Ghosts of the Pioneers: A Family Search for the Independent Oregon Colony of 1844 [Hardcover]

Twain Braden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

The author and his family trace the path of an 1840s wagon train, recounting it's unusual participants.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is a wonderful, close-to-the-earth book about the West, that magical place where the best of us met the worst of us and nothing was ever the same.”

—Ken Burns, director and producer of documentary films including The Civil War

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

In the early 1840s, Americans east of the Mississippi were beginning to feel crowded. The forests had all been cleared, and farms and small towns covered the countryside such that most usable land between the Atlantic and the Mississippi River was relegated into what might be described as the 19th century’s version of suburban sprawl.

It was during this time, the pre-Gold Rush era, that an ambitious group of some 300 pioneers set off from St. Joseph, Missouri, headed for Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley. This colony of emigrants included several contrasting figures that embody certain American archetypes: a tight group of well-liked and conscientious leaders, and an irascible and reckless set of dreamers and rogues whose carelessness would lead to one of the most notorious tragedies of the western migration. These men and their families were part of the same wagon train, the Independent Oregon Colony, which departed Missouri in 1844 in search for adventure, equality, and opportunity in a new land.

Neal Gilliam, a former slave chaser who started as leader of the expedition, was soon deposed because of his rash temper and incompetent leadership. He met an untimely death in the Territory shortly after his arrival. Emigrant Henry Sager, a charming yet hasty man, was victim to his own folly of heading west into the harsh territories when he wasn't prepared, lacking the basic conservative instincts to keep himself and his family safe. He was defeated by his fatal flaw—an insatiable thirst for adventure—before he even reached the far side of the Rockies. His wife Naomi died soon after, leaving the seven children in care of the surviving families.

Capt. William “Uncle Billy” Shaw and Capt. Robert Wilson Morrison—and their faithful young sidekick John Minto—became the subsequent leaders of the company. They  proved to be supportive and caring to each of the families, ushering them safely west despite extreme personal hardship and sacrifice. Once arriving safely in Oregon, they delivered the Sager children to a mission for adoption by a white family, in accordance with Henry Sager’s dying wishes. Shaw and Morrison went on to lead successful lives in the Territory, establishing lucrative farms and, in the process, forging the state of Oregon out of the egalitarian principles of their visionary leadership.

In the summer of 2006, between terms of law school, author Twain Braden, his wife Leah Day, and their four children retraced the route of these pioneers, following the Oregon trail in search of emigrant ghosts—along the original ruts formed by their wagons more than 150 years before.

Juxtaposing the story of the Independent Oregon Colony’s arduous journey west with his own modern-day trip, Braden presents a moving and illuminating account of how America became what it is today.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; First Printing edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159921041X
• ISBN-13: 978-1599210414
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,289,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family adventure, October 12, 2007

By 

Nancy V. Day (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghosts of the Pioneers: A Family Search for the Independent Oregon Colony of 1844 (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful intermixing of a contemporary family and a historical account of a journey west following the trail of the early settlers as they traced the path of the 1840 wagon trail to Oregon. It fully recognizes the tragedies and challenges of the early settlers while sharing the humorous adventurous of the struggling efforts of the author's own family. A very good read!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swale of a Tale, October 29, 2007

By 

Daniel Adams "Ne'er do Well" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghosts of the Pioneers: A Family Search for the Independent Oregon Colony of 1844 (Hardcover)

This book manages to smoothly move along several tracks. The historical track captures vividly the amazing
risks taken by families during that brief period of western expansion before the golden spike changed it
forever. The contemporary journey with Braden's family is full of hilarious observations of various things and people found along what's left of the Oregon Trail. The stops in what pass for "campgrounds" and the characters
encountered there made me put down the book to laugh. The third track, which was perhaps the most compelling, was the author's attempt at chasing down and describing some aspect of the American character that still permeates modern living, an ongoing search for deeper resonances than appear on the surface. I was struck by how he managed to conjure up intimations of this in me. Little shadows of epihanies hiding between
the words in this casually told but utterly engrossing tale.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars History fine; contemporary obnoxious, December 27, 2010

By 

Bev L. Royer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghosts of the Pioneers: A Family Search for the Independent Oregon Colony of 1844 (Paperback)

Mr. Braden's account of the historical pioneer trek is interesting when he sticks to the facts (when he gets the facts right, which is not always the case). His post-Freudian commentary is annoying. His reason for reenacting the trek and account of his family is egotistical and shows little knowledge or sympathy with the contemporary West and is typical of an Eastern tourist. Disappointing.