The Last Wagon Crossing

Today was a sad day as thousands came, and with hundreds stuck in traffic to witness this historical event. The event was in the planning for year, and the time had finally come. The location was Glenns Ferry, Idaho. More specifically, the Three Islands Crossing. The he wonderful folks here had been holding the historical reenactment of the Oregon Trail Settlers crossing the hazardous Snake River yearly for the last 24 years.

Over the years, the locals have done their best to make it as realistic as possible for the people who came from far and near to see how it was done, and even witness firsthand the perils of the crossing. This was going to be their last year because time is catching up to all of those who actually know how to handle a team of horses and the wagon on a river crossing.

The movies really don’t do it justice. In one sense it seems like a simple thing to cross a river, and the small crew, (down to one wagon, a few horses, and a couple of mules) made it look easy. At the most dangerous point in the crossing, it becomes obvious everyone is swimming, and the wagon is floating down stream. The powerful river sweeps them faster down stream then their progress across it.

I have been on the river many times, and the Snake River has a way of getting your attention even while you’re up on plane in a large Jet boat. The river is very deceptive, so you would have a hard time convincing me to try and cross it on a horse, but make it a team of horses with a wagon, and the answer would be a flat “No!”.

I was honored to be able to witness the bravery of the men and women who donned on authentic costumes, and handled the cold water with smiles on their faces. The narrator helped bring an understanding of the true history, and the real peril the settler faced, and how the Indians were such a large help in getting the West settled. There is a ton of information available on the internet, but it pales in comparison to actually seeing and hearing about it from real people with a passion in their graveled voices.

It was hard for me to go to this event because I just hate being around crowds. If there was choice between going to the dentist and having my wisdom teeth pulled again, or going to a large event, I would choose the dentist, but I am grateful I didn’t find another excuse not to attend a large event. I had a wonderful experience hearing about the struggle of the settlers, and seeing what they went through first hand. If you are one of the many who got to share in my experience, you know what I mean. If you don’t know, then you should just stick to watching your sensationalized TV shows. You probably think reality shows are real too.

Like a lot of people, I complain about how things are now a days, wishing for simpler times, but after hearing, and seeing what the settlers had to go through, I feel ashamed. Some things were definitely simpler back in our near history, but the simplest of things could get you killed, and quickly. As a Simple Bear, I will stick with the simple things we have now, and just enjoy. The biggest think I learned today, was to enjoy what I have.