Porter, John (University College London)

On The Old Oregon Trail: A Personal Journey Porter, John (University College London)

Follow the pioneers to Oregon! Between 1840 and 1860 three hundred thousand Americans packed their belongings in farm wagons, hitched up their livestock, said goodbye to their families and friends, and set out for the West on the Oregon Trail. William Porter traveled with them in 1848, headed for Oregon in a large family group, including his in-laws and 16 kids, many of them younger than 6. 151 years later, with William's trail diary in hand, John Porter follows their tracks from Pike County, Illinois to the Willamette Valley of Oregon. He brings to life the story of these early emigrants and their times as he drives the route and walks in the ruts of the old trail. Along the way he solves a mystery about the location of the burial place of his great-great-grandfather who died on the trail in 1849. Join him as he tells their story and his of the journey across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to Oregon!