The Western Experience
Amaury Acosta
HIS110
October 11, 2015

The Western Experience
Today has just been a horrible day. The closer we get to our destination in Oregon, the more restless I become. We started this journey in Missouri back in November and now we are entering March and the weather has improved finally. I can’t wait to reach our new home place and get settled. I was not thrilled about making this move in the beginning because I had to leave everything behind that meant anything to me. I had to leave my family behind because my parents are not in good health and would not have survived the trip. Many people lost their lives during the trip from the excessive cold weather, diseases, lack of food, and just the pain of having left everything behind (A&E, 2013). Some people just could not handle the trip because it was just too hard. The extreme cold and snow through the winter was more than some people could take (A&E, 2013). This trip down the Oregon Trail was more than most people expected and harder than some could handle.
We did not expect the weather to be this bad because we were moving west. We had thought the weather would be better than the Midwest. I guess I did not take traveling through the Rocky Mountains into account (Fuller, 2013). It was so hard keeping up with the laundry and things in the bitter cold, having to wash those clothes in water that kept my fingers cold and icy! Having to make sure they were near a fire to dry them properly was too much to do on the road. In my own home, it would be different because I could hang them indoors to dry, but out in the elements was too difficult (Fuller, 2013). We will be in our new place in three days and I am so excited now. The thought of setting up a new life in a new part of the world is daunting and exciting at the same time. This journey has tested my endurance, so I am ready to settle down now and begin my new life.
I made many friends during the trip. Many of the other women did not want to make the trip. If it had not been for my friend, Amelia Hadley, I do not think I would be in as good spirit as I am. She was married to Timothy Hadley and had a newborn named Birdie (Triumph & Tragedy, 1999). I was recently married and only six months younger than Amelia. I did not have a child yet so I learned some by helping her with Birdie. I taught her recipes that I knew and learned some from her too. We spent our time cooking for both families together since food supplies had gotten low (Triumph & Tragedy, 1999). Knitting up more warm clothes and cleaning had become part of the daily routine on the trail. Most of the time the men would handle the animals, the hunting, and any problems with the buggies (Fuller, 2013).
The land we were to claim for ourselves, the Oregon Country, had originally belonged to Great Britain, but was later explored for the Lewis and Clark expedition (Fuller, 2013). This land had been through the British, French, Russians, and Spanish before finally becoming America (Fuller, 2013). Hudson’s Bay Company tried to discourage people from settling there because they ran a lucrative fur trade, but later had to concede (Fuller, 2013). The Oregon Treaty defined the boundaries for the Oregon Country in 1846 so I will not have to worry about disputes over land anymore (Fuller, 2013).
The problems with political pressures in the 1844 United States Presidential election pushed the expansion into the West (A&E, 2013). The Democrats wanted people to settle the Western territories and James Polk helped to define the boundary limits (A&E, 2013). I suppose it is a good thing that these things were decided before we started our trip because that would have just meant more moving around for us. Social life in my group consisted of people all pulling together to help each other out because supplies were low (Triumph & Tragedy, 2013). It was just easier and better to work together. We would have campfires at night to keep the predators away and sing songs to pass the time. We grew together as a community before we reached our destination. We were more like family after our trials and tribulations together (Triumph & Tragedy, 1999).
The trip was difficult and at times almost unbearable but it made us stronger and ready to start our life anew. I may have wished for easier times, but the hard times brought us closer together as a community. I will cherish the friendships and memories of this long, arduous journey together.

References
A&E. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-thousand-pioneers-head-west-on-the-oregon-trail
Fuller, E. (2013). Women on the Trail. Retrieved from http://www.historicoregoncity.org/index.php/widgetkit/oregon-trail-history/item/women-on-the-trail
Triumph and Tragedy. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.opb.org/programs/womensvoices/women.html