The Oregon Trail

Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life

By: Francis Parkman

Narrated by: Robert Morris

This is the classic account of Francis Parkman’s rugged trip over the eastern part of the Oregon Trail with his cousin Quincy Adams Shaw in the spring and summer of 1846. They left St. Louis by steamboat and traveled on horseback, in company with guides and occasionally other travelers. They encountered storms and buffalo hunts, meeting Indians, soldiers, sportsmen, and emigrants.

The Oregon Trail is an eyewitness account of the Mormons and outlaws, trappers and Indians, pioneers and adventurers who struggled to conquer the frontier.

Public Domain (P)1994 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“ The Oregon Trail appeared in 1849, and with its publication Parkman was launched upon his career as a storyteller without peer in American letters.… It is the picturesqueness, the racy vigor, the poetic eloquence, the youthful excitement, that give The Oregon Trail its enduring appeal, recreating for us, as perhaps does no other book in our literature, the wonder and beauty of life in a new world that is now old and but a memory.” (Henry Steel Commager, historian)

“This book, in brief, is excellent and has the true wild game flavor.” (Herman Melville)

“This timeless account of Parkman’s travels and travails…remains a colorful classic.” ( Library Journal)

Extraordinary real life experiences

This is not fiction or a recount of history. I looked at the timeline of when the Oregon Trail was used and Frances Parkman's biography. I think these are his real life experiences on his trip on the Oregon Trail. I've done wilderness packing with horses and can relate to some of their trail difficulties. The writing style is probably as of the mid-1800's, and you have to allow for that. But, it was so cool to hear ideas and phrases still common today. I also loved hearing all their interactions with Native Indians. The narrator is a bit stilted, but you can get used to that, too.

Informative and Insightful.

This first-hand account of one traveling The Oregon Trail in the 1800s with the purpose of learning about the thoughts and habits of Native Americans by gaining their trust and living among them part of the time is informative and insightful

Descriptive

I liked the description of the people, animals and landscape. The author’s prejudices were typical of his privileged upbringing.

They don’t get past the Rockies:-)

I should’ve paid better attention to what this book was about, I wanted to read about the journey to Oregon. This 1849 book about his adventures from St Louis to the foot of the Rockies and back was interesting, and made me appreciate how dangerous life on the plains could be for Native Americans and travelers who ventured west. However, he doesn’t go all the way to Oregon.

Only halfway along the Oregon Trail

Parkman didn’t go all the way to Oregon, only into Wyoming before turning south along the Rockies and then back to Westport. Still, it’s an interesting picture of those times. Narration was very stilted.