Fishing Mixed with a Little History

We took Katie fishing on Sunday to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. It is an area where the pioneers crossed the Green River. It totally made me wonder if this was the crossing where I lost my family members on the Oregon Trail game. Remember that ?!?!? It is a great fishing spot, and really pretty. I am going to be giving historical information as well as fun fishing pictures, so bear with me. To the right at the trees is where the pioneers landed after they crossed the river with all their wagons, etc. BTW, did you know that some of the Mormon pioneers didn't have wagons pulled by horses. They had handcarts, which are heavy, worse when loaded ( I tried to pull an empty one) and they pulled them all the way from the east. I just can't imagine the muscles these people had upon arrival in Salt Lake City!
To the left, the cottonwood trees you see are where they camped for the night before crossing the river.
Katie just got her new fishing pole that day. She had to have the Disney Princess one. She really likes fishing. Now Daddy has a new fishing partner.

The fishermen...er...fisherpeople. I am a little fuzzy on my political correctness. Katie fished for about 10 minutes, but found jumping in the water and getting wet much more fun.
Daddy is getting no bites. Imagine that. Katie is jumping the fish are not.
Can you see Rick? He has moved to quieter water. It didn't last long though. Katie wanted to be with Daddy!
This is a replica of the barge used to cross the Green River. The real one was used from about 1840 to the early 1900's.

From the other side of the barge looking into the Green River. This would be a very hairy crossing for many, as the river is pretty rough, and depending on what time of year the pioneers
crossed the river could wash them, their wagons, and livestock away. A Wyoming road sign. Cows are everywhere. They are truly home on the range. Cowboys have roundup's, and cattle drives. Oh to be in the west. We have been stopped by a lone cow crossing the highway, as well as seeing signs of cattle drives ahead.
Seriously. These suckers are fast. And guaranteed, if one crosses,
more are coming. They follow the leader.
This is the wagon road for the Oregon, California, and Mormon trail. With so many wagons using this road, the indentations are permanent in many places. I am sure cars drive over it now, but it is kind of neat to see the road they used. This isn't very close to highway 80, it's about 30 plus miles north. These signs are all over the state. The Boy Scouts replace them regularly. They mark the spots of the Pony Express, as well as the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails.

The California Trail side of the marker. To the right are the wagon ruts.
Rick is walking on the trail. The pioneers traveled about 8-10 miles per day. It took them months to get to their destination. For the Mormons, Salt Lake City was a few weeks away. For the California, and Oregon travellers, they were about at the halfway point. The months ahead were to be the worst part of the trip, as they had to cross not only deserts and mountains, but even worse, the Sierra Nevadas. Just ask the Donner party. If you look off into the distance, to the right of Rick's head, you can see Pilot Butte. We live on the east side of the Butte, but here we are on the North side.
This is a mock grave. The pioneers lost a lot of lives in their journey. It was common for them to see graves such as these as they walked along the trail. They would have nothing to bury their loved one's in, as they were in a hurry, and lumber in Wyoming, was and still is, in short supply along the trail route. They would plan on coming back to do a proper burial, but often wouldn't be able to find the site due to it being disturbed by, animals, or weather. Wyoming's, wind and winters destroyed the sites. Today there are none to be found. Although occasionally a well made headstone can be found. According to Gregory M Franzwa in his book The Oregon Trail Revisited (a book we're reading for more places to see) "there is an average of one dead person every few dozen yards." The pioneers lost more loved ones to weather, disease, and other hardships, then to any other cause. The interpretive signs say that the Indians were not originally aggressive to the travellers, but in fact they were often very helpful, giving directions, helping with river crossings, and trading. The aggression we often hear about didn't come about until people began coming to California for gold. At that point there were so many people coming, they were depleting herds of wildlife, and their livestock ravaging the range, and bringing diseases, the Indians had no defense for, that they began to defend the land, and life, they knew. I am re-reading this and am so sorry if you are asleep now. If you're not and you are intrigued, and you think I should come lecture your group, I charge an outrageous fee. Seriously though if you're intrigued come and see for yourself. I get this information from not only the book Rick's reading but the picture above is taken at an interpretive walking trail on the side of the highway. They are everywhere. This state is literally dripping with historical information. We should soon have a place to put you up, and we're WAY cheaper than the Holiday Inn.

**Sob, Cry, Sob** That's Rick crying cause he can't hunt this year. We are still non-residents, and we're trying to buy a house, so there will be no Elk, Deer, or Antelope in our freezer (unless some kind soul drops some off at our doorstep). Or we hit one with our truck, in the middle of the night so we can sneak it in our truck. If you're a game warden, we would never EVER do that of course. But for you Californians, I bet if you've never hunted in another state, then you've never seen this sign. Bow season was last week, and rifle season began this week. We are seeing hunters everywhere. Some were lucky, other's were just getting started. Many of the children in my class are going to be out this week due to the season opening. It is so weird to hear everyone talking about hunting, as it is such a faux pas in California. Even the grocery stores have signs out front saying "Welcome Hunters." Being the wife of a hunter, I think it is pretty neat.
We always have fun on our road trips, and even though we went to fish, we are always game for stopping on the side of the highway to see the factoids they mark for us. Katie loves to fish, and can't wait to go back. She has been practicing in the front yard all evening.
Thanks for reading. I will try to keep the historical facts to a minimum next time, but I can't promise.