The Utter Disaster on the Oregon Trail

by Donald Harold Shannon

A vivid description of one of the most brutal and horrific clashes between Native Americans and pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

Genres: History, Travel

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story in western history that you don't hear much. I have heard many references to the Paiute Shoshone uprising that happened in Eastern Oregon, Idaho and Northern Nevada, but not a lot about the events leading up to the time. Also we hear often about the Donner Party and the fact that cannibalism took place in order for them to survive. We don't hear much about other emigrant parties that had resort to the same desperate act. This book is a wealth of information. If you are interested in a well written informative book of western history this should be on your list.

[GRANT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with an unfortunate title. The family's name was Utter, or Otter as it appears in many accounts. The problem may be the pronunciation and the umlaut from the German name.

The author has done an excellent job in compiling sources from genealogy, government publications, newspapers, and a first-hand account of one of the survivors. Any maybe because there were a few survivors, it was not an "utter" disaster.

Like many Western stories, there are a lot of conflicting accounts. By assembling as many as he did, the author wrote a credible narrative. He makes sense of what can be a confusing story. And because it is a tale of brutal conflict between pioneer emigrants and native indigenous people, it is a compelling read. Somehow we humans always seem fascinated by bloody mayhem.

Having just driven from Portland back down the Oregon Trail route familiar as I am with some of the actual sites (the "Starvation Camp" sits on my cousins' farm and I was born near the Snake River between the Owyhee and the Malheur) it feels like it is a part of me.

While the author quotes many contemporaneous sources with the biases and prejudices of their day, he does reveal much of that in his own writing. The Native accounts are missing because we don't have that record or perspective. But you can still sense their frustration of the growing loss of their homelands.

[Janilyn Kocher]

I’ve been a professor of history for almost 30 years and a student of history for much longer but I’d never heard of the Utter party attack.
I found it harrowing, sad, and an enlightening read.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit of local history for me, I've driven by the historical marker hundreds of times so when I saw this book I just had to pick it up

[Allan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another chapter in the sorry history of U.S.- Indian relations.