Food may be one of the most fascinating topics of the trail. Then again, it’s me. I love cooking. And I have my whole Dinner at 1800 thing…so maybe I am biased. Nevertheless, I shall proceed. Anyone who has studied the trail knows there is the basic list of supplies that emigrants were supposed toContinueContinue reading “On the Trail: Food”
Tag Archives: Research
19th Century Shoes: 1861 – 1870
1861-1870ish Men’s Footwear Leather shoes and ankle boots sometimes with contrasting toecaps Medium-high leather heels fabric gussets, side button fastenings, laced fastenings Narrow square toes Women’s Footwear Leather soles, sometimes covered in fabric Fabric or silk linings Round and pointed toes One to two-inch heels Black satin slippers Colored shoes matching dresses Button or elasticContinueContinue reading “19th Century Shoes: 1861 – 1870”
Dinner at 1800: Fried Cakes
But wait a second? You promised us Camp Bread!! I know, I know. Don’t freak out. It’s the same thing. I promise! So, this is a recipe in a letter from Narcissa Whitman to her sister in 1836, and I have access to it courtesy of The Oregon Trail Cookbook by Leslie J. Whipple. ButContinueContinue reading “Dinner at 1800: Fried Cakes”
A Season of Impatience
Every year around this time (okay, let’s be honest – by the beginning of the month), I start to get impatient. I am ready to be done with the cold, dark, dreary days and search for any hint of sunshine and warmth. I revel in the days that get up into the 50s or evenContinueContinue reading “A Season of Impatience”
On the Trail: Clothing
Okay, you all know that if I have one favorite aspect of history, fictional or otherwise, it is CLOTHING. So, you’d think that talking about clothing on the trail would be easy for me, right? NO. Actually, this was one of the harder things for me to find because, for some weird reason, people talkContinueContinue reading “On the Trail: Clothing”
19th Century Shoes: 1851 – 1860
1851-1860ish Men’s Footwear Leather soles Round, square, and pointed toes Medium stacked heels Leather uppers halves, with fabric tops Could have button fastenings, elastic gussets, ribbon laces Women’s Footwear Mostly pointed toes now Heeled shoes and boots Boots usually had elastic gussets or laced Evening shoes of stuff or taffeta Elastic sides or laced Bows,ContinueContinue reading “19th Century Shoes: 1851 – 1860”
Dinner at 1800: Rice Pudding
I know. Rice pudding? Really? Yes, really! And I didn’t let Daniel know what I was making because I wanted to see his face when I placed it in front of him. But, without further ado, let’s get down to it – because this was a fun one to figure out. Oh, and don’t forgetContinueContinue reading “Dinner at 1800: Rice Pudding”
On the Trail: Causes of Death
When traveling the Oregon/California Trail, there was one thing that was consistent among all of the plaques and museums and books and guides…and that was how INCONSISTENT they were on the number of people who traveled the trail. Seriously. We saw numbers that ranged all the way from 100,000ish to half a million. Honestly, itContinueContinue reading “On the Trail: Causes of Death”
19th Century Shoes: 1841 – 1850
1841-1850ish Men’s Footwear Leather, leather, leather! Leather soles, boots, heels Round toes Low to medium stacked heels Contrasting colors on upper boot, sometimes with ribbon pulls Trousers under foot Women’s Footwear Heelless fine leather soles, mostly, with some wedge heels Square, pointed, round toes Leather toecaps and elastic side gussets Low-cut square vamps Satin ribbons,ContinueContinue reading “19th Century Shoes: 1841 – 1850”
Dinner at 1800: Fricasseed Chicken
I openly admit it – I cheated a little on this recipe. You see, the recipe said to singe the chicken and then cut it into pieces. A google search told me that singing the chicken was to help get the last of the feathers out, so that seemed an unnecessary step. And, although IContinueContinue reading “Dinner at 1800: Fricasseed Chicken”
Forest Idylls 