. Ox-team days on the Oregon Trail /by Ezra Meeker ; revised and edited by Howard R. Driggs. a sorrowful set. There was never a happier lot ofpeople than these same hard-working pioneers and theirfamilies. We had joy in our home life, and amusements aswell as labor. Music was our greatest pleasure. We never tired of John, as every one called him, the old teacher, wasconstantly teaching the children music; so it soon cameabout they could read their music as readily as they couldtheir school books. No Christmas ever went by without a Christmas tree,at which the whole neighborhood joined
. Ox-team days on the Oregon Trail /by Ezra Meeker ; revised and edited by Howard R. Driggs. a sorrowful set. There was never a happier lot ofpeople than these same hard-working pioneers and theirfamilies. We had joy in our home life, and amusements aswell as labor. Music was our greatest pleasure. We never tired of John, as every one called him, the old teacher, wasconstantly teaching the children music; so it soon cameabout they could read their music as readily as they couldtheir school books. No Christmas ever went by without a Christmas tree,at which the whole neighborhood joined. The Fourth ofJuly was never passed without a celebration. We madethe presents for the tree if we could not buy them, and sup-plied the musicians, reader, and orator for the had something to do and a voice in saying whatshould be done, and that very fact made all happy. It was sixteen miles to our market town, Steilacoom,over the roughest kind of road. Nobody had horse teamsat the start; we had to go with ox teams. We could not 152 Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail. Making a Permanent Home in the Wilds 153 make the trip out and back in one day, and we did nothave money to pay hotel bills. We managed in this way:we would drive out part of the way and camp; the nextmorning we would drive into town very early, do our trad-ing, and if possible, drive back home the same day. If notable to do this, we camped on the road again. But if thenight was not too dark we would reach home that oh, what an appetite we would have, and how brightthe fire would be, and how joyous the welcome in thecabin home! The trees and stumps are all gone now and brick build-ings and other good houses occupy much of the land. Asmany people now live in that school district as lived botheast and west of the mountains when the Territory wascreated in March of 1853. Instead of going in ox teams, oreven sleds, the people have carriages or automobiles; theycan travel on any of the eig
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectoverlan, bookyear1922
