Platte River

We have just left and we are going to follow the south side of the Platte River. We have to cross the river in about 170 miles. We have heard from other settlers that it's too wide to bridge so we have to use the sandbars to get across. That has been a stressful thought, hopefully no one has any troubles. It's also very shallow which could cause problems because the current will be going at a high speed. After 6 days of travel we have finally met the river crossing. It's current was strong and fast. Everyone was frightened at the thought of crossing it. We started walking along the sandbars. John! John feel off of the sandbar and into the water. I jumped in after him. Janet was screaming while I was trying to get him. I couldn't get…

We left right after breakfast, a hearty serving of bacon and eggs. Elizabeth Wright had some extra eggs that she didn't want to bring along so she split it between the people in the wagon train. That only meant four eggs for us so we made more bacon to compensate. We followed the Platte River for one hundred seventy miles before we reached the California Crossing. My legs feel like they are falling off. They have ached since the start of this journey but I can't let Sam know. Then he would just…

Today we are leaving Fort kearney, Kenneth has the wagon fixed and ready to go, i mailed our letter yesterday afternoon and they should be happy to get it when they do. We are following the South side of the Platte River for 170 miles, then we will be at the California Crossing. From there we need to cross the south Platte river to get to the North platte river to follow it instead. We are almost to the California crossing and we are all doing just fine but Juniper is very tired and wants to…

My family and I have arrived in a small town known as the emigrants wash tub. Lots of people that are traveling along the Oregon trail like me come here to wash clothes, water stock and take baths. They also have some nice places to stay so we are going to stay in town for a little while. The town only has a handful of people living in it so it won’t be too hard to find a place to stay. Mama said she spotted an inn for travelers that we can stay at. The people here seem to be used to travelers…

California Hill, encountered immediately after crossing the South Platte, was the first major grade faced by the emigrants and me. This necessitated a climb of 240 feet in just over 1½ miles in order to reach the plateau between the North and South Platte Rivers. Imposing trail ruts are still plainly visible most of the way up the hill. Courthouse Rock was first noted by Robert Stuart in 1812 and quickly became one of the guiding landmarks for fur traders and emigrants. It is a massive monolith…

and followed his partners food steps, “He left from Fort Atkinson on the Missouri River north of present-day Omaha on November 3, 1824 with a party of 25 men, 50 pack horses and a number of horse-drawn wagons” (“William Henry Ashley”). He headed south down the Platte River in high spirits after his partners report of success but those feelings quickly retreated to feelings of hopelessness when he had to abandon the wagons and almost all the horses, in the brutal winter that had commandeered…

with the name first, but it surely does fit our feelings for the town. Growing up in Tillamook, I start to notice more and more of the horrifying damage the rain water and rivers do to our town. According to the Tillamook County Department of Community Development, "DO NOT ENTER FLOOD WATER!" flood…

snowpack melt in the summer. During upwelling events nutrient rich ground water would be brought up to the surface layers. If there is a spike in nutrient levels without any rainfall and low water temperature and low dissolved oxygen were observed, it usually implies to upwelling events. Upwelling can be localized and could also bring up the resting cysts of harmful plankton. Upwelling at known hotspots would lead to a bloom event during favorable conditions. A discrete sample was collected from…

Due to the flooding in Lower Onion Creek, Eric Rangel, 17, had to drop out of school due to the financial burden that flooding has imposed on his family. The Lower Onion Creek area flooded twice, once on October 31, 2013, and October 30, 2015. Many Lower Onion Creek residents are living in condemned homes five months after the latest flood. Eric Rangel said after the floods, the city condemned his home. His home was no longer inhabitable, and his family had to seek other shelter options.…

Downstream of dams, marked changes in fish populations occur as a consequence of blockage of migration routes, disconnection of the river and floodplain, and changes in flow regime, physiochemical conditions, primary production and channel morphology(McCartney, 2009, pg. 128). Due to the changes in the fish population caused by dams, the 1996 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals includes 617 freshwater fishes (McCartney, 2009, pg.128). Fresh water…