (now enclosed in a small well) and excellent grazing for livestock. The spring was a major campsite for Santa Fe Trail travelers, where most emigrants spent their first night after departing just a few miles west of the Missouri-Kansas line.  As time progressed, the "Elm Grove" was cut down by the travelers for firewood, resulting in the name "Lone Elm." Eventually the last tree was also cut down but the name endured.

Lone Elm Campground--A lone elm tree has been planted near the location of the last elm tree located in this campground.



Spring near the well in Lone Elm Campground

 



Then we spent a long time trying to locate the Parting of the Trails Historic Marker at Gardner Junction in Gardner, KS.  This is where the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails separated after following the same route from Independence, MO.  In the 1840s, a sign that said "Road to Oregon" was erected at this junction.  Some people said that this place where the trails divide is "the grand-daddy of all highway junctions".

Historical Marker at Gardner, Kansas

Our next stop was St. Marys Mission in St. Marys, KS.  It was founded in 1847 as a Jesuit Mission and straddled the route of the Oregon-California Trail.   From 1847 to about 1857, St. Marys was the "Cape Canaveral" of western migration along this leg of the Oregon-California Trail. Once a person left St. Marys in those years - there was not another settlement until one reached Salt Lake, the California Gold Fields or the Willamette Valley in Oregon Territory, journeys of thousands of miles. The only intervening signs of "civilization" were two small sparsely manned army posts at Fort Kearney and Fort Laramie.  Today it has been restored by the Society of St. Pius X and serves as a conservative Catholic education institution for  both a K-12 school and a four year college.

We continued traveling to Scott Spring at Westmoreland, Kansas.  This was another favorite campsite for emigrants.  Westward travelers stopped to use the natural springs.  We walked along the river and saw trail ruts and location of pioneer graves that were discovered during the construction of the highway near this park.  Some of the graves had been identified and a brief history of the person was given.

Scott Spring on the Oregon Trail



Wagon Ruts leading to the river at Scott Spring.

 



The river at Scott Spring was much wider when the pioneers were crossing it. 

 

One of the graves that was discovered when constructing the highway.  Some of the grave markers had names and a brief description of the person's life.

 

Various examples of vegetation that early pioneers may have encountered are planted here.

 

Early pioneers had to walk in grasses this tall.

 



In trying to reach Alcove Springs in Blue Rapids, Kansas, we were delayed three different times by road construction with long delays.  Finally when we reached Alcove Springs the historic marker was blocked by road equipment!  Alcove Springs was a very popular campsite that was mentioned in many emigrants journals.  Here emigrants left the tallgrass prairie of eastern Kansas and entered the shortgrass plains.

Historical Marker at Alcove Springs

A highlight of Ron's day was that we went by the Allen Fieldhouse Basketball Complex at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.  Roy Williams, coach at University of North Carolina, once coached at this school.  Also, there is a statue to James Naismith who invented the game of basketball and who once coached at University of Kansas. 

Allen Fieldhouse Basketball Complex in Lawrence, Kansas

 



 Coach James Naismith

Oregon Trail Starts Here

August 11, 2013
Blue Springs Lake Campground, Blue Springs, MO, Site 29.  We did a lot of riding today to reach this point.  This campground is one of the actual campsites where wagons would wait until enough wagons had gathered to form a wagon train.  Since we have read several books about the Oregon Trail it was very interesting to us to think that pioneers had actually been in this spot waiting for other family members or friends to arrive.

  Jim Bridger was one of the earliest mountain men who explored the Western United States.

In the winter of 1824-1825, Bridger gained fame as the first white man to see the Great Salt Lake.  On the Oregon Trail  he established Fort Bridger on the west bank of the Green River.  In 1850 he discovered what would eventually be known as Bridger's Pass, looking for an alternate overland route to the South Pass he discovered in 1827. Bridger Pass would later be the chosen route for both the Union Pacific Railroad and Interstate 80.

 

Today we drove by the Gateway Arch to the West in St. Louis, MO.  Since it was a Sunday morning there was very little traffic in downtown St, Louis and we had no problem in pulling the camper and stopping along the Mississippi River to take pictures.

Easy parking along the Gateway Arch

 

Beautiful Sunday Morning

 



Finally we reached Independence, MO, our "jumping off" place for the Oregon Trail!  We visited the National Frontier Trails Center where we saw a great film West which told the early history of the trails--Santa Fe, Oregon, and Mormon.

  The volunteers at the Center were very helpful.  They gave us a series of booklets published in 2005 and 2006 by the National Park Service of the US Dept. of the Interior called National Historic Trails:  Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guide. The guides are written by the National Trails System which divide the Oregon Trail into sections, for example, Western Missouri-Northeast Kansas.  The major highways and best roads do not always follow the Oregon Trail but the booklets do tell you the nearest town and county road.  At times, we did travel on gravel roads and "corduroy" (very bumpy) roads to reach a marker.  The Roadside Auto Tour signs mark the general routes of the Oregon, California, and Pony Express national historic trails.

Many pioneers thought this wagon was too difficult to travel in on the Trail.

 

Many pioneers chose this wagon as it is easier to navigate over mountains and across rivers.

 

Swales

 

  We saw our first swales (trail ruts that have overgrown but still visible) near the Center.  The depot for the Chicago and Alton Railroad was very interesting.

Depot for Chicago and Alton Railroad

Telegraph desk at Depot

(Ron says he remembers someone working at a telegraph desk in his hometown.)

 

I learned that women from Europe were the first to bring rounded-top trunks to America because they did not want other baggage to be placed on top of their trunks.

 



  It was getting late so we just drove by President Harry Truman's home as we wanted to get to the courthouse in Independence, MO, to begin our West trip.

President Harry Truman's Home

We are ready to "jump off" for our trip along the Oregon Trail.  The marker is in front of the Courthouse in Independence, MO.  Posters and announcements would be made that wagons would be gathering in front of the Courthouse on a certain date to form a wagon train.  Hundreds of wagons and people would gather to begin their journey.

Memories of Times Past

August 10, 2013
Gun Creek at Rend Lake in Whittington, IL, Site 29.  Excellent site on the lake.  The campsite is on an angle pointing toward the lake.

Gun Creek Campsite

 

Watching the sunset as we ate supper

 

  It was a great site with beautiful views of the sunset and sunrise.  I was looking forward to having coffee and breakfast while setting in the campsite and enjoying the views.  However when I went out the door the next morning to enjoy all of nature, I was met by the smell of a skunk!  So I quickly closed the door of the camper and enjoyed the views from our camper's window.

We continued to drive a lot today as we are trying to get to the "jumping off" place for our Oregon Trail in Independence, MO.  We did stop to visit Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

"Welcome Back" Ron Boswell after 50 years of ministry!

 

Some things have not changed

 

Chapel

 

The Quad

 

 



It was founded in 1859 as the first seminary of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.  Ron attended school at SBTS in 1970 to l973 (BC--before Carolyn).  He enjoyed sharing with me memories of friends he met while here that are still our friends today.  We walked the campus while he pointed out dorm windows where he once lived, classroom buildings where professors taught who made lasting impressions, and pictures and/or names of people that meant a lot to him.  He even showed me where he sat on the one time he was in the library!

Also, we visited Crescent Hill Baptist Church where John Claypool was pastor.  Ron attended this church while at SBTS.  This church helped to influence Ron's ministry.

Beginning the Journey

August 9, 2013
Twin Knobs Campground, Daniel Boone National Forest, Morehead, KY, Site 2.

First campsite

 



We left Gibsonville, NC, this morning and drove as far as we could in one day.  In our planning we checked mapquest and GPS systems to obtain the mileage between cities and the estimated time of travel.  However, we quickly realized that pulling a camper affects the distances that we can travel in one day.  We were wise in the fact that we did not reserve campsites but chose to locate campgrounds as possible campsites as we got closer to the time to stop for the night.  Using smartphone apps we were able to have campsites every night.

Daniel Boone National Forest



  We only had one night without any hookups in the sixteen nights we were on the road.  However, there was an electrical outlet in the flushable toilet bathroom.  We soon realized that we are much nicer to each other when we have at least some type of  electrical hookup.  Our campsites were from anywhere from $10.50 (state parks with a senior citizen national park pass) to $36.00  (all amenities including wifi, laundry, hot tub, individual bathrooms at the bathhouse, hookups to wash RV's, campers, and vehicle).
Today we were just like the pioneers in that we were trying to go from the East to the "jumping off" place for the Oregon Trail.  Our "jumping off" place is Independence, MO.

Caperton Center

 Ron enjoyed seeing the Caperton Visitor and Craft Center in Clarkson, WVA.  It is named after a distant relative Gaston Caperton who served as governor of WVA from 1989 to l997.  Caperton is Ron's mother's maiden name. I enjoyed Charleston the state capital of WVA.  Charleston is located at the joining of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers.  It is a beautiful town with lots of industries along the rivers and railroad tracks. 

Preparing the "Wagon"

August 8, 2013

Preparing the “Wagon”

This is the inside of a shepherd's wagon in the 1840's.  Perhaps it was an early version of our Ole Miss Casita.

In the 1840’s when the pioneers began to think about traveling West most of them sold their land, homes, and household goods.  It took them many months to prepare for the trip.  They had to build their wagon and many pioneers designed their individual wagon to best meet their needs.  Many of the designs were so the wagon could be taken apart to be made into a raft or boat to go across rivers or be moved in pieces up or down a mountain.  The women had to spin and prepare the covering for the wagon plus make enough clothes for their families to last until they reached their destinations.  It is interesting that many of the families’ wagons had boards wide enough and cut into lengths so they also could be used as a coffin.  In addition, the  clothing included clothing that could be used for burial.  When families and/or neighbors heard that some family was traveling  West they would often come and help them with the preparations.  The same has been true for us.  When we shared with neighbors and friends that we would be traveling the Oregon Trail to Seattle, WA,   they came with offers of help.  We have neighbors and friends who are checking our house daily, mowing our yard, gathering our patio garden, sending us our mail, and many other offers of assistance.

Thus, we have tried to prepare our “wagon.”  We purchased a Casita Travel Trailer with our specifications.  We added a pulling team "of oxen under the hood".  Pioneers choose oxen as they were more patient, ate almost anything, and required less water, and were more sure footed.

  We took several practice trips to try to determine what we needed to take.  Now we would like to share our “wagon”.

Welcome to our "wagon".  We use the small table inside and outside for many purposes.  We chose to let the table for two along the side down to serve more for a lounge sofa and/or bed if one of us wanted to stay up later than the other one.  Also, we like to stay outside as much as possible.

Propane gas stove with two eyes and sink

 Full size bed which we keep down and use the space under the bed for storage.  This bed will convert to a dinette area for four people.

Fridge which will operate on battery, electric, or propane gas.

If we have electricity, we can use the microwave and air-conditioner unit located under the closet at the front of the camper.  If it is cold, we have a propane furnace and/or small electric heater.

The bathroom has a toilet, sink, and shower.  There is a fresh water tank, a gray water tank and a black water tank.  These are also holding tanks.  We can boondock (no hookups) for approximately 2-3 days.

After purchasing a Casita almost everyone will begin making modifications to the "wagon".  We have made several to our "wagon" already.

We have a medium size TV to go in the camper that will set on a TV self.  The TV has the possibilities of operating on battery power or electricity, antenna or cable, and can play DVD's. 

One of the most unique and/or creative modification to our "wagon" is that Ron found a smaller TV at a JC Penney Outlet store.  Then he took my fly swatter and added two plastic spoons to hold it in place.  Also, he needed louder speakers.  He took my speakers which Kristen had given me and added them to his TV "unit".  Now he can get TV stations by antenna or cable.  "Necessity is the mother of invention!"