The Oregon Trail - June 14, 2007

June 14 – Following a disappointing Continental Breakfast, I began the journey west with the Elderhostel group. We traveled in a 54-passenger motor coach with a restroom that we were encouraged not to use. Five of us chose to be “nesters” which meant that we did not have to rotate seats. Near the journey’s end we acquired two more “nesters”. These were our permanent seats for the entire 16 days. I chose the next to the last seat on the right side with a large view window.

We traveled with a step-on guide, Ross Marshall, to Wayne City/Upper Independence Landing (“Jumping Off The River”), past the stately Victorian Truman House, walked around the historic Independence Courthouse Square (Benchmark: KE1382/“Here The Oregon Trail Begins” Waymark Code: WM1RF7), and visited the National Frontier Trails Museum (1989-90) & Ruts where we watched an award-winning introductory film, looked briefly at the interpretive exhibits and rode an authentic covered wagon. There was a life-size bronze statue of Jim Bridger (Thomas Beard, 2004), famous explorer, mountain man and western guide, in front of the museum. He was supposedly buried in Mt. Washington Cemetery in Independence.

We had a marvelous lunch in the Carriage House and tour at the historic Lewis-Bingham-Waggoner Estate (1850s). The 20-acre estate was completely surrounded by trail traffic by 1848.

We toured the Independence Route of the Santa Fe-Oregon-California Trails. We passed the Rice-Tremonti House (1844) which was a popular trail campsite area for trail emigrants, saw trail swales, or wagon ruts, at several sites, and visited the New Santa Fe Cemetery (all that was left of the last “civilized” settlement Oregon-bound emigrants would see before the frontier).

We had dreadful dinner at the Radisson. Afterwards we heard a presentation “Pioneer Life vs. Mountain Man Lifestyle” by Jim Two Crows Wallen.