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June xx, xxxx
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The Western Experience
Dear Diary,
We are about to embark on a journey that will forever change our lives. Brian believes that heading West on the Oregon Trail will be an adventure and once we reach our destination we can build a better life for our children. Today we packed the wagon with as much food as possible. We also pack the essentials such as pots and pans and clothes. Also we let the children choose a few of their favorite toys to keep them occupied on the journey. Once everything was loaded into the wagon the yokes were put on the oxen so that we would be able to join with the wagon train early tomorrow morning. I pray that this will be a safe journey for us all and that Brian is right – the journey will be worth it because it will result in a better life for our children.
Dear Diary,
We joined with the wagon train early this morning. So far the journey has been very slow, I think we only traveled about ten miles today. Even though we only traveled a short distance everyone seems very exhausted. We formed a corral with the wagons. Everyone says that this will help to keep us safe if Indians should attack. It also helps us to keep the livestock that we brought along from running off. Once the corral was formed we all cooked and ate dinner together. Even though the children were tired they wanted to play and explore a little. They really couldn’t do much exploring because I did not want them to wonder off too far because I feared that something would happen to them. So far they seem to be having fun playing with the other children. While they were playing us adults sat around the campfire and listened to our travelling companions play the fiddle and sing, it was very relaxing after the long day that we had. Hopefully I will be able to keep writing about our journey daily but I have my doubts. This is going to be a long journey and I have a feeling that there is going to be a great