Freighters and Pilgrims

Freighters and Pilgrims: Two Stories of Western Immigration

In 1865, a young man and a young woman headed west, like thousands of other pioneers. They never met, but they traveled roughly the same path on the Oregon Trail as so many others that summer. This book is actually two books in one: the report of Charles E. Young and his travels to Denver with a freight team, and the daily diary of Sarah Raymond Herndon, who traveled to Montana with a large wagon train.

Charles was only 19 years old when he and two friends decided to see what the west might hold for them. Adventures awaited in the form of mule teams, Indian attacks, blizzards, and treacherous mountain travels. In fact, he entitled his book Dangers of the Trail in 1865.

Sarah was 24 when she and her family joined a wagon train headed for California. They were part of a large party on the Oregon Trail. Their trip west was farily pleasant and peaceful, with only some mild troubles here and there. Eventually, Sarah’s family and several others decided to make Montana their home, so they changed their route.

Both stories are true, firsthand accounts of the trip that so many Americans traveled over many decades of the 19 century to settle the West. These stories are the best way to really learn history! Freighters and Pilgrims is perfect for leisure reading, as well as a great supplement to any history lesson on America’s westward movement.