Bound For Oregon

The Todds and McReynolds return to the road although Mother is still recovering from the birth. They reach the Columbia River a few days later. In the next days, Jesse gets sick and dies. They leave the Clark wagon behind and continue on with the remainder of Mrs. McReynolds and her children. Then, Father gets sick, too. Mother is too weak to do anything, and Mrs. McReynolds is still grieving the deaths of the Clark family members. In the meantime, John takes over all of the chores. He tries to cook, too, but the food is awful. Meanwhile, Father is ailing with a fever and groaning in pain. Mary Ellen lies awake terrified that if Father dies, none of them will survive. Then, she remembers Grandma and tells herself to be brave. The next day, she tells John that Father would want them to continue traveling and offers to help him lead the wagons. They only make it “four or five miles that day” (141), but Mary Ellen is proud of herself, and Mother thanks her for all of her help, especially with the cooking.

Father’s condition eventually improves. They resume their faster pace and eventually reach The Dalles. While camped here, Mrs. McReynolds meets another family from Ohio and decides to travel by raft down the Columbia with them. The Todds decide to take the rougher road around the Cascade Mountains. Before they part, Mrs. McReynolds thanks the Todds for all of their help.

The Todds journey towards Mount Hood. They have to move slowly because the roads are so rough. At Laurel Hill, Father and John struggle to get the oxen down the trail because it is so steep. Mary Ellen is convinced that the oxen will gain too much speed and drag the wagon down with them, crushing and destroying everything. However, they make it down safely and the family continues onward. Not long later, they discover that Buck is injured and must leave him behind. They hook their spare ox to the team and continue. Then one day, they come upon a group of abandoned wagons filled with supplies. Father encourages Mother to take whatever she needs. Feeling guilty, she only takes a few things. Later, they notice a group of Indigenous people heading to the wagons, and Mother regrets not collecting more supplies.

The Todds emerge from the mountains and look out over the Oregon valley. They rejoice that they finally made it. That night, they sing hymns and recite psalms around the campfire. They each share what they’re grateful for, too.

The family arrives in Oregon and Father rents 40 acres. They buy new oxen and supplies, and Father starts building a cabin for the family. Father builds furniture, too, and Mary Ellen helps Mother gather and prepare the other furnishings. Finally, one day, Mary Ellen decides to write a letter to Grandma. In the letter, she tells Grandma about many of the adventures they had along the Oregon Trail. She also tells her about Oregon and baby Elijah. Afterwards, she realizes that Grandma won’t be coming to Oregon after all because she’s too old and fragile to make such a difficult journey. She starts to cry realizing she’ll never see her again.

Father finishes the cabin and starts building split-rail fences for the livestock. One day, Mary Ellen finds an abandoned potato field on the property and negotiates with the neighbor Mr. McCorkle to share the crop. Another day, Father lets her practice using his whip again and she finally snaps it. Mother scolds her for being unladylike, but Mary Ellen is proud of herself.

On Christmas morning, Mother gives Mary Ellen and her sisters mittens that she made, and the family has Christmas dinner together. They gather around the fire, crack hazelnuts, eat popcorn, and share stories from their travels. They also remember their friends and family back in Arkansas. Mary Ellen decides to keep writing to Grandma. She also decides to make a new quilt for Elijah, which will help her welcome the baby and remember her grandmother. Afterwards, she climbs into bed with Louvina and thinks she feels Mother’s hand brushing her hair.