The Emerald Virus by Patrick Shea Page A

a
high price to pay.
        
Will had listened to talk of the Western Territories since he had arrived in
America. It was exciting, it was wild, it was dangerous, and land was cheap, but
only for those courageous enough or desperate enough make the move. He and
Johanna talked about finding something better almost every evening. Twelve-hour
days’ working in dank, hot conditions was not their goal. While they felt good
about finding work and actually saving money, they knew New York would be a
temporary home.     
        
Cheap land in the West seemed like a dream. But what an incentive the land had
become for tens of thousands of European immigrants.  Under the Preemption Act
of 1841 a person could purchase a plot of 160 acres for as little as two
hundred dollars. This far exceeded anything possible if they stayed in the
existing United States, but it came with a price, such as traveling through the
Indian territories.
        
In December of 1861 Johanna had a miscarriage with their first child. She was
shattered, and Will blamed the miscarriage on the terrible working and living
conditions. The thought of losing Johanna during another difficult pregnancy scared
Will to the point where he decided they were better off taking their chances in
the west than in New York city. They decided to use their time to prepare for
the trip west. They would be ready to leave by the end of winter.
        
Abraham Lincoln was now the President and he had promised to pass the Homestead
Act if elected. The bill was now making its way through congress and Will hoped
it would pass soon. The Act would allow him to claim 160 acres of public land
simply by filing a claim with a local Land Office and then living on and
improving the land for five years. The other requirement was that you must want
to be a U.S. citizen.
        
Will and Johanna were studying hard and hoped they could attain citizenship
before they started their western journey. They left New York in February of
1862, the day after they had been sworn in as U.S. citizens. They were jubilant
as they traveled by train to St. Louis and then by the steamboat ‘Radnor’ to
Independence, Missouri. They purchased a wagon, mules, one horse, supplies, and
tools for their new home. They carried a few personal belongings but had no
furniture other than two chairs and a table they thought would be useful on the
trip. Will was fortunate to find a wagon train to the Western Territories that
was in need of a blacksmith. The wagon master allowed Will and Johanna to join
his group without payment and Will agreed to provide his skills where needed.
This would prove to be mostly in the area of repairs to wagons and wagon wheels,
and of course shoeing mules and horses.
        
Their goal was to settle in the newly established Washington Territory. This
new territory had been broken out from the original Oregon Territory and was
made up of the northern and eastern parts of the original territory. Will and
Johanna knew northern weather, and wanted to stay with what they knew.
        
By the time they left Independence they knew the Homestead Act of 1862 had
passed. This was important not only for the free land but because it meant other
family members could join them and lay claim to adjacent land. They only had to
find a place with a lot of unoccupied land. They knew this meant living away
from current settlements.
        
In the ensuing months of the trip they had ample opportunity to talk about what
to expect with other pioneers making the trip, as well as with the trail boss
and scouts who led the way for them. By the time they reached Fort Laramie in
what was to become the Wyoming Territory, they were concerned with the stories
of tens of thousands of pioneers who had preceded them to the Oregon and
Washington Territories, and they were concerned if there would be any land left.
Large groups of pioneers had been following the Oregon Trail west since 1843,
and smaller groups