Revealed: Part one

"Hey Marin!"
Marin glanced up at her adopted father. She was right in the middle of gluing sparkles onto her picture, something Trevor had introduced her to as a way to do art.
"What's going on, Trevor?" she asked.
Trevor grinned, hiding something behind his back. "Oh, nothin' much," he said, that mischievous grin growing wider.
Marin frowned. "If it's creepy, I don't want to see it."
"Aww, come on, Marin! Where's your sense of adventure?" Trevor walked towards her art table.
"Back in Czechoslovakia, where it's going to stay."
Trevor rolled his eyes and slumped into a chair next to the eleven-year-old girl. "You're no fun," he complained.
Marin sighed and gave him a look. "Promise me you're not going to scare me with whatever's behind your back."
"I can't tell a lie."
"Then I don't want to see it."
"Oh, fine!" Trevor muttered. "I, Trevor Trekker, solemnly swear I will not scare you with what's behind my back."
"Okay, let's see it."
Trevor slowly withdrew his arms, his hands cupped. "Okay, you ready?" he smiled. "It's really cool."
Marin leaned forward. "I can't see anything."
With a sudden motion he opened his hands and a flash of movement flew out of his hands.
"Augh!" Marin screeched. She fell back in her chair and crashed to the floor. The butterfly came and landed on her nose. "Trevor, you promised!" she wailed.
"I didn't do that on purpose! I just wanted it to fly so you could see it's beautiful colors!"
He was right about one thing. The butterfly's blue wings fluttered with flashes of red, yellow and green. The winged insect was at least the size of both of Marin's hands. It was huge.
"Well, it is pretty," Marin agreed. She slowly stood up, the butterfly still stuck to her nose. "I would like it better if it got off my face."
"You can be such a grouch," Trevor commented as he put his finger out on Marin's face, pulling the butterfly away from her.
"Sorry."
Trevor shook his head. "I just mean you need to lighten up. Have fun. Live life adventurously and joyful!"
Marin gave a little smile as she reset her chair and sat back down. "That would be great. But I just can't seem to get a handle on looking at life like you do, Trevor. I'm always waiting for something bad to happen."
It was as if someone was listening for those exact words. Without warning, there was a bright flash of light. Trevor yelped and Marin screeched. It felt like a tornado had ripped through the room.
The next instant they were both sitting on a carpeted floor, gasping for air. They were no longer back at their cave in Hawaii.
"Where, what, how, where..." Marin stammered.
Trevor glanced around the room frantically. He leapt to his feet and pulled Marin up. There were computers everywhere, and a couple of random chairs here and there. Three windows let streaming light in, but the place was still dim.
Next to one of the windows stood two men. One of them Trevor recognized as the man who had helped him save Marin from the Nazis. The other man...
"That's not possible," Trevor managed. He stared at the blond-haired, blue eyed man. The guy was grinning like a maniac. "You, how-"
"Greetings, Trevor," he said in a near perfect British accent. "It's been a long time, has it not?"
Marin looked from the two men to Trevor. "Trevor, who are they?" she whispered.
Trevor stared the blond-man in the eye. "Someone I didn't think I'd meet up with or wanted to meet."
The blond man grinned. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you? That I wouldn't figure out some way to track you down? I'm not stupid, McIntyre."
"McIntyre?" Marin repeated. "Trevor, what is going on?"
Gone was Trevor's happy-go-lucky demeanor. In its place was a solemn, sober and subdued version of the usually upbeat Scottish time traveler.
Trevor glanced at his daughter. "Marin, I don't think I ever mentioned to you that you're not the only one who knows about my time watch, 4T." He looked back over at the blond man. "This is Mykola Shapoval. The first person I ever met in my time travels. And the last man I ever wanted to see again."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, dear blog readers!

We have much to be thankful for this year, one of the things being safe time travels. God has really watched over us this year.
 We're also thankful for all the great readers we have on this blog! You make us smile!

Have a wonderful day,

Trevor and Marin

Mmmm, turkey! I'm looking forward to eating this big ol' guy!

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Ready for the last part of the story? Good! Marin's back to tell the rest of it to you...


I took in a deep breath and squeezed Natalie's hand. This isn't good. This isn't good at all!
Guns. Riders. And they were wearing hankies.
"What do we have here?" the man facing us grunted. I could tell he was grinning underneath the handkerchief that covered his face. "Two little wagon stragglers? Shouldn't you children be back with your wagon train?"
"Your parents must be worried about ya," piped up another guy on a pinto. There was a chorus of hoots and laughter.
I thought outlaws didn't show up until the Wild West? My heart hammered against my chest. I swallowed hard. Natalie clung to my hand, scared speechless. Her usual fast-talking demeanor was replaced with a stony, terrified silence.
I realized I was going to have to do the talking.
Oh dear God, give me the right words to say! I prayed. I didn't know who these men were or what they were doing here, but I knew they were up to no good. Why else would twelve men on horseback surround two little girls by themselves?
"Sir," I stammered, "May I ask you what you want?"
The main rider cocked his head a little. "You have a strange accent," he growled.
"I'm- I'm from Europe, sir," I managed.
His eyes narrowed. "I don't like immigrants."
Great. This wasn't getting me anywhere.
"Please sir, we haven't done anything wrong," Natalie wailed. "What do you want with us?"
"Shut your mouth, girl!" one of the outlaws shouted.
The leader looked straight at me, his hazel blue eyes boring into mine. "The question is, what are you doing out here?"
What would Trevor say? I wondered. I wanted to break down and cry so badly, but Natalie needed me to be strong for her. She probably had never had something like this happen to her before. I had to be brave, I'd been in situations like this more times than I liked to admit. Trevor would be strong for me if he was here. 
First off, Trevor would come up with a good reply. He'd act friendly and cheerful, then somehow turn the question back to the bad guy and get him to tell what he was doing.
But how to get around doing that?
"Well?" the leader demanded, having his horse step two feet closer. He pointed his rifle at me.
Natalie gasped and hid behind me, sobbing. I steadied my breath and tried to keep myself calm. Think Marin, think like Trevor.
It clicked. Trevor wouldn't be wondering what to say. He'd be wondering why they were wondering why we were here. The answer was in the question- these guys weren't here because they wanted to drag us off, they were hiding something and didn't want us to find it!
"We came out here to catch rabbits, sir," I announced. "We're bringing them back to the wagon train for a stew." I tried to form my words carefully as I cleared my throat. "Whatever you think we've found or are close to discovering we haven't seen. We haven't done anything but try to catch rabbits."
"Ah, then how did you know I suspected you of sticking your little noses where they don't belong?" he challenged.
I took a deep breath. "Why else would you confront two little girls who couldn't possibly have anything you wanted?" I pointed out.
Dead silence. Natalie was shivering. I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest.
The leader glared at me. Then he cocked his gun. "I don't like you, kid."
Three things happened all at the same time. I stepped back, Natalie screeched and a wild figure flashed past us on horseback, leaping onto the bandit leader and pulling him off his horse.
The next instant, someone jerked Natalie and I back and yelled, "Let's go, lassies!"
"Trevor!" I exclaimed. I pulled Natalie by the hand and broke through the line of bandits, following Trevor towards a large hill. The outlaws were in total mayhem. Horses were rearing, the men were cursing and shouting, and the rider who had tackled the leader was on the ground wrestling him.
"Marin, didn't you hear anything I said to you when you ran off?" Trevor admonished.
"Stop them!" someone shouted. I could hear the bandits spurring their horses forward.
"They're coming for us," Natalie cried.
"Not if we get to the top of the hill. Then they're in for a big surprise!" Trevor said. He glanced at me as we ran as fast as we could. "I thought I told you not to wander far!"
"I didn't! At least, I hadn't meant to. What's going on? Who are those men?"
"Dunno the answer to that," Trevor huffed. "But we're running out of time. Like, we have three minutes left."
"Three minutes left..." my voice trailed off. I realized Trevor was holding tight to my hand. Three minutes left. Of course! How could I forget? Trevor and I were leaving this era in three minutes, and Natalie was still holding onto my hand! If we didn't make it to whatever defense was behind that hill that Trevor had planned, I'd be forced to let her go or she'd be transported into the future with us. And if I let her go...
She might not survive.
A gunshot sounded. The bullet whizzed by my ear. We were almost to the top of the hill, and at least four bandits were behind us.
"We're not going to make it," Natalie gasped.
I pulled her along. "Yes we will, keep running!"
"Almost there!" Trevor grunted.
Right as one of the outlaws was about to run us over, Trevor made a dive over the top of the hill, dragging me and Natalie along. At the bottom I caught sight of the wagon train, with all the men settled behind it with their rifles aimed.
"Fire!" I heard the order given. We were rolling down the hill at a rapid rate. I couldn't stop tumbling over myself.
"Marin-oof! Let- owww! Go- yowww! Of- hmph! Natalie!" Trevor yelped, still holding onto my hand.
The second I let her go, I felt myself plunge headfirst into water. Everything went black.

~oOo~

"The Oregon Trail wasn't as easy as you thought it was going to be, huh?"

I groaned and blinked. I was in a cave. But not just any cave. I was home, in our cave.

"Trevor!" I sat up, then fell back on my bed. "Owww."

"Easy lass," Trevor warned, coming to sit on the edge of my bed. "You hit your head on a rock right as we transported back to our island."

"What- what happened?" I asked, laying on my bed and looking up into his face. "What happened to Natalie, who was that rider who tackled that outlaw? And who where those bandits? Why did they confront Natalie and me?"

Trevor held up his hand. "One question at a time, Marin." He chuckled. "Natalie is fine. I went back and checked for a couple minutes to see if she made it. She was fine. Bruised and bewildered as to where we had disappeared to, but fine."

"I'll bet everyone thinks we're ghosts or something," I remarked.

"Aye, no doubt. As to who that rider was who tackled that bandit..." Trevor shook his head. "Honestly I don't know. After you and Natalie left to go find rabbits, I checked my watch and realized you and I had to get going in half an hour. I borrowed someone's horse and rode to the top of that hill, and I saw you girls were in trouble. I got the rest of the wagon train together and we formed the plan that I'd sneak over and pull you out of it, and they'd be waiting on the other side of the hill to shoot at any bandit that tried to come after us. But then the craziest thing happened. Right as I came towards you, one of the outlaws turned and saw me. At that same time, that strange rider shot past me and tackled the leader, leaving everyone in chaos. I took the moment to grab you two and run towards the hill."

"So you don't know who the rider was?"

"No." He ran his fingers through his hair and grinned. "And I have no idea who those bandits were or what they were doing. My guess is you came across some secret hideout or stash of theirs that they were on their way back to. Though it was uncommon, their were outlaws that raided wagon trains. Oftentimes they'd dress up as Indians to make it look like the Indians were the ones who did it, but it didn't happen a lot." Trevor laughed. "I guess you just got lucky and met up with one of the few bandit gangs out there. I thought I told you to stay out of trouble."

I shot him a look and he laughed again. "Honestly, you think I wanted to find trouble? You should know better than that!"

He squeezed my hand and smiled. "No, I don't think you did that on purpose. But I am so proud of how you handled yourself. You're getting to be so brave, Marin."

"And here I thought nothing could go wrong on the Oregon trail. I guess traveling with you will always have dangers, huh, Trevor?" I teased.

"At least we've always found a way out of them." He winked.

The End.

Elswhere....

"Is it done?" the ukrajinština asked Dominik.

Dominik nodded. "I saved the girl from a bandit raiding party. I was able to touch the time traveler as well when I galloped by him."

The blond man broke into a huge grin. "Excellent." He raced towards his machine and punched in some numbers. "Ah, Dominik, excellent job! By tapping Trekker, you have synced my timeline and his! I can pull him into the future now!" He laughed, a cold and cruel laugh.

7000 Views!

Thank you wonderful blog readers, today we hit 7000 views on our blog! You are all amazing fans!

Let's see if we can hit 10,000 views by the end of the year, okay? :) Keep sharing the blog with your friends, we appreciate it!

Thanks for reading and encouraging us to keep this up.

-Trevor and Marin

What Could Go Wrong?

It's time to hit the trail again, except this time we're taking a covered wagon and some oxen. Ready to go to Oregon with us? Good! Here's Marin's version of the story...

“Let’s go to Oregon,” Trevor had suggested to me a couple days ago.

I’d frowned and glanced at him skeptically. “To Oregon?”

“Yeah!” He’d grinned and shook his head yes. “It’ll be fun.”

“What time period in Oregon?” His grin was a bit too excited. I didn’t want to get stuck on another submarine or discover another Nazi spy ring. Our last two adventures had left me worn out and tired. I didn’t want any more excitement.

“Oh, Oregon Trail. 1840s, y’know. Great migration out West. It will be fun!”

I had blinked and scratched my head. “Oregon trail? What’s that?”

I had thought Trevor’s mouth was going to fall open. “You- you don’t know-” he stammered.

“On second thought, I will go and find out myself,” I’d said, holding up my hand. “Let me do some reading and I’ll find out if I want to go or not.”

He couldn’t argue with that. He was always telling me I needed to make my own decisions and my own research, to find out about history and discover it for myself.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that the Oregon trail didn’t have submarines or Nazis or Communists. Socialist free, to be exact. In fact, everything I read about it sounded interesting. And, dare I say it? Exciting. Covered wagons. Pioneers. All heading West for a new life. Kind of like how I came to Hawaii for a new life after Czechoslovakia. I felt I could relate to this time period. It sounded fun. And perhaps not so dangerous.

Sure, there was sickness and accidents. But that was to be expected from any era. It sounded much safer than what we’d been engaging in as of late. And a lot calmer. Almost like a holiday!

So when I’d come to Trevor and told him I would like to come along, I found myself in five minutes flat on the seat of a buckboard and driving oxen, and in twenty minutes we’d joined a wagon train headed out West.

Such is the way of life with Trevor- he never waits long for anything.

I blinked and shaded my eyes, shaking my head out of my daydream.

"Marin!" A girl's voice called from farther ahead. "Marin, come quick! I want to show you something!"

"Looks like your friend wants to show you something, Marin," Trevor chuckled. He'd taken over driving the team of six oxen, whistling the same song over and over again.

We’d been on the trail for three days. In that time we’d joined a wagon train in Wyoming and had started our journey down the trail to Oregon. I'd made friends with another girl from a different wagon named Natalie, and Trevor had acquired a rifle. Not sure what he was going to do with it, but he insisted he needed a rifle. I trusted his judgement, but I wasn't sure if I trusted his capability of shooting. During the entire three years I'd been with him, I'd never seen him use a gun. Ever.

"Would you mind if I went over to where she is and joined her?" I asked Trevor. "Or did you want me to hang around here for now?"

Trevor waved it off. "Nah, I'm fine lass. Go and join your friend. Have some fun! I can handle the team."

I leapt off the buckboard and ran in the direction of my dark-haired friend. I was careful to avoid the large wagons and wheels that rolled past me, running ahead of the group and towards a field of grass.

This is wonderful, I sighed. Beautiful skies, friends, a nice, quiet wagon ride...

And a large rabbit that was squirming in Natalie's grasp.

"Whoa, Natalie, where did you get that?" I asked, coming to a stop.

Natalie was a year older than me, and a good five inches taller, too. She smiled, her brown eyes twinkling as she held up the rabbit around the neck. "I pulled it out of it's burrow!" she announced proudly. "We're going to have a great dinner tonight!"

I froze. "You're going to eat that?"

Natalie laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "Marin, Marin. You're a city-slicker through and through, aren't you? Of course we're going to eat it. We can cook it and make a great soup for everyone!"

Natalie had been on the trail for a good two or three months. She knew all about life on the trail- and apparently had no qualms killing a cute little bunny rabbit.

"But- but it's so cute," I managed.

She walked past me and ran towards the front of the wagon train. "Mr.Braun, Mr. Braun!"

I followed behind her at a slow pace. She's going to let the trail boss have the rabbit. I looked away when she handed the rabbit to the trail boss. Poor, poor bunny.

I decided I wouldn't have any of the stew tonight.

Natalie came back, all smiles and excitement. She stopped when she saw the look on my face. "Oh, come on Marin! It's okay!"

I shrugged. "I guess I'm still not used to trail life," I told her.

"Let's go and find some more! We could make a whole strew for the entire wagon train. Wouldn't that be fun?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to catch rabbits. I didn't want them to all be strangled and cooked up in a dinner pot.

But if I didn't go with Natalie, she'd think I was a baby.

She stood and waited for me, tapping her foot in impatience.

"Well, okay."

"Great!" Natalie clapped her hands together, than grabbed my hand and ran towards the tall grass. "Let's go!"

I sighed. Well, Oregon trail life did have it's setbacks. As usual. Hey, at least this isn't life-threatening, I decided. I'd been through much, much worst than this.

As we passed by my wagon, I waved to Trevor.

"We're going to go catch rabbits!" I called.

"Have fun!" he waved. "Stay out of trouble!"

"Right, like I'd ever try to get into trouble!"

Natalie laughed. "Oh Marin, your father is so funny. Other than rattlesnakes, what trouble could we possibly find out here?"

Wrong.

Twenty minutes later, we were staring down the barrel of a gun and were surrounded by horseback riders with handkerchiefs.

This- was not in the history book.

Come back next week for the final part of the story!

Oregon Reads: Books on the Oregon Trail

Here are some books we managed to find on the Oregon Trail, just for you!

Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie

 

By Kristiana Gregory

Aunt June "...confided to me that the way their brother Milton's coffin went sailing down the Missoura was 'Splendid! The best amusement in months.' Aunt June and I think alike." These words, from thirteen-year-old Hattie Campbell's journal entry for February 18, 1847, mark the beginning of her journey- an adventure that unfolds over the next ten months and two thousand miles. A sense of amusement, the ability to dream, and a chance to escape sad memories while building a new life motivate Hattie Campbell and her family as they set their sights on the acres of land available to daring settlers at the end of the Oregon Trail.

What we like about this book: There are several humorous moments that really lets the reader connect with Hattie, giving you a sense that she’s a real person. It makes the reading more personable, and no book should be without humor.

Age Range: 9-16

Audience: Girls, but we think Boys would like it, too

Cautions: It’s been several years since either Marin or I have read this book. We don’t quite remember what was all in it, so reader discretion advised. I do remember that Hattie could be quite naughty in what she wrote, so definitely it’s best for an older audience. We don’t remember anything inappropriate, but then again it’s been a while!

Era: 1847

Special Notes: None.

Seven Alone

By Honore Morrow

John Sager didn’t want to grow up. On his way out west with his six sibings and parents in a covered wagon, John tries to get out of chores in any way he can- from hiding to running away. But when tragedy strikes and their parents are killed, John must step-up as the adult of his family and get them across the Oregon Trail- without getting killed.

What we like about this book: This is a very good depiction of what life was like on the Oregon Trail. Detailed, thorough and thoughtful, if you want to know what life was like back then, read this book.

Age Range: 12 and up

Audience: Boys and Girls

Cautions: Though I’m ashamed to admit this, (Marin isn’t because she doesn’t even know what this book is about) I’ve never actually read the book. I watched the movie many years ago. The book was written in 1926, so as far as language and stuff I doubt that’s present. What I do know is that the descriptions could be quite graphic of what frostbite and other such trials were like. Not for the squeamish- again, I think reader discretion should be used when reading this book.

Era: 1844

Special Notes: None.

Captive Treasure

By Milly Howard

Traveling west across America with her family, Carrie Talbot enjoys all the excitement of the trail. But when a Cheyenne raiding party attacks the wagon train, Carrie is taken away to the Indians’ riverside camp, far from everyone she loves. In this Christian fiction book Carrie has only the family Bible and her faith in God to guide her through her struggles as she learns how to live with new people and understand a different language.

What we like about this book: This was one of the finest Christian Oregon Trail books Marin and I read. It has a great message, colorful characters and really involves the reader. Plus Carrie is such a sweet girl, who wouldn’t like her?

Age Range: 9 and up

Audience: Girls, but boys would enjoy it also

Cautions: None that we can remember! As always, readers should ask their parents what they think and follow their parents guidelines.

Era: mid-1850s

Special Notes: None.

Come back next week as we began a new adventure... on the Oregon Trail!

Trail Blazers: The Oregon Trail

There is a very popular game that many homeschoolers I've met played when they were young. Titled The Oregon Trail, the game consisted of going down the trail, doing your best to survive plagues, sickness, disease, attacks and getting lost in the middle of nowhere. It was a fun game, and very educational, too.
Unlike the game (for those of you who are familiar with it) there is no "reset" button. If you died that was it, everyone moved on without you. I'm sure you know this, but think about it for a moment. You leave everything you know and love. You realize that those you leave behind in the Eastern cities of America you'll probably never see again. You may not even survive the trip. Many don't, and you hear about the dangers of Indians and cholera. Why then, would you leave your home, your friends and go on a journey that a lot of people die trying?
Because there's something about the promise of new land, a bold adventure and a new life that draws certain people to try and conquer. Kinda like that saying, "I climb the mountain because it's there."
The Oregon Trail got it's first start in 1811, by fur trappers and traders who would travel to the Western united states to gain their fortune. For the most part, the only fur trappers who had spent any amount of time in the now present states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California were the Russians. For years the Russians had the largest supply of fur in the world, most notably getting their furs from Siberia and Alaska. They ventured into the Western states as well, trading with the Indians for the valuable furs. The business was good and it brought many other trappers from the Eastern states as well.
At first, the only way to get to the Western states was to ride on horseback or travel on foot. It wasn't until 1836 that the first wagon train started it's journey from Independence, Missouri, on a trail that had been cleared for wagons. Even then the route was still fairly dangerous.

From Wikipedia:

From the early to mid-1830s (and particularly through the epoch years, 1846–1869) the Oregon Trail and its many offshoots were used by about 400,000 settlers, ranchers, farmers, miners, and businessmen and their families. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail (from 1843), Bozeman Trail (from 1863), and Mormon Trail (from 1847) before turning off to their separate destinations. Use of the trail declined as the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, making the trip west substantially faster, cheaper, and safer. Today, modern highways such as Interstate 80 follow the same course westward and pass through towns originally established to serve those using the Oregon Trail.

So as you can see, the Oregon Trail didn't only lead to just Oregon, it had separate branches that could bring people to Utah, California and Washington, as well as Idaho.

Many of the people who live in these states today are descendants of these brave pioneers, who often faced things like thunderstorms, hail storms, stampedes, and all kinds of scary accidents.

A good website to look at is the http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/ which gives lots of references and statistics as well as the history of the Oregon trail for those who want to know more about it. According to their site, they proclaim that the leading cause of death was getting run over by the wagons.

Oregon Trail Center:

Major threats to pioneer life and limb came from accidents, exhaustion, and disease. Crossing rivers were probably the most dangerous thing pioneers did. Swollen rivers could tip over and drown both people and oxen. Such accidents could cause the loss of life and most or all of valuable supplies. Animals could panic when wading through deep, swift water, causing wagons to overturn. Animals could cause very serious injury to their owners. People could be crushed by wagons or animals, thrown by horses.  

According to Peter D. Olch, being run over by wagon wheels was the most frequent cause of injury or death. Both children and adults could slip while getting out of a wagon and fall beneath the wheels. Children were especially susceptible to being run over by heavy wagons. Firearms were the second leading cause of emigrant injury and death and a surprisingly large number of pioneers were injured by accidental firearm discharges. The third cause was stampeding livestock. Other causes of injury or death included attacks by emigrants on other emigrants, lightning, hailstorms, grass-fires, gunpowder explosions, snakebite and suicide. Such diseases as cholera, small pox, flu, measles, mumps, tuberculosis could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp, killing several people.  Cholera was the main scourge of the trail.

Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Makes you think twice about heading out on such a venture. And yet these people did it. Why? Why would they risk it? Because to them it was worth it. The idea of having their own place that wasn't crowded, living in a new land and creating their own rules gave people a new sense of freedom. Don't you like the idea of living in an area where you create your own rules, and you had as much land as you wanted to have the animals you wanted? It sounds kind of fun, doesn't it? That's the reason Marin and I moved to Hawaii, 12 A.D. So we could have the whole place to ourselves and have all the animals we wanted.

We can all learn something from the pioneers. Perseverance, determination and trust that God will get us through whatever we start can be seen in the lives of these trail blazers. I hope we all learn to be a bit more like them.

Little Known Fact: I'm sure we've all heard stories or seen movies about Indians attacking wagon trains, making off with children and shooting the men. Well, did you know that Indian Raids was the least cause of death on the Oregon Trail? Most of the Indians were fine with the wagon trains that moved through their territory. In fact, a lot of them traded buffalo robes and other items with the pioneers for things like knives, clothes and food. There were some instances where Indians did indeed attack the pioneers, but for the most part they were pretty good with all of the new settlers.

Today in History: Well, there doesn't seem to be much that went on today in history that has survived in the archives. The only thing we could find:

Henry J. Lutcher, American business partner and sawmill owner, died

Well, whoever Henry J. Lutcher was, we hoped he lived a good life!

Thanks to Oregon Trail Center and Wikipedia for provided some of the information used in this post.

Come back next week for some good reads on the Oregon Trail!