“When I strike the open plains, something happens. I’m home. I breathe differently. That love of great spaces, of rolling open country like the sea, it’s the grand passion of my life.”
– Willa Cather
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by journalist and author Rinker Buck is an absorbing modern-day journey of two brothers experiencing the 2,100 miles of Oregon Trail as closely as they could to the pioneer experience.
Middle-aged brothers Rinker and Nicholas Buck and their dog Olive Oyl set out from Kansas in a covered wagon pulled by three mules. Rinker was considered “Boss” and Nick “Trail Hand.” Though the brothers are opposites in lifestyle, attitude, and experience, it takes both their individual talents to manage this alternately harrowing and exhilarating journey. While Rinker did the in-depth planning of the trip, Nick’s skill with mechanics and innovative repairs made completing the trip possible.
Rinker Buck does a remarkable job of sharing their first-hand experiences, then toggling to emigrant stories of the 1840s and 50s, bringing the Oregon Trail journey to life. The Oregon Trail, we learn, isn’t a long, single rutted road, but rather a wide network of tracks and named branches along the 2,100-mile route, much of which is now paved. Various needs and conditions necessitated different routes as the pioneers sought forage for their stock, water, or perhaps a shorter, more comfortable route. The Buck brothers experienced many of the same trials and tribulations as the emigrants.
I loved this book. The author’s honesty about the struggles and inconveniences they faced, as well as the beauty and observations they witnessed, make The Oregon Trail a rich, rewarding, and well-researched read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Learned so much about the Oregon Trail and about the brothers.
Hope you are doing well.
Stacey
I agree, Stacey. The relationship between the brothers is hilarious!
Wow, I have to get this book. Thanks so much for the review, Mary!
You’ll love it, Irene.