The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Oregon Trail, by Francis Parkman, Jr.

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Title: The Oregon Trail

Author: Francis Parkman, Jr.

Release Date: April 27, 2006 [EBook #1015]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OREGON TRAIL ***

Produced by Donald Lainson

THE OREGON TRAIL

by Francis Parkman, Jr.

CONTENTS

I THE FRONTIER

II BREAKING THE ICE

III FORT LEAVENWORTH

IV "JUMPING OFF"

V "THE BIG BLUE"

VI THE PLATTE AND THE DESERT

VII THE BUFFALO

VIII TAKING FRENCH LEAVE

IX SCENES AT FORT LARAMIE

X THE WAR PARTIES

XI SCENES AT THE CAMP

XII ILL LUCK

XIII HUNTING INDIANS

XIV THE OGALLALLA VILLAGR

XV THE HUNTING CAMP

XVI THE TRAPPERS

XVII THE BLACK HILLS

XVIII A MOUNTAIN HUNT

XIX PASSAGE OF THE MOUNTAINS

XX THE LONELY JOURNEY

XXI THE PUEBLO AND BENT'S FORT

XXII TETE ROUGE, THE VOLUNTEER

XXIII INDIAN ALARMS

XXIV THE CHASE

XXV THE BUFFALO CAMP

XXVI DOWN THE ARKANSAS

XXVII THE SETTLEMENTS

CHAPTER I

THE FRONTIER

Last spring, 1846, was a busy season in the City of St. Louis. Not only
were emigrants from every part of the country preparing for the journey
to Oregon and California, but an unusual number of traders were making
ready their wagons and outfits for Santa Fe. Many of the emigrants,
especially of those bound for California, were persons of wealth and
standing. The hotels were crowded, and the gunsmiths and saddlers
were kept constantly at work in providing arms and equipments for the
different parties of travelers. Almost every day steamboats were leaving
the levee and passing up the Missouri, crowded with passengers on their
way to the frontier.

In one of these, the Radnor, since snagged and lost, my friend and
relative, Quincy A. Shaw, and myself, left St. Louis on the 28th of
April, on a tour of curiosity and amusement to the Rocky Mountains. The
boat was loaded until the water broke alternately over her guards. Her
upper deck was covered with large weapons of a peculiar form, for
the Santa Fe trade, and her hold was crammed with goods for the