The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck is a work of nonfiction about traveling the entire length of the Oregon Trail as it was first traveled by the American settlers moving west—in covered wagons pulled by mules. The journey had not been made like this in a century when Rinker Buck decided to traverse the trail that spans two thousand miles. It cuts through six states, starting in Missouri and ending in—as the name suggests—Oregon. When the trek was first made by Americans seeking the promise of a new life on the west coast, four hundred thousand people traveled those two thousand miles. It was fifteen years before the American Civil War and changed America forever. Not only did it blaze the path for railroads that would connect the east and west coasts of the continent, it doubled the size of America.

Rinker Buck decided he would embark on this intrepid journey, but it wasn’t his first time writing about his travels. He’d published Flight of Passage, which received rave reviews from The New Yorker. Flight of Passage is a memoir about Buck and his brother rebuilding their father’s airplane and flying in six days from New Jersey to California. His endeavor in The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey was significantly more dangerous because the trail itself is treacherous. Crossing the country wasn’t new for Rinker Buck, but for his book on the Oregon Trail, he decided to travel by wagon. While he did not face some of the same health issues, and there was the possibility of finding a hospital if he or his brother became injured, the trek was still fraught with challenges.

Buck began his trip in St. Joseph, Missouri. Four months later, he arrived in Baker City, Oregon, but it wasn’t a simple four months. He brought with him three mules, which he describes as cantankerous; his brother Nick; and a dog—a Jack Russell terrier named Olive Oyl who was always filthy. In Nebraska, they are chased by violent thunderstorms. In Wyoming, they give chase to runaway mules. The trail disappears for about five hundred miles, and Rinker and Nick manage to find their way on foot. They cross the Rocky Mountains. When in desperate need for water, they complete a fifty-mile forced march. Their wagon wheels and axels repeatedly break, necessitating repairs that are costly in both materials and time. As if those physical struggles aren't challenging enough, they have to deal with the emotional struggle of their father’s premature death.



Amidst all of these hardships, Buck presents the history of the trail and the people who relocated, taking every belonging and risking life and limb to find a better life thousands of miles from the place they knew of as home. Buck’s history includes scam artists, the cavalry, female pioneers, evangelists, and tribes of Native Americans. He also discusses the history of the covered wagon, and of the role mules played in the journey and in people’s lives. From there, Buck moves on to discuss the impact on America’s economy, and how the Oregon trail developed the country. Buck also looks at the families and pioneers on an individual basis, telling their story with the appreciation of the influence their travels had on the last one hundred years.

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey combines memoir, history, and travelogue into a one book. Rinker Buck was the son of Thomas Francis Buck, who published Look Magazine. Thomas was also a political activist. Those passions were passed onto Rinker, who had a vibrant career in journalism. He began just after graduating from Bowdoin College, writing for the Berkshire Eagle. After that, he wrote for such illustrious publications as New York, Life, The Hartford Courant, and Adweek. He is the recipient of several awards: The Eugene S. Pulliam Journalism Writing Award, the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, and the Max Karan’s Award for Excellence in Aviation Coverage. In addition to Flight of Passage and The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey, Rinker Buck is known for his other works: If We Had Wings: The Enduring Dream of Flight, First Job: A Memoir of Growing Up at Work, and Shane Comes Home.

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey was published in 2015. It’s been called a combination of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Jack Kerouac. The book has been praised for its humor, as well as its informative and emotional natures. Publisher’s Weekly called The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey “masterful” and “enlightening.” Other similar books include The Not-Quite States of America by Doug Mack, published in 2018 and Who is Rich? By Matthew Klamath, published in 2017.



Important themes of The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey include travel and adventure, the impact of history, the spirit of the pioneer, grief, family, and overcoming hardship.