The Oregon Trail is notoriously long and difficult, but
Lorena Emerson and her uncle set off with the hope of a
better future. When her uncle is killed by a thief Lorrie
is told she can't continue driving her oxen alone and must
stay at the next town. But the determined girl gathers a
few other discards such as the Browns and their broken
wagon, and joins the next small train. On the way Lorrie,
who started travelling light, collects abandoned furniture,
mattresses and cast-iron stoves. When the steep mountain
climbs become too much for a pregnant woman, Lorrie
investigates a side DETOUR TRAIL to a river and the
prospect of settling near a mountain man and his Arapaho
family.
The next section shows the plentiful hard work and planning
involved in building a settlement, from splitting logs to
planting gardens, and Lorrie makes a few back journeys to
buy goods such as flour, chickens and a wise mule called
Jake. The girl is good at planning but less so at backwoods
skills such as butchering. She can hold her own against
trail thieves though, who imagine a girl and loaded wagon
will be easy prey. The settlers only have a few short
months to prepare for winter, and their lives will depend
on their buildings and supplies.
This is a spirited tale of a brave young woman, without any
great drama of Indian wars - the pioneering life is
exciting enough. I enjoyed seeing the little settlement
prosper and grow, and Lorrie had further adventures every
time she ventured for supplies, to add variety. DETOUR
TRAIL by Joy Smith is a decent young adult read for a slice
of American history.
Westward bound on the Oregon Trail, Lorena Emerson is alone
after her uncle is killed by a thief trying to steal his
money belt. Ignoring the wagon master's advice to go home,
she rounds up others needing help, and they join a later
wagon train and are soon slogging through dust and mud and
steep mountain passes. It's a long way to Oregon, and
because another woman needs her help, Lorrie again goes her
own way, leaving the wagon train and the Oregon Trail to
travel onward--off the beaten path--with her small group of
wagons. She's helped by members of her wagon train, people
she meets along the way, and the mule, Jake, an integral
part of the story. You'll meet them as they join in her
travels and encounters with enemies she also meets as she
searches for a new home and supplies as winter reaches out
its icy hands.... Settling the frontier isn't easy!
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