The Oregon Trail: An American Saga (Essay Sample)

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Book review: The Oregon Trail: An American Saga
Book summary
The Oregon Trail an American Saga is written by David Dary and it traces the history and legends that emerged from famous rutted pathway was known as the Oregon Trail. The book looks at the lives of missionaries, pony traders, explorers, fur shoppers, settlers and pony express riders. According to the book, the trail was about 2,000 miles and stretched from independence, Missouri all the way to the shores of the present day Oregon territory. Moreover, there were some travellers who left the trail for other destinations in California, Nevada and present day Utah. Some of the travellers who used the trail were in search of gold, others religious freedom and others good farmland. Through the exhaustive use of the available records and journals, the book presents the reader with an interesting insight into the daily life along the famous trail. These details include hardships, defeats, deaths and successes.
The books looks at the entire history of the trail beginning with its creation in the 1800’s all the way to its rise during the 49 gold rush. Moreover, the book looks at the rapid decline of the Oregon Trail as a result of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The author introduces the reader to the pioneers, fur traders, trail-blazers who were the first people to journey through the Oregon County. At that time, the Oregon county territory was internationally disputed and it included the present day California, Oregon and Washington. The book also details the rising popularity of the Oregon Trail as the promise of adventure and economic problems lead thousands of people board their wagons and move west.
Critical Review
The Oregon Trail is a lovely excursion on the famous Oregon Trail. Despite the fact that the book is not of the same stature as other classics like Bernard De Voto’s The Year of Decision and Francis Parkman’s The California and Oregon Trail, it is an important introduction to the topic. The author’s superb placement of migration on the famous Oregon Trail in a bigger historical context is unique. In the early chapters of the book, David Dary presents crucial background to the happenings that led to the establishment of the trail. Because he concentrates on the years when traffic was heaviest along the trail, he incorporates references to the economic, political and technological developments that were taking in the country at that time.
In the first chapter of the book titled ‘The Exploration of Oregon’, the author takes a look at the Chinooks and other natives who lived in the country before the arrival of the first Europeans (Dary, 3). In doing this, the author follows in the footsteps of some renowned historians like Bernard De Voto and Francis Parkman. From the word go, the author sets to clear two points that are usually confusing to many people concerning the western frontier. Despite the fact that the trail started as a route to Willamette valley in Oregon, it was also used to travel to other places. Although it started as a trail, it later became a famous wagon road with many cutoffs and could have been called ‘The Road’ instead of trail. This is because it was the main overland route from Missouri to the pacific coast.
In the chapter of the book titled, ‘Rebirth of The Trail,’ Dary explains how the Oregon Trail was rediscovered in the twentieth century (Dary, 63). One of the key figures during that revival was Ezra Mccker who travelled on the trail in 1852. He commemorated past trip in 1906 by retracing his journey and marking the trail. His publication of the journey aroused a fascination with the trail in the media, general public, scholars and among politicians. And as is ably demonstrated by Dary, this marked the start of the legendary trail. Throughout the book, Dary enhances his account of the Oregon Trail through the use of clear maps that are strategically placed. He also enhances his account by using one appendix that lists all the historical landmarks and other features associated with the trail.
The author also uses diaries, newspaper stories, journals and expedition reports to good effect. More specifically, the use of the above mentioned materials captures romance and brings out realities of life on the famous trail. Different diary entries, coupled with line drawings, more than 90 photos and maps help spice up the author’s account of the trail. The decline of the trail which is covered in chapter 16 comes too soon for some readers (Dary, 78). However, this is expected because the story is long and needed to be packed in a single volume. As the book comes to a close, the whole picture of the Oregon Trail is rounded in the appendixes which include historic landmarks along the trail. Moreover, the appendi...