Travelling Across the American West: Map & Diary Files

Ever wondered what it was like to cross the Great American Desert? Ever wanted to know the experiences and hardships faced by pioneering families? 

During the Summer of 2012 I live tweeted the experiences of one emigrant family, from the diary of future women's rights activist, 17 year old Abigail Jane Scott, as they would have happened 160 years ago in 1852. Don't worry if you missed it because all the details are still here. 

• Find out more about the family by visiting the link HERE and some of the back story HERE.
  
• You can also download a Google Map of the journey in which I have embedded the diary extracts. This is available at the end of this section! 

• abigail_scott.kmzDownload File
  

The Aftermath

• Rev. Neill Johnson and his wife Esther Roelofson (Abigail's aunt and uncle - photo from later years) http://goo.gl/g35xw
  
• John Lawrence Johnson (Abigail's cousin) in later life http://goo.gl/e43uM
  
• Find out what became of Tucker Scott after his relocation to Oregon http://goo.gl/NeRtd
  
• In 1853 she married Benjamin Charles Duniway, "a sober and provident husband" as Abigail called him. More here goo.gl/QrGXk
  
• From 1871, after working as a school teacher and boarding house mistress, Abigail edited the "New Northwest" newspaper in which she campaigned for women's rights http://goo.gl/b4lc4 http://goo.gl/LNsGB . Her husband was also injured in 1862 and could no longer work so she was the major bread winner.
  
• Abigail Scott received her first voter registration card in 1913 after a long suffrage campaign http://goo.gl/fqvXl
  
• Of course one of the sadder results of the Scott emigration was the growing tensions in Oregon itself. Both Tucker and Harvey Scott ended up fighting in the Yakama Indian War in 1855 http://goo.gl/EhBBR http://goo.gl/IIVIw By 1858, the Yakama had lost 90 percent of their traditional lands and were confined to a reservation. 24 chiefs were hanged or shot. According to accounts, some of those who had surrendered were summarily executed by the US Army. The Yakama Indian guerilla Qualchan turned himself in and was promptly put to death http://goo.gl/2Mk5x

---