Wagons ho!

The story of a family moving from Missouri to Oregon in 1846 and now, is told in two parallel journals that invite comparison and contrast. The ways the two families do things both then and now are very different and yet often the same.

In 1846: “Our trip will take five months from May to September. I've heard that some people die on the trail. I hope we survive the journey.”

Now: “We will leave on July 1st. Our trip will take five days, from Monday to Friday. I've never been on the road in a car for five whole days. All that driving—not to mention my brother driving me crazy the whole way. How will I survive?”