The Oregon Trail

by Francis Parkman

[Front matter]

FRANCIS PARKMAN'S WRITINGS.

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1. The Oregon Trail ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1 vol.

2. The Conspiracy of Pontiac ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   2 vols.

3. France and England in North America.

4. Pioneers of France in the New World ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1 vol.

5. The Jesuits in North America ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1 vol.

6. La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1 vol.

7. The Old Régime in Canada under Louis XIV. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1 vol.

8. Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1 vol.

9. A Half Century of Conflict ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   2 vols.

10. Montcalm and Wolfe ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    2 vols.

 

THE

OREGON TRAIL

SKETCHES

OF

PRAIRIE AND ROCKY-MOUNTAIN LIFE

BY

FRANCIS PARKMAN

COPYRIGHT AUTHOR'S EDITION.

TORONTO:

GEORGE N. MORANG & COMPANY, LIMITED.

1901

 

Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year nineteen hundred and one, by George N. Morang & Company, Limited, at the Department of Agriculture.

 

Toronto
Brown-Searle Printing Co.

TO

THE COMRADE OF A SUMMER

AND

THE FRIEND OF A LIFETIME,

 

Quincy Adams Shaw.

The "Oregon Trail" is the title under which this book first appeared. It was afterwards changed by the publisher, and is now restored to the form in which it originally stood in the Knickerbocker Magazine. As the early editions were printed in my absence, I did not correct the proofs, a process doubly necessary, since the book was written from dictation. The necessary corrections have been made in the present edition.

As of May 2018, the Wikisource transcription of this book is largely from an earlier edition; efforts to align the text with the Fourth Edition are page-by-page, and are ongoing. (Wikisource contributor note)

CONTENTS.

1. CHAPTER

   PAGE

2. Preface to the Fourth Edition ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   ix

3. I.

   The Frontier ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   1

4. II.

   Breaking the Ice ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   10

5. III.

   Fort Leavenworth ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   21

6. IV.

   "Jumping Off" ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   25

7. V.

   The "Big Blue" ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   37

8. VI.

   The Platte and the Desert ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   51

9. VII.

   The Buffalo ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   65

10. VIII.

    Taking French Leave ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    80

11. IX.

    Scenes at Fort Laramie ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    97

12. X.

    The War Parties ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    113

13. XI.

    Scenes at the Camp ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    137

14. XII.

    Ill-luck ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    157

15. XIII.

    Hunting Indians ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    165

16. XIV.

    The Ogillallah Village ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    189

17. XV.

    The Hunting Camp ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    212

18. XVI.

    The Trappers ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    237

19. XVII.

    The Black Hills ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    247

20. XVIII.

    A Mountain Hunt ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    251

21. XIX.

    Passage of the Mountains ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    264

22. XX.

    The Lonely Journey ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    280

23. XXI.

    The Pueblo and Bent's Fort ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    301

24. XXII.

    Tete Rouge, the Volunteer ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    309

25. XXIII.

    Indian Alarms ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    315

26. XXIV.

    The Chase ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    327

27. XXV.

    The Buffalo Camp ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    337

28. XXVI.

    Down the Arkansas ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    354

29. XXVII.

    The Settlements ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

    372

Illustrations

1. The Thunder Fighters Would Take Their Bows and Arrows ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   Frontispiece

2. Fort Laramie and Its Inmates ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

   facing page 97