On the Oregon Trail - A Docudrama
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Joe Frink, 21-year-old farmer
Margaret Frink, 20-year-old, Joe's wife, 7 months pregnant
Henry Woodson, 37-year-old successful businessman
Rebecca Woodson, 30-year-old, Henry's wife with three
children
Molly Woodson, 7-year-old
Martha Woodson, 8-year-old
Michael Woodson, 9-year-old
Minnie Woodson, 60-year-old, Henry's mother
Abraham Williams, 30-year-old unemployed man
Cynthia Williams, 25-year-old, Abraham's wife with two
children
Susie Williams, 7-year-old twin
Sam Williams, 7-year-old twin
Liza Williams, 16-year-old, Abraham's niece
Wyatt West, 40-year-old "Trail Boss"
John Hill, 19-year-old single man travelling alone
Loreta Valasquez, 28-year-old, temperance leader,
travelling with the Woodsons
Sarah Pellet, 30-year-old widow travelling with the Woodsons
Martin Pringle, 35-year-old farmer
Catherine Pringle, 32-year-old, Martin's wife with three
children
Charity Pringle, 10-year-old
Chance Pringle, 8-year-old
Charlotte Pringle, 7-year-old
Umapine, Dakota warrior
Willouskin, Dakota warrior
Mato-wangi, Dakota warrior
SCENE 1: "The Decision"
SETTING: At the kitchen table somewhere in Indiana at the Frink home
CHARACTERS: Joe and Margaret Frink
Joe: (reading a book) Look at this, Margaret. This book says
Oregon is like the Garden of Eden! Anybody can make a
living. There's the fur business and
fishing, too. And, the land is almost free! I want lots
of babies and lots of land
so we can feed them. And, it says here that down in
California a person can
scoop the gold right off the ground! A woman like you
can make sixteen dollars a week just cooking for one miner!
Margaret: (sarcastically) Now, that sounds like a real thrill!
I don't believe that
book. How can you think about going West when the baby is
almost here?
Besides, I don't want to leave my parents.
Joe: Babies are born on the trail everyday, and your parents can
meet us when we get settled.
Margaret: Sounds like you've already made up your mind to me.
Joe: Well, I guess I have. This is our big chance. Out west,
a black man is treated like a real man. It's not like here.
Margaret: I don't believe we'll be treated any different in
California, but if you go,
I will follow. I know that's my duty as a good wife. But,
promise me I'll have
a nice log house with real glass windows someday.
Joe: Sure. I'll have to keep you happy. With so few women out
West, you might find
someone else if I don't!
SCENE 2: "Getting Ready"
SETTING: The Woodson's home somewhere in Ohio
CHARACTERS: Henry, Rebecca, Molly, Martha, Michael,
and Minnie Woodson
HENRY: I hear there will be a thousand people in our wagon train.
There will be 6,000
horses, cattle and other animals. They say the train will
be six miles long!
REBECCA: Sounds like a lot of dirt and trouble to me!
HENRY: Where is your sense of adventure? It will be exciting!
REBECCA: I don't much care for excitement. And, I like our life here.
You are a
successful businessman, we have a nice church, and the
children have a good
school. I don't think God meant for us to get excited.
HENRY: Well, the kids seem to like the idea of going West.
REBECCA: They're just kids. They don't have good sense half the
time...(to herself)kind of like their daddy.
HENRY: What was that you said?
REBECCA: Oh, nothing.
HENRY: Rebecca, everything is going to be fine. I'm sure I'll get
that government job.
REBECCA: If we have to go I don't understand why we can't go by boat.
Both the
South American and Central American routes are safer than the
overland trail.
HENRY: I don't like depending on foreigners. Besides, it's too late
now. We leave for
Independence, Missouri, tomorrow. We'll meet the rest of the
wagon train there.
Mrs. Pellet and Miss Valasquez are supposed to be waiting for
us there, too. We
can't let them down. Two respectable ladies like them can't
be left to travel
alone.
(NEXT MORNING OUTSIDE THE WOODSON HONE. A "SCHOONER"
WAGON SITS NEARBY.)
REBECCA: Children! Come here! We need to get organized.
Molly, what is that you're
hiding?
MOLLY: It's just my little kitty.
REBECCA: You can't take that. We don't have room. We have to carry
400 pounds
of food.
MOLLY: Please...
REBECCA: Oh, okay. Maybe it will keep the rats away from my chickens.
I plan to sell my eggs along the way.
MARTHA: Daddy says we won't have to take baths while we're going
west.
REBECCA: Daddy say a lot of things!
MICHAEL: He says we'll be rich in Oregon.
REBECCA: Like I said, your daddy says a lot of things...Now, mind
what I say. Help me
load the supplies. (Checking off a list) 200 pounds of
flour, 150 pounds of
bacon, 10 pound of coffee, 20 pounds of sugar,
chipped beef, rice, tea,
beans, baking soda, vinegar, pickles, and dried apples.
You children go tell
Granny to bring her things.
[the children run to get Granny]
MINNIE: (walking toward Rebecca) I tell you I'm not going. Who
will put flowers on Grandpa's grave?
REBECCA: I understand, Granny. But, you know how Henry is. Once he
has decided to do something, there's no use in fighting it.
MINNIE: I'll die. I just know it. I'll never make it! If the Indians
don't get me, the dysentery will.
REBECCA: Now hush that kind of talk. You will scare the children.
SCENE 3: "The Beginning"
SETTING: An encampment near Independence, Missouri
CHARACTERS: Wyatt West, Martin & Catherine Pringle, Sarah Pellet,
Loreta Valasquez, Abraham Williams, Joe & Margaret Frink
[Wyatt is on a horse, riding through the camp]
WYATT: Hello, there! I'm in charge of this train. My name is Wyatt
West.
MARTIN: Pleased to meet you. I'm Martin Pringle. This is my missus,
Catherine.
There sure are a lot of folks here.
WYATT: The more the merrier!
CATHERINE: Do you have time to answer a few questions?
WYATT: Yep. That's my job.
CATHERINE: Well, the children are scared. They keep hearing about
Indians.
WYATT: With so many folks, we shouldn't have no problems. Course,
I wouldn't be wandering off alone or anything. And, I expect
we'll run into some Sac and Fox.
They set up little toll bridges across creeks and rivers,
and then charge a silver dollar for a person to cross.
MARTIN: We don't have any extra money.
WYATT: Oh, they will take most anything. Whiskey, calico cloth,
whatever you got.
[SARAH PELLET AND LORETA VALASQUEZ RIDE UP]
LORETA: Mr. West?
WYATT: Yep, that's me. Who are you?
LORETA: I'm Miss Valasquez. This is Mrs. Pellet. We have come to
discuss your plans to control the consumption of that
"demon rum" and other intoxicating liquors.
WYATT: Well, ..... .what did you say that name was? Sounds kinda
foreign.
LORETA: Miss Va-las-quez. It's Spanish. Is that a problem?
WYATT: Ain't no problem for me Miss Valasquez. I hear you Spanish
girls are real friendly. I've heard Spanish girls like
to drink a little nip now and then. So, what
are you so worried about?
LORETA: You shouldn't believe everything you hear, Mr. West. I,
for one, do not drink anything and plan to do all I can to
make sure everyone on this wagon train is
moderate in their consumption so we will have no accidents
due to drunkenness.
WYATT: Well, you're on your own. I don't have no plans to control
anything. In fact, I plan to have a few drinks myself. It
gets awfully boring out on the trail.
We're going West. People out there don't take kindly to
other people nosing around in things that ain't nobody's
business! And, while we're having this talk, I would like
to suggest that both of you ladies put on some normal lady
clothes. Those bloomers are going to cause quite a stir.
SARAH: I beg your pardon! Our selections in clothing shouldn't
concern you. And,
besides have you ever tried to ride a horse in a dress?
WYATT: No. Can't say I have.
SARAH: Believe me, as soon as I get to California, I'm going to
put on the prettiest
dress you ever saw. I'm looking for a husband,
preferably an army officer. Do
you know any?
WYATT: No, but a pretty woman like you shouldn't have any trouble if
you get rid of those trousers. Now, if you ladies will excuse
me, all this talking has made me
thirsty. It's time for a little nip of whiskey, I think.
LORETA: Well! What a disgrace! [Loreta rides away]
SARAH: Don't mind her none. She's one of those temperance people,
but she's a good Christian woman.
[Sarah rides away after Loreta]
[ABRAHAM WILLIAMS APPROACHES WYATT AND THE PRINGLES]
ABRAHAM: Mr. West, do you see those people over there? Who are they?
They look strange.
WYATT: Oh, that's them Mormons. And, you are right. They are strange.
ABRAHAM: What's a Mormon?
MARTIN: Don't you read newspapers? They call themselves the Latter
Day Saints. They
are trying to build a utopia in Utah Territory. They call it
Salt Lake City.
WYATT: They're a bunch a crazies. Any man who wants more than one
wife has to be crazy!
ABRAHAM: What? More than one wife?
MARTIN: Well, the Constitution says we have freedom of religion,
and that is their
religion. They are polygamists.
ABRAHAM: Polly who?
MARTIN: Polygamists or having more than one spouse. Actually, they
should be referred
to as polygynous since only husbands have more than one spouse.
ABRAHAM: Well, I've heard of everything now! What's that they're
pulling and pushing?
WYATT: Handcarts. That's how they go West. They can't afford real
wagons, so they push all the way to Utah!
ABRAHAM: Well, I'll be!
[MARGARET AND JOE FRINK APPROACH THE OTHERS]
JOE: Mr. West?
WYATT: (Irritated) Who wants to know?
JOE: I'm Joe Frink. This is my wife, Margaret. We signed-up
for your wagon train.
Where should we put our wagon?
WYATT: I don't allow no black people on my train! Besides, how do I
know you aren't a runaway?
JOE: We have papers. We even have birth certificates. We were born
free and never have been slaves. And, we have already paid for
this trip.
WYATT: Nobody tells me nothing! It might cause trouble if you join
the wagon train.
MARTIN: Wait just a minute, Mr. West. I don't think the
people in this train care
about a person's color. I certainly do not! These nice people
ought to be allowed to go just like everyone else.
WYATT: You some kind of radical abolitionist or something?
MARTIN: I've been called worse.
WYATT: Okay, okay. But, I don't want no trouble out of you. You can
put your wagon at the back of the line.
SCENE 4: "On the Trail"
SETTING: The Williams's wagon
CHARACTERS: Cynthia Williams, Abraham Williams,
Susie and Sam Williams
CYNTHIA: Maybe we shouldn't have come. Maybe you could have
found a job.
ABRAHAM: There ain't no jobs. They call it a panic. I don't
know what that means, but
there ain't no jobs.
CYNTHIA: (pointing ahead) What's that?
ABRAHAM: That's the Platte River. At last!
CYNTHIA: It looks like a river of mud.
ABRAHAM: Yeah. I hear that it's so thick that fish can't live in it.
It's too thick to drink.
CYNTHIA: I guess that means it's too muddy for bathing, too. I sure
would like a bath
and to wash some clothes.
ABRAHAM: You act like this is some high society party. We don't need
no bath.
[MEANWHILE IN THE WAGON]
SUSIE: I'm bored.
SAM: Me too!
SUSIE: I know what. Let's count the graves alongside the trail.
SAM: Okay.
SUSIE: There's one...and another...and another...and another.
That's four.
SAM: I see one over there! That makes five.
SUSIE: This is fun!
CYNTHIA: (overhearing the children's play) Those kids don't
know that we may all be in
one of those graves before this is all over!
SCENE 5: "Getting to Know You"
SETTING: At camp with people mingling; a campfire blazes nearby
CHARACTERS: John Hill, Liza Williams, Wyatt West,
Sarah Pellet, Loreta Valasquez, Rebecca Woodson
JOHN: Why are you going West?
LIZA: My Uncle Abe says we're going to get us some land and
get rich! How about you?
JOHN: I'm planning to be rich, too. I tried going to college,
but it wasn't much fun.
Who needs an education when you can get rich by
just picking gold up off the
ground?
LIZA: That sounds exciting! Don't you just love all of this...
the travel, the scenery,
the interesting people...Just everything about this
adventure is exciting! Look
at that sunset. It's so beautiful!
JOHN: All this and we1ll be rich soon, too! Can't
ask for more than that.
LIZA: Are you a "Yankee"? I read somewhere that "Yankee"
men are real polite.
JOHN: Yes, I'm a "Yankee." But, I guess you will have to judge my
politeness.
LIZA: Well, you can sure tell that my Uncle Abe is no "Yankee."
He yells and screams
at Aunt Cynthia all the time.
JOHN: I could never scream at a pretty girl like you.
LIZA: Oh, look! Everyone is gathering to sing! Let's join them.
[JOHN & LIZA STROLL OVER TO A GATHERING OF FELLOW
TRAVELERS]
LIZA: Listen to that fiddle! It makes me want to dance!
JOHN: I don't know how to dance. We Methodists don't dance.
LIZA: Oh...Do Methodists sing?
JOHN: You bet!
WYATT: Anybody want to start a song?
LORETA: How about "Amazing Grace"?
JOHN: I like "Sweet Betsy From Pike."
SARAH: "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" is fun!
REBECCA: I like that new song, "A Life in the West."
[The travelers select a song and sing]
SCENE 6: "Chores"
SETTING: The Pringle Wagon
CHARACTERS: Charity, Catherine, Chance, Charlotte and
Martin Pringle
[CHARITY IS SITTING INSIDE THE WAGON WRITING IN HER DIARY]
CHARITY: (to herself) Dear Diary: We are going west by 15 miles a day.
It's very slow
and dusty most of the time. It rained today. Now
everything is covered
in mud.
Everything in the wagon is soggy. The lady in the wagon
next to us had a baby
today. Another wagon turned over and almost killed a
man. One of the people
up front has cholera. Mr. West says when we get to Ft.
Laramie we can take
baths. I didn't think I would ever say it, but I can't
wait to wash off this mud!
[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE THE WAGON, CATHERINE IS AT WORK]
CATHERINE: (speaking to Charity) Come out of there! I need you
to watch your brother
while I cook breakfast.
CHANCE: I'm hungry!
CHARLOTTE: Me, too!
CATHERINE: I know. But, I'm having trouble betting this fire started.
Everything
is all wet. Charity! I need your help, please! Now!
CHANCE: I'm really getting hungry!
CHARLOTTE: I'm starving!
CATHERINE: Martin, could you look for some dry buffalo chips? I can't
get this fire
started.
MARTIN: I don't have time to look for buffalo chips. I've got to fix
that wheel. Get
Charity to do it.
CATHERINE: Where is that girl? Charity!
To Part 2