Neta Lohnes Frazier (1890–1990)

I read this years ago as a kid after stumbling over it (I think it was a lost library book?) and man oh man, some parts of this book could be real heart-wrenching. But then, as an adult, looking back, it's hard to not appreciate the sheer pluck it took to be willing to plunge westward into the unknown, dealing with starvation, attacks from Native Americans, people in a group turning against one another, etc. Not to mention the horrors of childbirth on the trail with no hospitals nearby.

Damn, show more even with COVID going on right now, the people of 2020 (at least in 1st-world countries) still have it pretty easy. show less

Narrated by Mary Starkey. Based on the true story of the Sager family who left Missouri in 1844 to head for the Oregon Territory as part of a wagon train. The hard conditions of life on the trail tragically befall the family, as both parents die. Catherine, the oldest, and her brothers and sisters eventually are brought to the Whitman mission in the Territory where they are taken in by Narcissa and Marcus Whitman who work as missionaries to the Indians. The Sagers come to see and love the show more Whitmans as their own parents and enjoy a secure if spartan life at the mission. A couple of years later, an Indian uprising leaves several people dead, including the Whitmans and Sager brothers. Eventually the remaining Sager children are rescued and taken away to Fort Vancouver. Despite the tragedies in their lives, Catherine realizes they have fulfilled their father's dream of reaching Oregon thanks to the family's stout-heartedness. show less

Based on the true story of the Sager children in 1840. The children were traveling on the Oregon Trail when their parents got the fever and died, leaving them as Orphans. The 7 children, one of which was just a newborn, were adopted by the other members on the trail. The children are very lucky until the massacre that occurs where many were killed. The seven children were then orphaned again and had to begin to rebuild again.

Orphaned on the oregon trail is a historical non-fiction book. It's sad to learn about all of the bad things that happened to them along the way, but they had a big adventure in the process. I loved this book!!