Transcript A Covered Wagon Girl

A COVERED WAGON GIRL
The Diary of Sallie Hester, 1849-1850
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On March 20, 1849 Sallie Hester and her family
began the journey from Indiana to California. Sallie
was 14 years old at the time and was among
350,000 pioneers making the trip from the eastern
United States between 1841 and 1866 to western
territories.

The pioneers believed life would be better out
West. Some left the east because of
overcrowding, some left for a healthier climate, and
some in search of Gold.

Sallie Hester’s father was a successful lawyer in
Bloomington, Indiana. The family lived
comfortably but Mrs. Hester was ill and Mr.
Hester hoped that her health would improve in
the warm climate of the California territory.

The Hester's sold many of their belongings with
only the necessary items packed into two
covered wagons.
*Normally pioneers would take only the
necessities, such as: clothes, food, seeds,
tools, guns, and plows.

The Hester’s joined 48 other wagons to form
a wagon train. Wagon trains travelled
together to help one another survive the long
and sometimes dangerous journey.

Not all pioneers survived the journey.
 They
sometimes ran out of food
 Members became too weak
 Some became ill and died
 Difficult weather forced travelers to turn back.

The Hester's traveled 2,000 miles along the
Oregon-California trail.

Their were many hardships
 Crossing
dangerous rivers and deserts
 They often went without food or water
 Some died of disease
 Some died from drowning in fast moving rivers

Fourteen year old, Sallie Hester wrote about
her families adventure on the OregonCalifornia Trail. Her journal describes what
life was like for the average traveler of the
time.

www.oregontrailcenter