By Ox Team to California: A Narrative of Crossing the Plains in 1860

by Lavinia Honeyman Porter

By Ox Team to California is a firsthand account of a pioneer woman's journey across the West in 1860. The author brings thrilling and exciting stories from a 2000 miles journey from Hannibal, Missouri, to California, via Colorado and Utah.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, 19th Century, Memoir, Biography, Westerns

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1910

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a very personal chatty memoir, filled with first-person impressions, fears, hopes, and those tidbits that are so often skipped in broad histories. For example, how would butter keep while crossing the Nevada desert, what is the most comfortable hat style for the trail, the price of glassware in new settlements, or the importance of books, especially novels, to those early settlers? It was fascinating.
It has a very open honest feel. She is simply letting us in on her experiences and thoughts. The strength that becomes so apparent in their story is inspiring. She can talk about traveling past numerous graves, burying acquaintances recently slaughtered, and face starvation and dehydration, and still appreciate the beauty of virgin territory and appreciate the care they received from strangers. She doesn’t gloss over the evil she saw in anyone, but she doesn’t let that blind her to the good in others either. As always, when I read about the people who took that journey, I was awestruck.
I highly recommend it.

[Cynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lavinia Honeyman Porter raised to be more ornamental than practical and her husband James educated to be a professional headed west from Missouri with their little boy Robert and her brother just graduated from university. Although the Honeyman-Porter party did not have personal experiences to draw upon, they maintained surprisingly open minds, learning from the more experienced, sometimes tolerating Indians (her word) who overstayed their welcome, accepting help, making the best of things. In the fullness of time, the stories of LHP became standardized family fare, the stuff of family lore repeated to children and grandchildren. Finally after much encouragement, LHP published her stories in the Oakland Enquirer in 1910.

Many of the scenarios described and survived are scenarios enacted in a variety of western movies and shows of the 20th century. I have seen many of the scenes LHP describes as scenes in books I read and movies I watched in my growing up years of the 1960s and 70s. What I did not realize then was that these commonplace scenarios were often recorded by women in their journals and later their letters and even later in their family stories. LHP was not alone. I found other similar narratives on Scribd.

Read for participation at GR Catching Up in the Classics bingo card
N2: Classic Western.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's naivety and optimistic ignorance reminded me of my husband and I during the early days of our marriage. Of course we didn't do anything as bravely silly as crossing the American continent on our own with a young son during pregnancy. But we certainly had our own share of overly confident adventures. There's definitely something to be said for the get up and go of the young.
Despite their naivety, Lavinia and James were an intelligent and intrepid young couple. And I admire them greatly for all they achieved in their long trek.

[Marlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was certainly a narrative. There was no conversation in it; just we did this; they did that, etc. Also, there were SO many grammatical and spelling errors in it that I had a hard time reading it without wondering who the proof reader had been. Ok book, just not as good as the Sager books about the 7 children orphaned on the trail and taken in by the Whitmans.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"These rude graves were sometimes covered with a pile of stones. Others bore a headboard on which was rudely cut the name of him who lay beneath. For them no weeping willow sighed a sad requiem nor enfolded their lowly mounds with its tender, swaying branches. No marble shaft praised their deeds or told their fame. No flowers rare and sweet rested on the unconsecrated soil. But the horned toad and lizard glided beneath the growth of scanty weeds. Those lying here were lonely now, deserted by the loved ones whose bleeding hearts had been forced to leave them at rest beneath the bitter soil."

Poignantly writes Lavinia Honeyman Porter in her memoir of crossing the plains to California in 1860, of the many graves that they witnessed along the way and how difficult it must have been to leave a loved one behind in the wilderness. This is my fourth memoir of a woman in the west in the 19th century in the past month and they have all been really good, fascinating books. Mrs. Porter wrote this one many decades after her trip, but still managed to present a vivd account of the crossing. Some things that stood out:

1. Number one by far is that Mrs. Porter and her husband and brother (for half the journey) went almost the entire trip BY THEMSELVES!?! This is perhaps the single dumbest thing I've read of a pioneer family doing because of the danger from Indians. Marion Russell in her book "Land of Enchantment" recounts how one family of three (couple and son) had a falling out with the wagon master and ended up turning back to Texas by themselves against the repeated warnings of the wagon leader. The Comanches unsurprisingly caught the trio, had the father watch as they murdered and scalped his son, then murdered and scalped him in front of his wife (who was something like 16) before taking her captive as a slave. This is what happened to people who traveled by themselves. Mrs. Porter admits their naïveté many times, but wow, I still can't believe they traveled 2000 miles mostly by themselves and were never attacked. As Mrs. Porter says, providence was definitely with them.

2. A funny anecdote. Mrs. Porter who admits she grew up as a southern belle, had never cooked at meal at all before they set off on their trip to California. Her cooking was not very good at first. She writes: "The bread-making at first was a total failure. When I attempted to make light rolls for breakfast they were leaden. My husband, wise man that he was, ate them in silence, but my humorous brother, less polite, called them sinkers."

3. The sheer drudgery of the journey. Mrs. Porter draws an excellent picture of just the sheer difficulty of going day after day 15-25 miles walking most of the mileage and the vast distances across the prairies and deserts. It definitely does not come off as a romantic journey at all. It was difficult. It was long. It was not fun. And Mrs. Porter is pregnant for the whole journey! They arrive in California and two weeks later she has a baby. Amazing woman.

Good, fascinating read about the tenacity it took for these pioneers to cross 2/3 of America in a covered wagon.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As stated in the preamble of this book, this is an account of a six-month migration west from Missouri to California in 1860. The sacristy or absence of bad and/or trying memories can be accounted for by the elapse time between the trip west and the writing of it as pleasant memories tend to press to the forefront while unpleasant one fade away. Lavinia Honeyman Porter (1836-1910) was nagged by her sister to write this narrative and the first publication of this book consisted of fifty copies, one of which is in the Library of Congress. This was her first and last published work and I fear the world is poorer for it. Following the Overland Trail, she describes the hardships in crossing endless plains, fording swollen streams and raging rivers. Her contact with Indians and rugged traders and trappers as well as that of the Mormon men and women that shared her trek westward, makes for interesting (if not exciting) reading. This 24 year old wife and mother had one more difficulty to contend with as she made the trip pregnant with her second child. She (thankfully) doesn’t burden the reader with the aches, pains and other physical and biological inconveniencies and discomforts. A two thousand mile journey over vast expanses and daunting mountains is a intimidating task under the best of conditions and their story should stand as a lasting tribute to their brave and tenacious effort to unite the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I highly recommend this book to all true history lovers.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super-interesting book. As I read this woman's true story about her trek from Missouri to California in the year 1860, without being part of a "wagon train", many times I felt that I was with her. Her writing style is so modern - I would catch myself wondering if this was actually a modern book, and then I would come across an archaic word or phrasing that strongly indicated it's not new (copyright 1910). Anyone who wonders what it was really like to spend 6 months driving a covered wagon across the American West should read this. It's not a long read, and left me wishing for more.

[Patricia Bourque · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a mess of mistakes and at one point, part of a chapter was missing (and I really wanted to see that part), but it's still an amazing story, told by a wonderfully resourceful and uncomplaining woman. Taking into consideration that 'political correctness' wasn't an issue at the time, you get a much better unvarnished look at what real life was like in the 1860's.

Lavinias descriptions of the areas she passed through and the people they came across were written almost poetically - you really got the sense of what she was experiencing, seeing and smelling. I only wish she were still alive so I could tell her how much I admire her. Alas...

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with Donner Party Letters
- Porter's writing style is so fun to read: it definitely shows her personality and it's so nice
- some chapters were definitely more interesting than others (I loved the chapter about when they got to salt lake city)
- led a discussion on essay comparing Porter and Tocqueville (views on the native Americans (how porter's views changed once she met them, difference in power of tribes in the east vs the west), and expectations for life on the trail and out west (lots of hope))

[Cindy Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Ox Team to California

I enjoyed this journal it was very interesting and probably very true accounting of going west in covered wagon. It isn't and wasn't as descriptive as I would have liked, but gave slot of facts. It made you want to learn more about the pioneers who went by wagon to California in the mid to later eight teen hundreds.

[Barbara V. Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brave Days on Trying Spaces

Lavinia, James and her young son Robert left Missouri to follow three teams of oxen. A lone family destined to succeed in reaching California. Lavinia’s words from her personal journal fascinate the imagination and leave us in awe of how life really was in the trail.

[Dianne Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a chat with my son, I said I guess we imagine ourselves to be the adventurous ones who would have gone west. He was appalled. Not me! So, it's not as universal a feeling of admiration as I'd always supposed.
This narrative was full of her character, but not too in-depth. I always gain something from these people. A sort of reserve from hardship we have not had to endure ( yet).

[M P Thurber · Rating 5 out of 5]

What life on the road to California was really like.

Mrs. Porter gives a rare and open account of what the journey she and her husband undertook was like. Modern day writers often give a bland, homogenous portrait of Native Americans. Her writing provides a varied picture the different tribes they encountered, often not flattering but realistic.

[Geoff Sebesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This woman was a gosh-darn hero. She walked from Missouri to California *while pregnant* and managed to be nice to everybody she met on the way, including and especially the First Nation tribespeople.

Chock full of useful facts about antebellum America. Particular favorites include when they med the Mormon immigrants and the haunted campsite near Laramie.

Oddly, it seemed like about half the book happened on the eastern slope of Wyoming (200 miles at most) and the part where they cross the basin and range of Nevada and Utah is all of a chapter, even though it was 500 miles on foot and she was about seven months pregnant so she was walking real slow. That's the nature of narrative, I guess. The interesting parts get bigger and the monotonous parts get smaller.

[Holly Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great diary of her journey to California. Very interesting did-bits the I have read no where else. What a picture she paints of her trip across the country in an ox cart. Such wonderful details.

[shari lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid narrative of travel in 1860's

The story wss neither scintillating or exciting but a compelling narrative of the trials and tribulations of crossing this great continent before the advent of rail.

[Tammie Tyndall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book

I wish the author had expanded her story to include details of their life after they reached California. Did they have more children? Did they find gold? I will never know.

[Jay Suverkrup]

Good book about

Authentic story about an 1860 wagon trip from Missouri to Sacramento by a young husband, wife, and two year old son in their early twenties. This is my ninth book read about the hardship of wagon travel to the Western coast. It was very enjoyable to read.

[Hyacinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read about Black people making this trek across the country. I can't even imagine the harsh conditions, Indians, having a baby and all that they endured. This was a hard read for so many reasons but I gained some understanding in regards to the settling of California.

[Marlyn G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travels of an emigrant.

Description of some of the adventures they went through traveling in 1860 across the country are amazing. But traveling with a small child and pregnant too, wow.

[henry holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting journal

This book has much of general historic interest however the author displays an arrogance that sometimes is too much. She is cruel in her comments on the "filthly" lazy indians. In fact she sees herself as above most people.

[scott d. smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book, which read

[Carrie L. Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I enjoyed this story immensely. These young people were truly blessed and courageous! This is one of the good ones!

[steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always wondered

I always wondered how accurate the old TV show Wagon Train was. Turns out, not very. A great, easily read book.

[Daniel Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Very good by book. Captivating and interesting. Amazon my what our forebears went on through to populate this country. A estimate to a family.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been raised in the lifestyle of a typical indolent Southern girl, our author readily admits to her own, as well as her young husband's, immaturity and inexperience prior to commencing a "lengthy journey toward the setting sun" at ages barley into their twenties and "crossing the continent" with our author being pregnant. Additional travelers included: our author's young son, her brother, and, of course, three yokes of oxen to pull their covered wagon. With six-months provisions added to their wagon full of necessities, including a full blooded Arabian saddle horse and a milk cow, the adventurers set out on the third of April 1860, as things looked okay for their travel to "the land of golden promise." The monotony of the journey, as well as how to cook a meal, unknown to them at this time. "Root Hog or Die."

Enticing descriptiveness of scenery, creatures, and weather highlight our read throughout, including the consumption of buffalo meat that proved to be "a great disappointment, for it was tough, strong and dry... we had not even taken the best part of the animal, which was the hump on the shoulders and was considered a very choice morsel." It was a certainly cumbersome journey "over miles of treeless and waterless wastes, barren deserts and alkali plains."

Walking was the normal means of travel across the plains for emigrants, their wagons generally packed to capacity. The continual walking over the hot, dry terrain and "wading through heavy sand and dust for much of the distance, caused extreme suffering to the feet" of the emigrants. Crossing prairies, less fertile plains, desert, and the Rocky mountains, enables the variety of hardships encountered and endured by the author, something to reflect upon and take to heart. Personal Note: My 4X-Great-Grandmother, Charlotte Kyle Charlton, was born in 1799 in Monroe Co., West Virginia. Shortly after her husband, John Charlton, died in Iowa in the 1860's, Charlotte followed her older children to the Oregon Territory. She never recovered from the harshness of the long and wearisome covered wagon journey west. She died in Scio, Linn Co., Oregon in 1869.

A wonderfully captivating story and well worth the read!

- Excerpts:

"... even when the cares and responsibilities weighed most heavily upon us, we had that saving grace of humor which enabled us to meet situations otherwise insuperable, and to gather courage whereby we might endure them all."

"When we were far out on the great plains, with no wood or tree in sight, our main dependence for any sort of fire was on the despised buffalo chips. These emitted scarcely any flame, and we hurriedly cooked our evening meal before its unsatisfactory glow dissolved into a few light ashes. Then we appreciated fully, in spite of its minor drawbacks, our bright wood campfire."

"We passed hundreds of new-made graves on this part of our route. One would imagine that an epidemic had broken out among those preceding us, so frequent were these tell-tale mounds of earth. One day we overtook a belated team on its way to one of the distant forts with only a man and his wife. The wife was quite ill in the little tent, having given birth to a child a day or two before, which lived only a day. The father had put it in a rude box and laid it away in its tiny grave by the wayside. The poor mother was grieving her heart out at leaving it behind on the lonely plain with only a rude stone to mark its resting place."

"The whole town seemed to be in a turmoil. In front of our camp on the other side of the creek we witnessed the hanging of two men by the Vigilance Committee. This filled me with horror and dismay, although doubtless they deserved it, for the town was overflowing with vile characters." [Denver, Colorado]

"The bones of hundreds of cattle lay bleaching in the sun. Graves without number were dug by the wayside. It was pitiful and heart rending to see them in such numbers. Scarcely a day passed that we did not observe the lowly burial place of some poor sufferer, who had at last succumbed to the hardships of this long journey. These rude graves were sometimes covered with a pile of stones. Others bore a headboard on which was rudely cut the name of him who lay beneath... Those lying here were lonely now, deserted by the loved ones whose bleeding hearts had been forced to leave them at rest beneath the bitter soil."

"That rest, sweet rest is reckoned best,
For we were worn as worn with years.
Two thousand miles of thirst, and tears,
Two thousand miles of bated breath,
Two thousand miles of dust and death."
- Joaquin Miller “Pioneer”

- Other works of interest:

Across the Plains in 1844 by Catherine Sager Pringle

Lorinda Bewley and the Whitman massacre by Myra Sager Helm

The Oregon Trail Diary of Twin Sisters Cecilia Adams and Parthenia Blank in 1852 by Cecilia Adams

[Evil Klown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number of words/pages: 32,100/107 Date published: 1910: Setting: Wagon trail from Missouri to California:
Another great account of a six-month prairie-schooner trip from Missouri to Folsom/Sacramento, California. Tales of overcoming day to day hardships, encounters with Indians, deserts, periods of no water or available food for their livestock, fording streams and rivers, brutal mountain passes, “a grave every mile,” etc etc. I really liked it and I’m enjoying this “genre” with plans to continue these kinds of books for the immediate future.

[stephanie suh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intelligent and brave woman's narrative of her six month journey with her husband, younger brother (although he later decided to stay in Colorado instead of venturing to California), and their little son overland to Sacramento, California by an ox-driven wagon. The story is read as if the author were telling her tale of pioneer adventure to West for a fresh new start. In the course of her narrative, readers can also peep into the outlook on the Native Americans whom the author shows a sympathy toward and the panoramic view of immigration trail usually congested with ox or mule driven wagons. This is a valuable record of an enterprising and educated woman who unafraid of the perils of long journey overland with a go-aheaditiveness attitude which is so uniquely part of American character.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting and enjoyable to read a honest and personal account of the life of a couple of pioneers. Fiction tends to overly romanticize the traits of pioneers, cowboys and indians and become biased towards either of the sides. It is not the case here. This memoir brings the reader back to reality, in a way that is neither politically correct nor embellished, and lets her savor the surprises (good and bad) of the unpredictable and harsh life of the American emigrants.

The LibriVox edition is read in a clear, participated and easy to follow way.

[SenseSeeker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the two male figures in this story were real and I think both of their families collaborated on this scheme to help them dodge conscription during the Great Rebellion!!!! I seriously doubt they traveled by wagon, I suspect they were in hiding for several months and then ended up in California traveling by boat.
The "Story" allows for little to no corroboration of the improbable success of a single wagon making the entire journey as described!!!!!!! But, it's a good "cover" story for ancestors living, even today!!!!!!!