#virtualoregontrail May 9-15, 1845 Romance on the trail - A Wedding

Continuing with the diary of James Field:

Frid. 9. – This morning the pilot informs us that the divide we were following yesterday was one leading into a pocket in the Nimeha and its branches, into which the emigration company got last year, and from which it took them two weeks to disentangle themselves, being that time in making only four miles direct travel. Their wheel-tracks were imprinted all over the prairie, and in all directions, and this helped discomfit our pilot. To-day we crossed the creek we had camped upon, and went about 16 miles in a direction a little west of south, and camped on a branch of the Nimeha again. Our course previous to this had been north of west, and, for the last day, nearly north, in order to head Wolf river, which heads near the great bend in the Nimeha before spoken of, and, in order to shun which, it is necessary to turn at a very sort angle after heading Wolf river. 

Photo from Flickr CC Public Domain

Sat. 10. – Went 12 miles, nearly the same course as yesterday, and camped on another branch of the Nimeha. Just as we were entering camp, saw 3 antelope, the first game of any size since leaving the Missouri, although for the past few days we have found buck and elk horns on the prairie, frequently. An incident occurred last Wednesday night which I omitted to note, and, this being Saturday night, I will here mention it, to bring the week square. It was nothing less than the marriage of a romantic girl of 13, name Miss Packwood, to her father’s teamster, Mike Wanck, a kind of New York Dutchman, of no very prepossessing appearance or manners, and, I presume, he was to her a perfect stranger a short time since. 

Sund. 11. – Went about 17 miles to-day, and camped upon the east fork of the Nimeha. The grass, which for 2 or 3 days has been getting worse, is now so short it is difficult for our oxen to fill themselves. This is owing to no lack of soil, but to drought and frost. 

Mon. 12. – To-day went about 6 miles, crossing both forks of the Nimeha, and camping near the west one. A meeting was here called to decide whether our pilot, who had been employed only to pilot us to Burnet’s trace, as the road from Independence to Ft. Larimie is called, and who now informed us we were within 4 miles of it, should now be employed to go on the Fort Larimie with us or not. He had been employed to Burnet’s trace for $30, and we now engaged him to go on with us for $100 more to Fort Larimie, which sum was raised by voluntary subscription. – There had also been some dissatisfaction in camp about the conduct of the captain for some days past, and the manner he enforced the regulations of the camp, or rather the neglect of all regulations. He now offered to resign the moment a majority named another captain, and made another grandiloquent speech on the subjects of the frailties of human nature, the beauties of democracy, and the majesty of the sovereign people; and was followed by Fred Waymire – they two being the only orators of our camp – the latter entering into a learned disquisition upon the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness without a pilot, the necessity of harmony in our camp, and what high living, salmon, and bacon would be in Oregon. A call being then make, no other candidate was offered for captain, and the meeting adjourned, after ordering the captain and committee of safety to draft a set of camp regulations. 

Tues. 13. – Went nine miles to-day, crossing the Big Blue, and camping upon it near the ford. About 4 miles from our yesterday’s camp we struck the road from Fort Laramie to Independence, 150 miles from the latter place, and near some high Indian mounds on our left. We saw the camping place of last year’s emigration company, near the ford, and they appear to have lain there several days, from the number of trees cut. I understood that a part of them encamped on the far side of the river the evening they arrived at it, and it arose during the night, thus dividing the company, as the part on the left bank had to remain some days before crossing. There were names cut upon some trees, with the date, June 10th, 1844. We are nearly a month ahead of last year’s company, according to that, and the first on the trail this year, as is evident from its appearance. 

Wed. 14. – We lay in camp to-day, in order to give the women a chance to wash up a little, and some of the wagons also stood in need of slight repairs, which were made. Toward evening a small company of 30 wagons from Independence camped within 2 miles of our rear, and they inform us that the main company from that point is only 2 days’ march in their rear. 

Thurs. 15. – Went about 16 miles; crossed the Republican fork of the Kanzas, and camped near its right bank. This evening we hear that the company we passed on Mosquito creek is intending to occupy the camp this evening that we left this morning, being within a day’s travel of us. 

From “The Diary of James Field” Willamette Farmer (Portland, OR, Fridays: April 18 – August 1, 1879). 

 18 Apr 1879 (April 16, 1845-May 27) 

https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042522/1879-04-18/ed-1/seq-3/