Lighthouse Unlimited

 

Women on the Oregon Trail 1840-1860

This thesis is written for translators and English language learners, but also for other readers who are interested in gaining knowledge about United States history in general and about the epic overland emigration in particular.

The purpose of this thesis is to describe life on the Oregon Trail, keeping a special focus on women’s role. This includes an analysis of both typically female trail tasks and of women’s personal perception of the transcontinental journey. The study covers the period between approximately 1840 and 1860, that is, the antebellum overland emigration years, coinciding with Oregon’s pre-statehood era.

To introduce the reader to the topic and to provide the necessary background information, the first chapters offer information on the beginning of American westward expansion and on the development of the American frontier in general. In addition, the reader learns about the typical life led by the predominant group of Oregon-bound overland emigrants, that is, Midwestern farm families, prior to the move west. Here again, the main focus lies on women’s status, allowing for a subsequent comparison of their traditional and of their trail-side role.

214 pp., 96 figs., 1 interactive map

Table of Contents

0 Introduction 5

1 The Importance of Cultural Studies in Translation 7

2 Research Methods 9

3 English Colonization in the World 11
3.1 Governmental Interest in Colonization 11
3.2 The First English Colonies in North America 12
3.2.1 Virginia 12
3.2.2 Maryland 13
3.2.3 The New England Colonies 14
3.2.3.1 The Plymouth Colony 14
3.2.3.2 The Massachusetts Bay Colony 14
3.2.3.3 Other New England colonies 16
3.3 Changes in English Colonial Policy 17
3.3.1 The Foundation of the Carolinas 17
3.3.2 New York 18
3.3.3 New Jersey 18
3.3.4 Pennsylvania 19
3.3.5 Georgia 20
3.4 The Development of the American Identity 20
3.5 The French and Indian War and Its Repercussions for Anglo-American Relations 21
3.5.1 The Proclamation of 1763 22
3.5.2 The Road to Revolution 22
3.6 American Revolution 24

4 The History of Westward Expansion in the United States of America 25
4.1 Definition of the Term Frontier in the American Context 25
4.1.1 A Peculiarity of the American Frontier: The Indian Frontier 25
4.1.2 The American Attitude Toward the Indian Frontier 26
4.1.3 Frontier Development and American Social Evolution 26
4.2 A Chronology of the Advance of the Frontier 27
4.2.1 The Great Plains and Their Impact on Westward Expansion 31
4.2.1.1 The myth of the Great American Desert 33
4.2.1.2 The creation of the myth of the Great American Desert 34
4.2.2 The Distinctive Frontier of the Far West 35
4.2.2.1 The United States’ acquisition of the Oregon country 35
4.2.2.2 The Mormons of Utah 41
4.2.2.3 The California goldfields 42
4.2.3 The Settlement of the Great Plains and the Closing of the Frontier 44

5 Overland Emigration 47
5.1. The Physical Environment and Climate of the Pacific Northwest: Then and Now 47
5.1.1 The Willamette Valley: The Heart of Oregon 48
5.1.2 The Cowlitz Valley and the Puget Sound Lowland 53
5.1.3 The Umpqua and Rogue Valleys
5.2 American Attitude Toward overland Emigration up to 1849 55
5.2.1 Emigration Enthusiasts 56
5.2.2 Anti-Emigration Campaigners 59
5.2.3 From Fanciful Stories to Useful Information 61
5.3 American Attitude Toward Overland Emigration During the Gold Rush Aberration and Beyond (1849-1860) 65
5.4 Following in the Wake of Early Explorers, Fur Traders, and Missionaries: The First Emigrant Trails 69
5.5 The Principal Overland Trails 74
5.5.1 The Course of the Oregon Trail 75
5.5.2 Famous landmarks on the Oregon Trail 76
5.5.2.1 Fort Kearny 76
5.5.2.2 Platte River Crossing and Ash Hollow 78
5.5.2.3 Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock 80
5.5.2.4 Chimney Rock 81
5.5.2.5 Scotts Bluff 82
5.5.2.6 Fort Laramie 83
5.5.2.7 Independence Rock 84
5.5.2.8 Devil’s Gate 86
5.5.2.9 South Pass 87
5.5.2.10 Fort Bridger 88
5.5.2.11 Soda Springs 89
5.5.2.12 Fort Hall 91
5.5.2.13 Parting of the Ways (Raft River) 92
5.5.2.14 Fort Boise 92
5.5.2.15 Grande Ronde Valley and Blue Mountain Crossing 93
5.5.2.16 Whitman Mission (Waiilatpu) 96
5.5.2.17 The Dalles 97
5.5.2.18 Fort Vancouver 98

6 Those Who Ventured into the Unknown: The Overland Emigrants and the Homes and Lives They Left Behind 100
6.1 The Midwest 100
6.2 An Outline of Midwestern Geography 102
6.3 The Midwest During the First Half of the Nineteenth Century 104
6.3.1 A Self-Sufficient Rural Economy 104
6.3.2 Life on the Farm: The Natural Cycle 105
6.3.3 Division of labor 106
6.3.3.1 Men’s work 106
6.3.3.2 Women’s work 108
6.3.3.3 Inequality in the division of labor 110

7 Life on the Trail 112
7.1 The Decision to Emigrate 112
7.2 Preparing the 2,000-mile Journey 115
7.2.1 Wagon and Draft Animals 115
7.2.2 Provisions for the Journey 118
7.2.3 Kitchen Inventory 118
7.2.4 Weaponry 119
7.2.5 Home-Manufactured Clothing and Articles 119
7.2.6 Tools and Extra Equipment 123
7.2.7 Various Odds and Ends: A Cumbersome Load 125
7.3 Daily Tasks on the Trail 125
7.3.1 Men’s Work 127
7.3.2 Women’s Work
7.3.2.1 Cooking 131
7.3.2.2 Fuel collection 133
7.3.2.3 “Housework” 134
7.3.2.4 Washing 134
7.3.2.5 Childcare 135
7.3.2.6 Nurse, midwife, and a shoulder to cry on 137
7.3.2.7 An extension of women’s traditional role: Unfeminine chores 138
7.3.3 Different Work Patterns of Men and Women 139
7.4 Trail Hazards 143
8 Women’s Overland Diaries 147
8.1 The Diary of Cecelia Adams and Parthenia Blank 150
8.2 The Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight 153
8.3 Excepts from Women’s Diaries 155

9 Conclusion 197

10 Bibliography 199
10.1 Specialist Books 199
10.2 Internet Sources 200
10.3 Dictionaries and Encyclopedias 203
10.4 Videos 204

11 Table of Figures 204