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Archiver > MIKALKAS > 2002-06 > 1023023136


From: Colleen Pustola <>
Subject: MI-7 SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE
Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2002 07:05:36 -0600


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) Good morning friends! ( \
.-.,--^--. ( Come on in. . . \* )
\\|`----'| - The coffee pot's on. . . .=|=.
\| |// ...and we even have decaf, |~'~|
| |/ tea, and hot chocolate! | |
\ / _|___|_
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Today's topics include:

1. Welcome to new researchers
2. The overland Experience, part 1


TO OUR NEWEST RESEARCHERS ~~

On behalf of the entire list, I'd like to extend a most hearty welcome
to those of you who joined us this past week. We are very glad to have
you with us and hope you'll stay and remain a part of our online
discussion group. As soon as you're comfortable with us and the list,
please send in your list-surname lines so we can all see how we're
related to you. We do not have a fancy format for sending in records or
queries to the list. Post as many as you wish! If the data has anything
to do with our county ancestors that might help someone, please feel
free to post it. Every scrap of information is appreciated.

This Coffee is being circulated to seven Michigan county USGenWeb lists,
hence the MI-7 at the beginning of the Coffee's name. In addition,
three of Michigan's speciality lists are now receiving the Sunday
Morning Coffee, as well. Should more Michigan lists decide they'd also
like the Sunday Coffee, the number in the MI-7 title will increase.
With exception of Delta County, all
participating lists are maintained by Brenda Moore <>.
Delta County list is managed by Barbara Macksey
<>.

Homesite for each of the county lists follows:
Benzie County -
<http://grandtraverseregion.com/benzie/>;;
Webmistress is Brenda Moore <>.
Delta County -
<http://http://grandmastree.com/migenweb/
Webmistress is Barbara Macksey <>
Emmet County -
<http://members.tripod.com/~deemamafred/miemmet.html>;
Webmistress is Denise Frederick <>
Grand Traverse County -
<http://grandtraverseregion.com/grandtraverse/>;;
Webmistress is Brenda Moore <>.
Kalkaska County - <http://grandtraverseregion.com/kalkaska/>;;
Webmistress is Brenda Moore <>.
Leelanau County - <http://grandtraverseregion.com/leelanau/>;;
Webmistress is Brenda Moore <>.
Charlevoix County - <http://www.rootsweb.com/~micharle/charlevx.htm>;;
Webmaster is Ron Fuller <>

The speciality lists do not have home sites.

If you have material or a query you'd like to submit to one of the
sites, or simply a question you need answered regarding your list,
please direct your messages to the appropriate Webmaster/mistress.

Comments regarding the Sunday Morning Coffee however, should be
directed to me at <>.

You're welcome to share this Coffee with your genealogy friends and
relatives. If they are not members of this list and would like to begin
receiving the Coffee, they are now able to. Simply have them send a
blank email to <>.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going to try something a little different this time. The subject of
today's Coffee is so extensive and it's such an important one to nearly
all of us, that I'm only "serving" part of it today, with two or three
more installments to follow. The "Experience" is fictitious, but the
events are not.

THE OVERLAND EXPERIENCE, Part I

Warm weather is here (duh!) and we're a month behind for a (fictional)
permanent move we're about to from ohhhh..... St. Louis, Missouri to
Portland, Oregon (just because it's easier) ~ a distance of 2,044
miles. Now, when we move, plans had to be made; I mean, no family can
just up and move unless they're always prepared for it. As a military
wife, I've had *many* years of moving, so I'll be using my own
experiences for us to make this trip. If you've ever moved, I'm sure
you'll do a lot of relating....

June 2, 2002
We've known for two months that we're moving in June. In April we began
going through our home, sorting through dressers, cabinets, closets,
kitchen drawers to get rid of stuff we no longer use or want. This is
an attempt to "dump weight."

We could have arranged for a packing company to come to our home, pack
our belongings, and move them to Oregon, but we've elected to make this
move ourselves. :) The last time we moved, it was with an estimated
17,000 pounds. We've already arranged for a large rental-truck truck
(air-conditioned, of course) and plunked down a credit card to reserve
it.

We've also begun packing boxes and breaking down the larger pieces of
furniture (like our entertainment unit). It won't be too bad....

We've surfed the Web, went to MapFind (again, fictitious) and gotten a
map showing our route. We'll be going through Topeka, KS; Cheyenne, WY;
Salt Lake City, UT; Boise, ID; then on in to Portland. Estimated
driving time is 34 hours, 38 minutes on the major highways of I-70,
I-71, I-80, and coming in on I-84.

(A thought): Using all those super-highways driving will be a breeze,
but we'll probably run into construction and (ugh!) traffic jams. I
hope there won't be too many; people get so cranky in them, and it seems
that every time we're in one, one of us inevitably needs to make a
pit-stop. The kids get squirmy and begin fighting; even the games and
toys we brought along don't seem to settle them down. Fortunately, for
us, I'll follow behind my husband in our conversion van, and the kids
can watch TV, video tapes, or play Nintendo games. Maybe I can also
bring some soft drinks and snacks stored in the van's refrigerator.
That should help, too.

We've already gone back to see both our families and will call them the
day we begin our trip. And, yesterday I called ahead to our realtor to
make sure s/he's ready for us to look at homes next week.

Our single suitcase is nearly packed. Since the very most it will take
us to get there is four days, even with stops, we just need the one.

Staying in hotels and eating in restaurants is sure going to be a treat
for me ~ like a vacation! I know several of the hotels we'll be staying
at will have swimming pools. It'll be a relaxing end to a weary day
once we stop for the night.

I guess we're all set! We leave in two days! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Westward movement in the United States has been a continual and
progressive one. By the 1760s, settlers had moved into the Appalachian
Mountains from the far eastern lands. Nearly 30 years later, by 1783,
settlement had reached as far as the Mississippi River. During the
early 1800s, pioneers began claiming fertile areas of land beyond the
Mississippi.

In the 1840's, Americans believed that the western part of the continent
should belong to the United States. One writer said it was the
"Manifest Destiny", or fate, of the United States to take over all the
land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. By 1848 the United States
had acquired official title to the contigous land stretching westward to
the Pacific, south to the Rio Grande, and north to the 49th parallel.
Americans had long since explored and settled in many of these areas,
but legitimate possession created a driving force for development that
began to crystallize as other events brought a greater influx of people
to the West. The religious persecution of the Mormons had led them to
begin their migration westward by this time. The discovery of gold would
soon draw thousands more across the country. Beginning in 1843, wagon
trains set out for Oregon each summer from settlements along the
Missouri River.

May 15, 1853
Nearly 7,500 people have moved to Oregon this year; we'll be part of
them. We should have left with the wagon train in April; I hope we will
make it before the snows set in. Our wagonmaster says we'll be okay if
we get to Independence and leave there in the next week. It's supposed
to take us about six months to get Oregon. We are to start out in
Independence and go past Chimney rock, Nebraska. From there the trail
crosses the southwest tip of Wyoming and into the southern part of
Idaho. The trail ends up in the northwest corner of Oregon.

My husband just showed me the following paper that he was given from the
wagonmaster:

GREETINGS TO THE SETTLERS

Before we begin, permit me to offer you these Words of Friendly Caution!

1. Keep on the well-worn trails along the river. Don't try new
"cut-offs" and "short cuts."
2. Don't hurry your stock. Take it slowly and you will get through
before those who hurry up.
3. Don't load too heavy at the beginning.
4. Supply yourself with a fair stock of vegetables, dried fruits,
acids, pickles, etc. and use freely on the road. Let each wagon be
supplied with some good cathartic, tonic and heating medicines.
5. Don't carry loaded guns. You won't have time to hunt, and you
needn't expect trouble from the Indians unless you go looking for it.
6. Be careful crossing rivers and streams. Many careless emigrants
drown each season.
7. Drink water from flowing streams. That includes the Platte. The
Platte water may be "too thick to chew and too thin to plow," but it is
healthy. The mud can be settled out and the "wrigglers" removed by
straining through a cloth. Do not drink from trailside wells. The are
filled with disease!
8. Don't pass up the chance to camp where there is good feed and water,
even though it is but the middle of the afternoon.
9. Be prepared to travel in a crowd. with dust, noise, confusion, and
crowded campgrounds.
10. Watch the stock faithfully at night; and don't travel on the
Sabbath!
In conclusion, we would say to all who go West, especially to the young,
YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION. Carry your principles with you; leave not your
character at home, nor your Bible. You will need them both and even
grace from above to protect you."

I'm very nervous and very excited about this move. I've never been
away from home before; we were married in Indiana, our five children
were born there, and both our families are there. But my husband feels
we can make a better life for ourselves in Oregon, where the land is
fertile and lumber to rebuild is plentiful. We've been away from our
families for three weeks now; I miss them dreadfully and don't believe
I'll ever see any of them again.

We sold nearly everything we owned, including our farm, to raise the
money for the wagon, supplies and animals to make this trip; we're
nearly out of money again. We have just enough left to buy a parcel of
land. Luckily, I was able to keep my piano and grandfather clock. From
a list the wagonmaster gave us, we're now carrying the following
provisions, enough for a party of seven:

1 wagon...........$ 90.00
4 oxen & 4 yokes... 400.00

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT..... 300 pounds
3 oxbows mallet
screws, 3 dozen saw
shingle nails, 2 lbs. axe
hammer augers
spade wrench
draw knife pocket knife
screwdriver ox shoes
blacksmith tools spokes
tar bucket tent
wagon tongue rope chains, 2

FOOD
flour, 1080 lbs........$ 20.00........1080 pounds
rice, 75 lbs............ 3.75........ 75 pounds
biscuit, 120 lbs........ 3.60........ 120 pounds
bacon, 600 lbs.......... 30.00........ 600 pounds
pickles, 30 gals........ 3.50........ 50 pounds
coffee, 100 lbs......... 8.00........ 100 pounds
tea, 5 lbs.............. 2.75........ 5 pounds
sugar, 100 lbs.......... 10.00........ 100 pounds
lard, 200 lbs........... 12.00........ 200 pounds
beans, 200 lbs.......... 16.00........ 200 pounds
dried fruit, 120 lbs.... 28.80........ 120 pounds
salt, 40 lbs............ 1.60........ 40 pounds
pepper, 8 lbs........... .32........ 8 pounds
saleratus*, 10 lbs...... 1.00........ 10 pounds
whiskey, 1 keg.......... 5.00........ 25 pounds

*baking soda

WEAPONS
rifle or musket........$ 30.00........ 10 pounds
pistols, 2.............. 30.00........ 10 pounds
powder, 5 lbs........... 1.25........ 5 pounds
lead, 30 lbs............ 1.60........ 15 pounds
shot, 10 lbs............ 1.00........ 10 pounds

HOUSEHOLD GOODS
matches................$ 1.00........ 1 pound
4 fish hooks & line.... 1.00........ 1 pounds
cooking & eating
utensils, ...... 20.00........ 25 pounds
candles & soap,
100 lbs from home.............. 100 pounds
bedding, 60 lbs,
from home...................... 60 pounds
sewing kit & cloth, 10 lbs,
from home...................... 10 pounds
clothing,
from home...................... 100 pounds
washboard,
from home...................... 3 pounds
piano, from home....................... 300 pounds
grandfather clock,
from home..................... 225 pounds
schoolbooks, bible,
photographs, medicine......... 8 pounds

We also have several head of cattle and sheep to supply milk. We'll be
able to use them once our trip is over.

Our bacon is stored in sacks, each containing 100 pounds. In case of
high heat, it is recommended the sacks be placed in boxes surrounded by
bran to prevent the fat from melting. The flour is in double canvas
sacks, one hundred pounds per sack.

I found out earlier today that prices in Independence are much higher
because that will be our last contact with "civilization," and it will
be our last chance to purchase goods. I'm sure there are places along
the trail where we can buy more of what we may need; the prices will be
extremely high, though.

Our wagon, called a "Prairie Schooner," looks very full and very
heavy. It really isn't a large wagon like the Conestoga, but it is
supposed to travel the trail much better. Prairie Schooners are so
called because people say they look like ships sailing slowly across the
green prairie. It measures 4' wide and 12' long; with its tongue and
neck yoke attached, its length doubles to about 23'. Hardwood bows hold
up the heavy, brown bonnet, making the schooner about 10' tall. It has
a wheelbase of over 5' wide. Yesterday my husband rubbed oil on the
canvas to make it waterproof. The wagon weighs 1,300 pounds empty.
The wagon box, or bed, is 2-1/2' deep. If necessary, with a bit of tar,
we can easily render it watertight and float across slow-moving rivers.
The side boards are beveled outwards to keep rain from coming in under
the edges of the bonnet and also help keep out river water.

A jockey box is attached to the side of our wagon. In it are extra iron
bolts, linch pins, skeins, nails, hoop iron, a variety of tools, and a
jack. Also on the sides of our wagon are the water barrels, a butter
churn, our shovel and axe, the tar bucket, and a feed trough for the
livestock.

Inside the wagon are many hook that hang from the wooden bonnet hoops.
>From them I am hanging weapons, clothes, milk cans, and anything else I
can safely put on them.

The wagonmaster has told me I have too much for our wagon! He says I
should leave the piano and clock here, that I need to trim the wagon's
load to 2,500 pounds. No, I don't think I will do that. These are the
only treasures from Indiana that I have; I don't want to give them up.
With the whole family walking, maybe once we get moving, the weight
won't bother the oxen and there won't be any problems.

Next week: On the trail after leaving Independence

It's family ... and that's what we're all about.

To those list members with June birthdays, you are wished a very happy
and special day!

I so enjoyed spending this time with you today. Thank you for sharing
it with me. I wish each of you a week filled with health, productivity,
fun, and above all, filled with love and inner peace.


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_.-~~-.
(@\'--'/. Colleen
('``.__.'`)
`..____.'

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