Oregon Trail

Although geared for a younger audience, I believe adults will enjoy reading this short, little book too. Each page of this 58 page booklet is a story in itself, describing the many perils and more blissful moments which the pioneers encountered along the Oregon Trail. A brief but entertaining and educational read for all ages.

Rugged outdoorsman Rick Steber has compiled 50 of his newspaper columns into a tidy collection for history buffs, simply entitled THE OREGON TRAIL. Just 58 pages, this little gem about westward migration contains facts gleaned from letters, journals and interviews of Oregon emigrants and their descendants. Enchanced by excellent pen and ink sketches by Don Gray, this slim volume is crammed with historical data and real life anecdotes about dozens of brave pioneers, who took the northernmost route to the Pacifc between 1843 until after the Civil War. Such a wide time span provides a variety of Trail experiences. This book is a must-read for elementary children studying westward migration, as well as for anyone contemplating a fictionalized tale about the Oregon Trail. This first volume in Steber's Wild West Series reads as swiftly as an Indian arrow; it includes highjinks and massacres, births and death, courtship and sacrifice. Steber presents it in an easy-to-digest format, as we delve into our past. This was a time of ego and intitiative; these tales emphasize the Human element. I would like to read others in the series, whose titles are: Pacific Coast, Indians, Cowboys, Women of the West, Children's Stories, and Loggers. This series provides handy reference for students of the West, a time in our American history which fascinates people from all over the world.