by Jesse Wiley
Papa straightens his hat. “We’re all suffering out here, John.”
“I know.” John sighs heavily. “I’m beginning to think we shouldn’t have taken this cutoff.”
“We could always try to go back.” Mama wipes her face on her dress. “Salt Lake City isn’t that far from here. If we cut down our rations even more, we can make our way back up to Fort Hall and possibly start again on the California Trail from there. We’ll have the Humboldt River most of the way across the desert that way. Or we go northwest to Oregon City.”
You have no other choice. You’ll backtrack toward Salt Lake City and up to Fort Hall. Maybe you’ll run into Mr. Southworth? Maybe you’ll end up going to Oregon City instead of California, after all.
Turn back to page 32
Or return to page 63
You go back and ford the river. The water is higher by this point, but you’d rather risk the river crossing than keep going without any water supply. Your animals won’t make it without more water—neither will you. At your current pace, you’ll be lucky to make it five miles in one day in these sluggish muddy hills.
When you finally return to Carlin Canyon, the river is even higher than you’d anticipated.
Slowly your wagon train attempts to ford the river. But when Beauregard’s wagon hits a slippery rock and sinks down into a strong current, the rest of you are quick to follow in the chaos. Everyone is swept away in the gushing river.
THE END
Return to page 113
You stay at Rancho Johnson to search for more gold. Fiona and Harry argue over whether you should keep the nugget a secret from the owners of the ranch. Harry says that you should keep it. Fiona says that it’s not your land and the nugget doesn’t belong to you.
In the end, you keep the nugget for yourself.
That evening you show Mama and Papa your incredible discovery. They’re both astounded and suspicious at once.
“Where did you find that?” Mama’s brow furrows. “If you found that on this land, you need to return it—now.”
“Your mother’s right.” Papa puts his hand on your shoulder. “First thing in the morning. It’s the right thing to do.”
Benji tries to grab the nugget; you pocket it quickly.
Your parents are right.
In the morning you return the nugget, much to the astonishment and happiness of the owners. So thankful that you’re honest, they offer to let your parents stay and open a trading post on an enormous plot of land nearby to aid passing pioneers and gold-seekers. Your parents aren’t sure at first, but the offer seems too good to pass up.
Your mother’s brother and his family live close by in Sacramento, so you’ll be able to visit them often. You may have not reached your original final destination of Sacramento, but it’s close enough. You’ll do just fine here.
THE END
Return to page 118
Even with his carpentry skills, Papa can’t fix the wagon on his own.
You pull Papa aside. “We should take Mr. Southworth up on his offer and have him stay. We can’t get stuck out here alone.”
Papa rubs his temples. “Are you sure you don’t mind, Mr. Southworth?”
Mr. Southworth smiles. “I’m happy to stay. Strength in numbers, right? Plus, you’d all miss the sound of my fiddle too much.” He winks at you.
You grin. “You know it!”
Mr. Southworth easily replaces the axle and helps Papa fit a new wheel into place with spare parts you’ve brought along. It’s perfectly round and shiny, glossy with grease on its iron rim. The wagon rolls so much more smoothly now.
That night, you camp in the rolling slopes near South Pass, trying to forget that you’re a mere two-wagon train corralled out here in the vast wilderness. As you help Mama prepare dinner, you hear coyotes in the distance. A shiver runs up your spine. Tippet lets out a bark in return.
“We’ll have to take turns being on guard duty tonight, Mr. Southworth.” Papa warms his hands by the campfire. “Without the others to help, we’re on our own for tonight. I’m worried about the livestock.”
Mr. Southworth takes a seat on a rock by the fire. “We can rotate in four-hour periods.”
“Will the wolves get us?” Benji holds on to Mama.
Mr. Southworth exchanges smiles with Mama and pulls out his fiddle. “C’mon now, little man. This sweet melody will protect us.” He plays a warm, soft tune that calms Benji.
“I can help go on guard duty.” You hand Papa dirty dishes to clean after supper.
Papa hesitates. “Not tonight, I’m afraid. I’ll need your help to herd the livestock tomorrow. Riding Spot takes all the energy you’ve got.”
He’s right. But as you try to drift off to sleep to the sound of Mr. Southworth’s fiddle, you still hear coyotes shriek. And they sound like they’re coming closer. You don’t get much sleep that night.
South Pass is such a gentle area of terrain that you hardly realize you’re in mountain country. In the distance you see the hint of blue-capped peaks rising into the horizon, but you soon pass into sandier, flatter terrain. Finally, you spot a number of wagons in the distance. Relief overwhelms you: it’s your wagon train! You haven’t fallen that far behind. You’re so glad to join up with Fiona and Harry again.
* * *
The Parting of Ways.” Mama reads from her map. “Some people go to California this way, past Salt Lake City. I’ve heard the salt flats around there are really something.”
“The first emigrants to come this way were the Bidwell-Bartleson party.” Harry peers over another anatomy book to join the conversation. “They split off at Soda Springs to California on the Bidwell-Bartleson Route.”
“That’s right.” Mama folds up her map and sticks it in her apron pocket. “And John Bidwell’s the one that led them.”
Your reunion with the wagon train doesn’t last long. Some people, including John Beauregard, have been reading the guidebook of Lansford Hastings, an explorer and guide who created the Hastings Cutoff to California through the Salt Lake Desert. Beauregard and several other wagons want to try that route instead staying on this route toward Fort Hall.
You’re not sure what to do. You’ve heard the name Hastings before, but not in a good way. The Hastings Cutoff might shave time off your journey. What do you decide?
To take the Hastings Cutoff, turn to page 115
To continue onto Fort Hall, turn to page 32
Return to page 145
You keep going. You’ve already started on the Greenhorn Cutoff, and with all the rain that’s accumulated, you know that the river will be far too high to cross. After all, it’s only about five miles until you reach the cutoff that joins back up with the California Trail and the Humboldt River. You think you can make it a day without a water supply.
But without the sight of the river and with the trail ahead destroyed by the monsoon, the road ahead becomes murky. John Beauregard tries to find the cutoff trail, but by the end of the day, there is no river in sight. You should have reached the river junction several miles ago. You’re wandering around in the desert hills, lost and without water. You won’t make it out of the desert.
THE END
Return to page 113
You split up and plan to rejoin the rest of the wagon train at the end of the cutoff. Your family isn’t happy with the idea, but you also don’t want any other wagons to get stuck in the mud. You watch them struggle over the next muddy hill and disappear. Rain beats down on you, soaking your clothes.
You and Mama help Papa steady the wagon enough so he can replace the broken wheel. It’s a long, arduous process that takes every bit of strength you have. As the day wears on, you discover that the wheels are only sinking deeper into the mud. One of your goats sinks halfway into a mud pit—quicksand!
Now your whole wagon sinks deeper. Neither your family nor your oxen are strong enough to tow it out. You’re stuck here in the desert hills—forever.
THE END
Return to
page 54
You go on with Mr. Southworth to Oregon City in a ten-wagon train. You can’t risk traveling through the desert with this current drought. You can always move down to California later—there’s plenty of gold mining in Oregon City.
You wave goodbye to John Beauregard and the other wagons and start off for the next landmark on the Oregon Trail: American Falls, on the Snake River. Near the rushing waterfall is a narrow passage through the rocks called the Gate of Death.
When you were at Fort Hall, traders told you the River Rush Gang lurks all along this part of the Trail. Mr. Southworth decides to scout the route ahead. Papa offers to let him use Spot to make the journey quicker.
“He can be stubborn at first, but don’t worry.” You pat Spot. “He’ll ease up once you ride together for a little.”
Much to your surprise, Spot doesn’t give Mr. Southworth any trouble.
“Maybe he just likes my fiddle playing.” Mr. Southworth laughs. He tips his hat and rides off ahead, disappearing into the horizon.
Several hours later, Mr. Southworth enters the wagon corral at a gallop. “There’s a wagon train stranded at the Gate of Death. They’re in a bad way. We should go help them out before bandits get to them.”
Some people in your wagon train don’t want to help the stranded people. The odds of running into the River Rush Gang would be much greater.
“I’ll go with you.” Papa pulls on his boots. “It’s not a one-man job, that’s for certain.”
“This is not a good idea.” Fergus McAllister recedes back to his wagon.
Although Papa wants to help, the threat of the River Rush Gang ambushing this vulnerable wagon train is very real. Should you help the pioneers in need, or steer clear?
To help the wagon train, turn to page 58
To steer clear, turn to page 29
Return to page 32
You try to repair the wagons. It’ll take too much time and effort to wrangle everyone, especially with so many wounded people who can’t walk.
Papa and Mr. Southworth replace the wheels and axles. Soon, they discover that most of the wagons are damaged beyond repair—there aren’t enough replacement parts.
“We’ll have to decide what to do in the morning.” Papa blows his nose into a kerchief. “For tonight, we’ll have to stick it out here.”
That night, you camp in the open air and sleep uneasily near the steep rock chasm. You jolt awake. The ground moves underneath you. A roaring sound rushes through your ears.
“Flood!” Mr. Southworth starts to run to higher ground. “Get to higher ground!”
But it’s too late. Water and rocks rush through the chasm and carry everyone away.
THE END
Return to page 58
You don’t shoot the gun. If the gun scares the buffalo, you risk a stampede—which won’t end well. You are confident that you’ll find other game to hunt on your journey.
“C’mon, Benji.” You grab his hand. “Let’s find Papa.”
When you reunite with Papa and Mr. Southworth, you tell them about the buffalo. Papa agrees you made the right call.
“That would’ve been a foolhardy move, trying to shoot with that small pistol. We’ll go back and tell the others about the herd.” Papa puts his hands in his pockets, turning on his heel.
After hours of patient hunting, Mr. Southworth and Papa work together to take down a buffalo. You all share a very hearty supper, thankful for the buffalo, and you’ve got enough food now to last for at least another week. Mama saves its shaggy hide to sew into a coat later. She drops a dried dung patty into the fire pit and ignites the campfire.
“Buffalo chips burn well.” She throws a log onto the roaring fire. “We need to find as many of these as we can. Kindling is a precious commodity on the Trail.”
Fiona McAllister skips over to your campfire, dragging her reluctant brother Harry in tow. You’ve befriended both of them, despite how different they are. Fiona is a daredevil and likes to ride her family’s mustang. Harry prefers reading to anything else. He’s already talking about going to medical school. The three of you play games along the way and set up camp with their family and Mr. Southworth at night.
You take a seat by the fire between Harry and Fiona. “So why’s your family going out West?”
“Our da’s not going for the Gold Rush, like so many others.” Harry throws a twig into the fire. “He’s going because he doesn’t like the cold.”
Your stare at him. “But . . . surely you don’t have to go thousands of miles to get somewhere warm.”
Harry shrugs and looks at Fiona.
Fiona rolls her eyes. “Don’t listen to Harry. We’re going out West because Da wants his own farm. Land wasn’t really available back East, y’know?”
You nod.
You don’t remember being this excited in your life. Fort Kearney, which you stopped at many miles ago, even before passing Courthouse and Jailhouse Rock, feels like forever ago. Fort Laramie is a bustling den of soldiers, fur trappers, Native Nations, and plenty of pioneers.
Mr. Southworth immediately finds a ready audience for his expert fiddle-playing. Entertaining hopeful gold-seekers on their way to California and Oregon, he plays all day, and in the end, coins in his fiddle case almost spill over.
“Maybe I don’t even need to pan for gold at all. Maybe this is all the gold I really need.” He holds up his fiddle proudly.
As you wander around the bustling fort, you come across John, Fergus, Papa, and a few other members of your wagon train talking to a few men.
Papa gets closer to you and pulls his kerchief over his mouth. “They’re fur trappers who claim to have found a secret gold stash nearby. John and Fergus want to check it out. What do you think?”
You’re thrilled that Papa is asking for your advice—and you don’t want to steer him wrong.
One of the fur trappers steps into your space. “All we need are a few good men to come help us mine it.”
There’s something off about these guys. Why would they want to share a secret stash of gold with you and your wagon train? But what if there’s a fortune that’ll make you all rich?
Should you tell Papa to go with the fur trappers, or convince him otherwise?
To convince him not to go, turn to page 75
To check out the gold stash, turn to page 19
Return to page 108
You turn back and go home. It’s already dangerous enough to travel across the Oregon–California Trail with a wagon train; without one, it’s asking for trouble. Lone wagons rarely make it.
You try to regain your sense of direction and turn back toward Independence. Clouds hang low in the sky, and a cool, dry wind sweeps across the plains. Lightning strikes and a heavy rain pours down, bouncing off your wagon’s oiled canvas cover. Even the hat you’ve been wearing doesn’t help keep the rain away.
But then something hits you on the back of the neck.
“Ow!” Did Benji throw a rock at you?
“Hail!” Papa dives into the wagon. “C’mon! Get under cover, quick!”
Chunks of hail plummet from the sky. Soon the canvas can’t take it, and hailstones rip through your wagon top, destroying everything. You won’t be going any farther on the Trail now.
THE END
Return to page 44
You’ve come this far and you’re confident that you’ll find your way out of these prairielands and get back on the Trail.
But there’s another problem. During the dust storm, your livestock has run off, leaving you without goat’s milk and emergency food. You have some bacon and flour left, but you were counting on getting to Fort Laramie with your wagon train to restock.
As you try to continue on through the dust-covered landscape, clouds cover the sky. Thunder rumbles across the plains. The storm will pass, you hope, but instead it continues for days. You’re really lost.
You wander around the prairielands for weeks. Papa and Tippet hunt for smaller game like prairie dogs and jackrab
bits, but it’s just not enough. You run out of food. Your trek on the Trail ends here.
THE END
Return to page 44
You’re already going slow due to the large number of wagons in your train. You’re barely covering fifteen miles a day. To go miles around the toll bridge will cost you more time than it’s worth.
You tug on Papa’s shirt. “We should pay the toll. After all, we’ll be hunting for food along the way, and with your carpentry and Mr. Southworth’s blacksmith skills, we save money on wagon repair fees.”
Papa nods. “True enough.” He glances at Mama. “What do you think?”
“Bridge, bridge.” Benji jumps on the wagon seat beside Mama.
“You and Mukki are right.” Mama smiles. “Let’s cross the bridge.”
After some debate among the families, all forty wagons agree to pay the toll and cross the Vermillion River. As you continue on into the prairielands, you have a lot of great conversations with Mr. Southworth and get to know him better.
