Hope's Path to Glory by Jerdine Nolen

Author:Jerdine Nolen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

As we continue the move west, there are stretches of the trail where the air and the sky and the heavens are so clear, as clear as window glass. The wind blows cool and pure and so sweet. We come across many different shapes of rock. There is hardly any greenery here. These rock formations decorate the landscapes as back home did the trees and flowers and fields and gardens. There are signposts and landmarks along the way that mark the trail to give the heart hope and joy that you know you are on the right path. These places have much beauty and majesty. It is as if my eye cannot look at these rock figures long enough to feel a true satisfaction. Passing by them leaves the eye wanting to see them more. These sites inspire my heart as I move in these wide-open spaces. So far, I think, for me, every step of this part of our journey is seeing more of the elephant.

The land we come to here is not level. We are on the Lower Platte. The soil is sandy, and wood is scarce, but the weather is fair and beautiful. We start earlier this morning than we did on other days. We pass through a place called Ash Hollow. It is a deep, narrow valley with a river rushing through it. It was given this name because of the red ash trees that are found here. We have to use ropes to ease the wagons down the steep hills. Here we finally have a good supply of firewood and water.

From Ash Hollow we travel three miles or so and come to a place called Quicksand Creek. It is bad to cross because of the quicksand. This is a strange piece of the ground. It is most of all sandy—not a solid ground—and is difficult to walk on. The loose soil can pull you under it. Do not walk on this ground when you are alone.

After five miles or so, we come to the foot of Castle Bluffs south of the river and camp. These cliffs rise up to several hundred feet, Mister Walter says. They have weathered many storms over the years of their existence. From a distance, they appear as ancient, ruined castles like the ones I imagined in the stories Mistress would read. Wherever we walk over the days and days, the road is dry and sandy. The biting mosquitoes are most unkind.

After many miles, we come across a village of Sioux. They call their homes lodges. They are made of tanned buffalo skins. The buffalo means life to these people living in this wilderness. Every part of the animal is important to them for their lives. The buffalo meat is used for food. From the skin, they make dwellings and clothing. It is also used to construct the walls of their lodges. Their tools and some of the decorations they wear are made from the bone. The women wear dresses made of tanned buffalo skin.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.