Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail

De: Ezra Meeker

Narrado por: Alan Crookham

When one listens to a true story of a life like that contained in this book, it would be easy to think that the person must be a hero, or a legend unlike any other. In most cases, this would be true. However, in the case of the Oregon Trail, Ezra Meeker was just one of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children who travelled the treacherous 2,170 mile long road that claimed, according to Meeker, a number of lives that will never truly be known.

To this day, the old trail contains the forgotten bones of so many who were buried in makeshift graves that were trampled into oblivion by the millions of animals churning through the dust on the way. In this true account, written by a true Oregon Trail Pioneer, Ezra Meeker shares experiences that sound like they should be in a fantasy book of some kind.

In this audiobook, Ezra recounts:

• Trees so large that the pioneers couldn’t pass through them, so they dug under them and passed through in deep tunnels.
• His ox Dave, who was eight feet in girth, the largest in the United States.
• Entire families scaling a cliff using fresh animal skin tied together as a rope.
• Children saving the lives of their parents from raging rivers.

Ezra’s story is an epic that sprawls across over 50 years of tragedy, victory, loss, hardship, wealth, poverty, and the tales of many other brave men and women who risked everything for a new beginning.

He also believed in the power of history and the power of remembering what others have done before us. It is because of people like Ezra that our nation became so great. He wrote this book at the end of his life because he believed it would not only remind us of the adventures of the Oregon Trail, but also to instill patriotism in the people who would listen to it. He was always a stalwart, unbending believer in the importance of looking back and learning from the past. Thus, he put this epic tale to pen for us all.

©2023 Alan Crookham (P)2023 Alan Crookham

Authentic description of pioneer life by someone who lived it.

What I enjoyed was the authenticity of the narrative, and the sweet spirit of the author as he presents the narrative in a natural, unsophisticated way.

The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars on the story is that only the first few chapters actually deal with life on the Oregon Trail. Most of the book describes the pioneer life of the author and his wife in the Puget Sound area of Washington state.

The last hour of the book tells the story of the author's return to the Oregon Trail around the year 1910 to retrace it and leave markers along the route.

The laid back manner of narration fits well with the style of the book.