Personal Journal of: Claire Baker-Frankfurter, Irish Immigrant

By: EK

Carzola 7th period

On The Move Journal

The snow has finally melted from our home in New York

City, New York. Which means it is time to finish preparing the wagon and head West! My family (husband, me and my sister en law who is 12 years old, plus my soon to be born baby) are packing up our whole lives and heading to Napa Valley, California.

Heading West will give my family very many new opportunities for our new life! I made sure we have everything we need for our long 2,000 miles journey. I’m very excited about our new life but, I am very afraid I will have to give birth on the trail and also I have to be very cautious with my 12 year old sister en law which I have to now take care of and keep her safe.

Journal Entry #1March 8th,1849

The wagon we use

to travel to our new home in California. Although it is small we manage to pack all of our most prized possessions into the little thing!

Journal Entry #2March 9th, 1849

We have arrived in St. Louis the gateway to the West. It’s

been 871 miles since we have left our tiny home in New York and we still have 2,000 more miles to go and with no shoes our feet we really be sore! I still keep reminding myself that safety is my top priority with my baby and sister en law! Although my husband tries to help with the kid he doesn’t do very well with girls and their emotions, I am glad we’re having a boy. So he can be a better dad with our newest family member!

St Louis is a beautiful city I can see why it’s the gateway to the West. After resting for about 3 hours we make sure the wagon is fully stocked and prepare ourselves for the long 2,000 miles left in our journey!

Journal Entry #3March 14th,1849

My family

passing through St. Luis, and going through the town Independence. This is the town where we stocked up on supplies before we headed West!

Journal Entry #4 March 21st, 1845

Journal Entry #5

March 22nd, 1845

where we have traveled

where we are headed

We arrive in Nebraska and plan to make a stop for a little

rest and restock on supplies. We pass by Courthouse Rock and my husband must stop to see the geological features that the amazing rock beholds. Since my husband is a pioneer he’s been waiting his whole life to see a feature so breathtaking in his life! My sister en law is so curious about everything and keeps asking when we will reach our new home. I can feel the baby kicking at night awaiting to come out and see his new home.

I know that as we continue to head West I am positive that there is a river or lake coming up soon because every emigrant will have to face the life taking monster. I am so frightened to face the rivers and keep my whole family alive as we try our best to safely cross the river.

Journal Entry #6April 12th, 1849

Today was the day I have feared this whole journey although, I knew

we would have to overcome this obsticale somehow, my fear has come alive by trying to cross the monster of the snake river. With it’s twists and raging currents there’s no way we can easily make it across with our wagon. As I look across I can see the river roar and rage with anger inside, the water white and blue showing the treacherous dangers in holds buried deep in it’s soul.

First my husband goes and helps with the wagon. As I turn I can see the terrified look in my sister en laws little eyes. She’s petrified and wants to get across. I turn around and my husband is grasping for breath I help him up but the currents are trying to take his life! I have to safe him, I pull him and we continue across this trecherous river and grasp for the sake of our lives. We manage to make it across and so amazed that we all lived through that terrible and frightening river! Now onward we go, hoping nothing else comes in our way.

Journal Entry #7April 21st, 1849

My family and

several others trying to cross the monster of this River. The Snake River in Idaho. Crossing this river is the most dangerous part of our whole journey.

Journal Entry #8April 21st, 1849

As we are walking along the trail my sister en law

spots something peculiar hiding in the bushes. I think it’s an Indian, I tell him to come out and he asks us to trade our muskets for some rabbit for dinner since we have had no luck of catching food. They seem very nice so my husband invites them along with us! Although, I have a very weird feeling about these Cheyenne Indians. They are very optimistic about trading with us but I have a feeling that they will suddenly turn on us!

Journal Entry #9May 29th, 1849

Today we reached

the Southpass, the one point where you know you’re officially halfway towards the end of your journey! It’s so relieving to know we only have a little ways to travel.

Journal Entry #10June 1st, 1849

A few days pass and food is getting scarce, the Indians

seem to be getting anxious about lack of food. As my husband goes out to search for food, I turn and one of the Indians is trying to attack me! I scream as loud as I can and I can feel the air leaving my body I know my husband must make the decision to decide whether to kill him or just injure him. Then suddenly, I hear a gun shot and as I turn I see the Indian hit the floor, I run to my husband and hug him for he just saved my life!

Being attacked by those Indians made me realize that no one along this journey is your friend besides your family. Because my family’s health and safety is now my top priority along the trail!

Journal Entry #11June 2nd, 1849

My husband,

sister en law, and myself, also our dog, in Idaho near the “Craters of the Moon.”

Journal Entry #12June 7th, 1849

Journal Entry #13

June 14th, 1849

My husband looking at the storm clouds rolling in. I think we will end up having to stay here for a while because of weather conditions.

As we our traveling along to California we have

to stop for about a day or two because I continuously kept hearing pounding on the wagon. I get out and I can fell the wind and then pounding rain. After about an hour it starts to hail, pellets are about the size of apples! It’s very loud and hard to get back on the trail because of the extreme weather!

The weather clears in a day or so and as soon as we’re sure there’s no more bad weather, we head back for the trail to our new home in the West.

Journal Entry #14June 18th, 1849

I woke up this morning with a terrible headache and intense

stomach pains, I thought it was cholera: a severally deadly disease with stomach pains and a fever. But the stomach pains would come and go every few minutes, then I suddenly could feel that my baby boy wanted out! We had to pull the wagon over because I'm getting the sweats and the stomach pains are getting worse and less of a time span in between each! Minutes later I feel like I'm about to die from this pain, I give one last push and I hear a little cry and then I see my husband holding our beautiful baby boy!

Our little boy, Alexander Frankfurter was born along the Oregon Trail on June 23rd ,1849. Although the pain was excruciating I am glad my baby was born along this exciting journey!

Journal Entry #15June 23rd, 1849

My beautiful

baby boy Alexander Frankfurter sleeping peacefully in our wagon while we head to our new home in the West.

Journal Entry #16June 30th, 1849

The days seem to be moving faster and I swear I

can feel the California breeze brushing along my face. We haven’t had very many other difficulties so far but I cannot wait to arrive in the Great West. I know we must be getting closer and I am so excited for the new home my family and I will share!

Although I know we only have a little ways to go, my sister en law keeps constantly asking when we will be at our new home! She has all these questions about where we are going and what’s it like. I usually have to tell her that you’ll just have to wait and see!

Journal Entry #17July 12th,1849

We have reached

Nevada and I know we are almost there, I can feel it! As we pass through we stop by High Rock Canyon so my husband can view the rock sculpture and shape. The geographical region is amazing, great place to start a family!

Journal Entry #18July 27th,1849

The day has finally arrived, we are now in

California! We are anxiously heading to our farm in Napa Valley, California and we all are so excited to see what this new life holds in the future. My sister en law finally stopped asking when we will be there because she now knows that we are in California.

My husband and I are very relieved that we have made it through this whole trip together as a family! Because I know some families suffered tragic losses while on the Oregon Trail. I am so grateful we all made it through and we welcomed a new baby into our lives!

Journal Entry #19August 16th,1849

As we pass

through on the road to our new farm we notice oil drills and lots of miners. Many people decided to start new lives in the Great West. Just like my family decided to live in California!

Journal Entry #20August 20th,1849

We arrived at our beautiful and big farm here in Napa

Valley, California, after such a long journey it’s nice to finally call a place “home.” Both myself and my husband love the new state we decided to start our lives in! The land here is plentiful and is a great place to start a farm.

California has great weather, lots of available land, great job opportunities for my family, very friendly people, it’s always sunny, beautiful beaches, all in all it is a great place to move to! I think that our life here will be very good, we will have good jobs, and a good life, and we will have great things ahead in the future. I also think that my family will just blossom and become one in our new home! I am so excited to see what the future holds here in the Great West!

Journal Entry #21August 29th,1849

Journal Entry #22

August 30th,1849

My beautiful farm in Napa Valley, California. All of my family loves living the farm life because in New York it was so tight packed and now in California we have our own farm and even an abundance of land too! I know that we have a bright future ahead of us here in California.

Journal Entry #5 Picture: http://

www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/united_states/us_terr_1810.jpg Journal Entry #12 Picture:

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/30/3031/JDVBF00Z/posters/pioneer-family-moving-west-in-a-covered-wagon-1840s.jpg

Journal Entry #16 Picture: http://tfreephotography.com/tag/newborn-photographer-omaha/

Journal Entry #2 and #8 Picture: http://www.readinessresources.com/ Journal Entry #4 Picture: http://www.america101.us/trail/independence.html Journal Entry #10 Picture: http://www.america101.us/trail/Southpass.html Journal Entry #22 Picture:

http://napavalleyphotoblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/napa-valley-in-black-and-white.html Journal Entry #22 Picture: http://stliving.com/?p=1216 Journal Entry #13 Picture:

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Conestoga_wagon Journal Entry #18 Picture:

http://www.nevadawilderness.org/items/enews/09_0710_for_web.html

URL for Pictures

Boettcher, Steve. "The Oregon Trail." All About the Oregon Trail. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb 2013.

<http://www.america101.us/trail/Oregontrail.html>.

"Oregon Trail." Hardships . Think Quest, n.d. Web. 14 Feb 2013.

<http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210182/hardships.html>.

"OTCC Interpretive Kiosk." Snake River Oregon Trail. N.p.. Web. 18 Feb 2013.

<http://tomlaidlaw.com/otkiosks/snake.html >.

. "WestWard Exapansion." Mu Ethemes. University of Missouri. Web. 19 Feb 2013.

<http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/864>.

. "National Expansion and Reform." Library of Congress . Library of Congress (Government). Web.

19 Feb 2013. <http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/

presentations/timeline/expref/oregtral/>.

. "This Day in History." A thousand pioneers head West on the Oregon Trail. History Channel, n.d.

Web. 20 Feb 2013. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-thousand-pioneers-head-west-on-

the-oregon-trail>.

Bibliography