Chapter One
Oregon Trial
Wyoming Territory -- 1860
The trail had been long and hard in the three months since leaving Independence, Missouri. For weeks, no rain came, baking the ground into rutted cracks. The lack of rain had brought once flourishing streams to slow muddy trickles. Late June had turned hot and muggy with the forecast for July bearing no sign of relief.
It meant hardship for the settlers crossing the buffalo plains west. Stock succumbed to heat exhaustion and death from the broiling sun and too little water. But as greener pastures beckoned promises of a better life outside the crowded eastern cities and the ever-present threat of war, the settlers flocked westward in droves by wagon train, searching for a better life.
Amongst the westward bound settlers was the Gillen family. Fleeing the strained politics of the east and the threat of Virginia's succession from the states, Charles Gillen sold his farm and lumber mill, packed his family up and headed for the lumberyards in Oregon Territory, where he'd accepted a position as a logging foreman, much to the dismay of his young daughters.
Sixteen-year-old Samantha with pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes objected heavily. How could she leave her beau when surely he would ask for her hand in marriage and what of her friends? She'd miss the cotillion planned for the following month, and all of the Independence Day celebrations as well. Several of her suitors had already asked her to the Independence Ball, and she already had her dress!
On the other hand, eighteen-year-old Ione with flame colored tresses and brilliant green eyes didn't seem to mind the sojourn west. Although she'd become a governess for a wealthy family who owned a magnificent antebellum plantation, she knew nothing could hold her in Virginia since a stampeding horse had trampled her fiancé to death. She relished the chance to get away from her sorrow and start over in a new place. The west was full of men. She'd been told they outnumbered the women three to one. Perhaps she'd meet one in Oregon. Allowing her thoughts to wonder, she pictured the kind of man she would meet. He would be tall and handsome, also strong and brave, yet gentle and sensitive to her needs. Yes, surely such a paragon of men existed, just as her fiancé Seth had. That man had to be out there somewhere.
Ione picked up a small looking glass, taking in her reflection. She was young and beautiful. She'd never had a problem attracting suitors. They flocked to her like bees to honey, but once she met Seth, she had set her heart on him. He was everything that she ever could have wanted; the only thing about him she didn't like was his twin brother, Samuel, who sent shivers racing along her spine every time she thought of him. Ione didn't like the way her leered at her so openly. It made it hard to believe that the two were brothers. They were such opposites. She sighed heavily. Moving west would be an adventure, she surmised heartily. It would be the very thing she needed.
As the wagon hit another bump, Ione recalled their journey thus far. She thought back to the day they packed their two wagons, taking only what was essential and hitching up the team of oxen. Spare horses and a milk cow plodded docilely behind the two wagons. Her hopes had been high as they pulled out. Upon leaving Virginia, they crossed Tennessee and headed down into Missouri where Charles hoped to meet up with other settlers going west. He knew joining a wagon train would provide safety, companionship, and strength in numbers.
Upon reaching Independence, they came upon a small organized wagon train headed to Oregon Territory via the Oregon Trail. Charles immediately sought out the wagon master and inquired about joining up. Once permission was granted, the older Gillen returned to his family and followed the wagon master's orders, lining up at rear of the convoy, ten wagons back from the front.
Ione groaned as the rutted trail rocked the wagon her younger brother was driving, still thinking about the trip thus far. Although the trail had been rough and hardships occurred, the many families banded together to help each other. When an ox died due to the scorching heat, another family offered a replacement from their extra stock to the family in need. Snakebites, broken wagon wheels and dehydration plagued the train as they valiantly trudged across the plains. An elderly man succumbed to a heart attack while a young boy fell prey a hungry cougar.
Finally the wagon train reached Wyoming and the cooler mountain passes brought a measure of relief the weary sun beat travelers.
Soon the rains came, drenching downpours that plundered the dry earth and sent rivers of mud and muck racing over once parched ground. Streams swelled quickly, their saturated banks unable to withhold the rising waters. The wagon train halted at the raging Green River. The imminent threat of severe flash flooding turned the placid meandering wagon train of westward bound travelers into a chaotic mix of racing horses, livestock and the settlers hell bent on controlling them. Amongst the turmoil, Charles and Mariana discovered a less treacherous crossing, thus finding themselves separated from the rest of the fellow travelers and on a lonely well-hidden trail.
Although he'd hoped to find the main trail he'd so foolishly left, Charles traveled further off course and deeper into Crow hunting grounds, unaware of the danger they faced. He soon came to realize that he would not find the other settlers if he stayed on this trail.
And as they made camp for the night, Ione helped her mother with supper while her father hunted for fresh meat. John, Henry and Andrew, Ione's three younger brothers and the lovely Samantha occupied themselves with feeding the livestock. As she went looking for berries and nuts to supplement their diet of salt pork, beans and cornmeal, Ione found a secluded waterfall. How beautiful and inviting it looked, she thought. She longed to take real bath for once instead of the sponge baths she took within the cramped confines of the wagon. She would come back the next day before they broke camp to bathe. Yes, she sighed, she would return to the waterfall for a most sought after bath before her father headed their wagons onto the dusty trail in hopes of locating the rest of the train.
She clutched her wide calico apron, bundling it in front of her as she filled it with sweet succulent black raspberries and stared out into the crashing waters. Her thoughts roamed and one person came to mind. She thought of the friend she'd made while traveling across the plains and if she'd ever see her again. Silvery blond hair and beguiling blue-eyed seventeen-year-old Tessa Bennett had most of the single men on the train lining up at her family's wagon to help in any way possible just to gain her favor. Ione and Tessa became fast friends, nevertheless. Ione wished she knew where Tessa was or even if she was alive. She prayed her father would soon catch up with the rest of the wagon train. Being alone without the safety of the whole train made her somewhat uneasy. She knew there had been signs of wild Indians sighted, but none in the flesh. A shiver coursed through her at the thought of coming face to face with a savage. She'd read stories in the eastern newspapers of settlers being murdered, the farms burned to the ground, their horses and livestock stolen by the heathen Indians who inhabited this wild land.
It was best not to think of it. She pushed the thoughts from her head as she heard her father call her name. She knew she should get back to camp before he thought some ill had befallen her. Dutifully she made her way back and presented the berries she had found to her mother.
"Those will surely make a delicious cobbler!" The red haired woman exclaimed heartily. "Your father will be pleased."
"Yes, mama, he will. It'll be a welcome change from the normal fare we've eaten. I am so tired of beans and cornbread. I hope papa brings back some fresh meat... a deer or a rabbit even. I think I'd even be happy with squirrel. A good hearty stew would taste divine and the cobbler would make the meal that much more special," Ione chirped as she sat down to help her mother, who hummed a happy church hymn.
"Mama, do you think we'll catch up with the rest of the wagon train?"
