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24th out of 108 books
—
98 voters
The Oregon Trail
Keen observations and a graphic style characterize the author's remarkable record of a vanishing frontier. Detailed accounts of the hardships experienced while traveling across mountains and prairies; vibrant portraits of emigrants and Western wildlife; and vivid descriptions of Indian life and culture. A classic of American frontier literature.
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
November 15th 2002
by Dover Publications
(first published 1847)
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Decidedly purple. I did the trail myself and I have the bruises to show for it. Someone had told me there were no cockroaches in Seattle. NOT TRUE. they are real and they are disgusting. You will find them downtown and in Bellevue, in Pioneer Square, too. But that's because of the generally down and out low lifers. Normally they are not there. Drugs aplenty, addicts everywhere. God save Pill Hill from eternal clean-up efforts. Cockroaches living cockroach existences. One day, during a relentless...more
Feb 11, 2013
Rajjib
added it
The Oregon Trail
by Francis Parkman
অরিগনের পথে
ফ্রান্সিস পার্কম্যান
দেশটি বদলে যাচ্ছে প্রতিদিন। আমাদের পেছনে বিশাল, ওষর মরুভূমি, শুকনো ঘাসে ভরা। সামনে চোখজুড়ানো সবুজ সমভূমি, গাছে ফুল ফুটে আছে। মোষের বদলে অসংখ্য প্রেইরী মুরগি চোখে পড়ল। ডজনখানেক মুরগি ধরে ঝোলায় পুরে নিলাম রাস্তা থেকে না নেমেই।
তিন-চার দিন বাদে কাউন্সিল গ্রোভে পৌছে গেলাম। এ যেন নতুন এক অভিজ্ঞতা। মনে হলো মহাকায় অ্যাশ, ওক, এলম, হিকরি এবং ম্যাপল গাছের খিলানের নিচ দিয়ে চলছি। সবগুলো গাছে আঙুরলতা ঝুলছে, ফলে ভর্তি। জঙ্গল অদ্ভুত নীরব। আমাদের...more
by Francis Parkman
অরিগনের পথে
ফ্রান্সিস পার্কম্যান
দেশটি বদলে যাচ্ছে প্রতিদিন। আমাদের পেছনে বিশাল, ওষর মরুভূমি, শুকনো ঘাসে ভরা। সামনে চোখজুড়ানো সবুজ সমভূমি, গাছে ফুল ফুটে আছে। মোষের বদলে অসংখ্য প্রেইরী মুরগি চোখে পড়ল। ডজনখানেক মুরগি ধরে ঝোলায় পুরে নিলাম রাস্তা থেকে না নেমেই।
তিন-চার দিন বাদে কাউন্সিল গ্রোভে পৌছে গেলাম। এ যেন নতুন এক অভিজ্ঞতা। মনে হলো মহাকায় অ্যাশ, ওক, এলম, হিকরি এবং ম্যাপল গাছের খিলানের নিচ দিয়ে চলছি। সবগুলো গাছে আঙুরলতা ঝুলছে, ফলে ভর্তি। জঙ্গল অদ্ভুত নীরব। আমাদের...more
This was a historically accurate account of the very first group of settlers who crossed the prairies from Missouri to Oregon, creating the Oregon Trail. It followed the life of a (fictional, I believe) widow who had her own wagon and hired a man to help her do the trip, in order to be a school teacher in Oregon. There were a lot of fascinating things in the account, but none that I hadn't read previously in other books like this. The story was well-told.
Here were the reasons I didn't give it mo...more
Here were the reasons I didn't give it mo...more
Oct 10, 2012
Thom Swennes
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all interested in the US western expansion
The title of this narrative is somewhat ambiguous as in the author’s own words the primary goal of this account is to relay the life and customs of the plains Indians. One would imagine that the title would indicate that the author actually went to Oregon, which he didn’t. He undertook this westward trek in an attempt to satisfy his curiosity as at the time he couldn’t find reliable published references at the time. This book was first published in 1849 and describes the sights, difficulties and...more
In my little book reviews I’m always coming back to this idea of sympathetic imagination. Sympathetic imagination, for me, is the ability to put oneself in another person’s place, to imaginatively enter into someone else’s mind and perspective. Exercising sympathetic imagination means withholding judgment, extending charity, allowing – either by stepping forward or by not retreating – the gap that separates us from others to close at least a little bit. It’s the stuff of cliché (walking in anoth...more
I was disappointed in this book. I had highly anticipated reading this book for several years. I had the impression it was about a journey from Missouri to Oregon or California on the Oregon Trail.
The author only traveled perhaps half of the trail and did not comment or even mention the iconic landmarks like Chimney Rock. Or what it felt like to ride in a Conestoga Wagon.
Rather the author regaled us with reasons why the "white" man was so superior. Indeed he ranked in order men of the prairie...more
The author only traveled perhaps half of the trail and did not comment or even mention the iconic landmarks like Chimney Rock. Or what it felt like to ride in a Conestoga Wagon.
Rather the author regaled us with reasons why the "white" man was so superior. Indeed he ranked in order men of the prairie...more
I know that this is an American Classic written in the heyday of the belief in America's 'Manifest Destiny'. However, I have to sacrifice a star (even though it is altogether a compelling read) as some of the racist passages (as he talks about the ugliness of the Indians and Mexicans) and his descriptions of how his friend just wanted to go out and kill himself an Indian (and he did) not great bedtime reading. For its time, though, it is a terrific adventure, marred a little by the repetitions o...more
This book was cool as far as people going out exploring the frontier and hanging out with Indians. It gave me a lot of mixed emotions as far as thinking they were awesome men out in the saddle, wondering where the hardy men are like this today, and hearing about Indian ways of life. But then they'd talk about how stupid the Indians were and go out and kill a dozen buffalo just for the fun of it because they were "too ugly to live" and I'd hate them. Plus the title is a little miss leading since...more
In 1846 the author spent 5 months on the Oregon Trail between Missouri and the Rocky Mountains. This book tells of his adventures in a very descriptive and detailed fashion. You can learn how they lived on the prairie finding food, clothing, and shelter at this time. It is very informative on how the Indians lived as he stayed in their camps for many nights and days. You can learn how they hunted buffalo and what they did with them after killing them. I was surprised that the style was very easy...more
For some reason I had the impression that this was some scholarly study of the mass migration of Americans from the midwest to Oregon country in the mid 1800's. But it's not. It is more of a "what I did on my summer vacation" essay. In 1846 at the age of 23 Parkman and his friend Shaw went from St Louis to Ft Laramie, Wyoming more or less on a whim. They had various adventures with frontiersmen, Indians, and buffalo, and then came home.
Paints a good picture of the Great Plains before they were s...more
Paints a good picture of the Great Plains before they were s...more
An American classic, this is Parkman's personal account of the summer he spent travelling on the Northern Plains, during part of which he lived and hunted Buffalo with a tribe of Oglala Sioux. The book is invaluable for the vivid descriptions of the west. Parkman was on the Plains at a particularly significant moment in American history. He was there in 1846, the first year of the war with Mexico - at a time when troops of regular soldiers and volunteer militia were moving south, riding towards...more
This was my "bathroom break book," and as it was ~300 pages of smallish type, it seemed to take forever to read through. It was repetitive at points, although he was journaling a 1700 mile trek, much of which involved prarie, buffalo, and indians. It seemed as though every chapter included a buffalo hunt, which involved the beast being shot behind the shoulder, at which point "bloody foam flew from his jaws and his great tongue lolled about." That certainly didn't detract from the enjoyment of...more
The Oregon Trail has been on my want-to-read list for ages. It probably was listed on my college-bound reading list back in the 1960s. When we took a trip to Oregon last fall I decided to tackle it at last. Unfortunately, the meandering nature of the book made it difficult for me to want to finish, and in fact I skimmed the last 100 pages. In small doses the book has first-person experience of Westward Expansion to recommend it. Parkman decided to travel west from St. Louis to the Rockies in ord...more
In 1846 the author traveled on the Oregon Trail as far as Fort Laramie where he then spent many weeks with some of the friendly Indian tribes in the area, the Dakota, the Ogala. He describes buffalo hunts, Indian traditions, the terrible terrain, the food, the lack of water, the many hostile Indian groups that liked nothing better than to kill whites when they found them. Almost all the things a person would wonder about living in the time period. There is some early mention of the “dreaded Morm...more
Two things immediately struck me when I began reading this book. First, that the writing style was so contemporary. Clearly Parkman was one of those writers who helped to clarify and refine the standard American style. Second, was "Why didn't I read this as a kid?" Because I really would have enjoyed it a lot as a kid.
The book is full of adventure and picturesque images of the American west before too much settlement had forever altered it.
I found some great spiritual/theological material in t...more
The book is full of adventure and picturesque images of the American west before too much settlement had forever altered it.
I found some great spiritual/theological material in t...more
Some interesting details about life way back when Indians roamed the endless prairie and the people moving westward invaded their territory. A bit dry to read and since it was written in the middle 1800's the language used is very different from our language today. I think there are better books out there if you want some history about the period. "These is My Words", a work of fiction, is much richer and more rewarding.
An account of a Boston man visiting the prairies and Rocky Mountains of North America in the 19th Century because he wanted to meet some Native Americans. He spends several weeks with bands of Dakotas, and shoots buffalo bulls willy-nilly, leaving them to rot. The book is full of dated attitudes, exemplified by his descriptions of Native Americans as "savages," but it's still a fascinating first-hand look into this region of what is now the US at a time when it was still beyond the control of th...more
Knew little of our American Indian history until a few years ago during a National Parks tour. Francis Parkman was taking a little janut through Indian country during his summer university break. It was a meet and greet with the Indians he met along the way. He writes like a moving camera, and he's not always politically correct in his opinions of the Indian nations.
Despite Parkman's obvious biases as a white man in 1846, still (as always with Parkman) beautifully written and keenly observational. They didn't name a Prize for historical writing after him for nuttin'. The edition I read was a 1946 centennial version bee-yoo-ti-fully illustrated by Thomas Hart Benton (!).
Being a history buff, (and given this is one of my favorite historical periods), I found this book to be rather interesting.
The book starts out great but does slow down near the end and is a bit disappointing. I know that really can't be helped given the author is recounting his real-life experience. Nonetheless, the history is fascinating, and the numerous buffalo hunts, exciting! Francis Parkman does a fine job telling his experiences on the Oregon Trail.
The book starts out great but does slow down near the end and is a bit disappointing. I know that really can't be helped given the author is recounting his real-life experience. Nonetheless, the history is fascinating, and the numerous buffalo hunts, exciting! Francis Parkman does a fine job telling his experiences on the Oregon Trail.
Well, he never made it to Oregon - only got as far as Laramie. This trip was more of a lark for the author - a chance to hang out with the Indians and kill buffalo. His remarks about the ugliness and stupidity of the Indians, Mexicans, and even the buffalo got old pretty quick. I can't imagine anyone writing such a book these days.
Well written and started out extremely good. But then Parkman's true colors as a spoiled rich kid show through. Instead of crossing the Rockies and continuing to Oregon, which would make the book's title appropriate, he stays on the plains and shoots buffalo. Lots of buffalo. Huge disappointment.
Great first-hand account of life on the prairies. Sheds intersting perspective on some romanticised notions of that period in history along with giving a peek into popularly accepted prejudice of the time.
This is a great book for the study of westward expansion. I would use this with an inquiry project on the subject and allow students to research on their own. This would be one of many resources provided.
His attitudes are on par with men of his background from that era, but that's part of the deal here. He's an excellent writer. This is an indispensable read if you're interested in the history of the West.
A travel log of the great American Desert in 1846. Not your fake western, but reality. For those interested in Black History, there is an unflattering description of Jim Beckworth.
dense, as others have said meandering and well, kind of misleading because he never gets past colorado! once he joins the indians though, the pace picks up considerably.
Its called The Oregon Trail, but really only the first part of that journey is in the book. More a classic of descriptions of the Indians than anything else.
I had a hard time wanting to get through this one, I'd rather read straight up history than this recollection.
If you are fond of descriptions of the multiple ways in which buffalo could be chased and shot, this book is for you.
Plenty of historical interest. But way too heavy on the buffalo hunting.
Plenty of historical interest. But way too heavy on the buffalo hunting.
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