March 28th

I arrived in Independence, Missouri today. I'm here with my family. There are about ten wagons but we have to wait until there are at least twenty. It's not safe to travel with a few wagons.

There are now around forty wagons. My grandfather is the wagon leader. He called `Wagons Roll', and our journey began.

Here is a map of the places that we will be traveling through.

April 9th

We are following the Platte River. Children have to walk because the wagons are filled with our supplies for the journey. We have:

Food, e.g.: flour, bacon, beans, coffee, sugar, lard, salt, pepper, vinegar, rice, yeast powder, hardtack, saleratus (baking soda or powder) 
Clothes (Two sets per person) 
Bedding and a tent 
Tools, leather and nails 
Candles and matches 
Pots, pans, cups, plates and utensils 
Tubs and buckets 
Butter Churn 
Rope, axe and whetstone 
Plow and hand tools 
Milk cow and chickens 
Shotgun, rifle, ammunition and gunpowder 
Axle grease 
Family heirlooms and keepsakes 
Any other essential items if they can fit in the wagon or on your back

The total cost of our trip to Oregon Territory is $539.60.

It's quite nice weather at the moment. We're traveling through Nebraska and going around 10-12 miles a day. Our day starts at sunrise and lasts until early evening. We have an hours rest at noon when the oxen graze. Everyone's always looking for good campsites with firewood, water and grass for grazing animals. We set up camp at about six o'clock and the campfires immediately start burning for dinner to begin. We have problems finding fuel and firewood for the campfires, so we sometimes have to use buffalo dung. The evening campfire provides us with warmth and we use it to dry clothes and cook hot supper. Sleeping arrangements are decided as we go along. Sick people and small children sometimes sleep in the wagon, but the usual bed is a blanket or a piece of canvas on the ground. Some families brought tents but they blow away in the wind. At night, we circle the wagons. This doesn't protect us from Indian attacks but it lets the animals graze without them running away. I have a new friend called Mary. I met her on the way to Nebraska. Her family's wagon travels behind mine, so I walk behind her. Mary is very nice and she's my best friend.