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West Across a Burning Field to Chimney Rock, Morril
County, Nebraska. Photo by Greg MacGregor. |
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Over
150 years ago, American pioneers first went west
overland from Missouri into California. Following
the California-Oregon Trail, an estimated 300,000
to 500,000 emigrants crossed vast plains, formidable
mountains, and arid deserts to settle California
and Oregon between 1841 and 1869. The trail began
in several "jumping off places" converged
quickly, and then followed one river system after
another until it terminated in either California’s
Sacramento Valley or Oregon’s Willamette
Valley.
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The
crossing usually took five or six months by wagon. Over
the entire length of the trail, it is estimated that
one person died for every hundred yards, with most deaths
resulting from cholera. On the other hand, nearly half
a million pioneers survived this wearisome journey to
begin their lives in the West.
Although the route is mostly unmarked today, photographer
Greg MacGregor has researched and documented the eroded
ruts, emigrant graves and wagon remains of the Trail.
He also has captured the campgrounds, golf courses and
highways that have sprung up along the way, as well
as other ironies of the modern Western landscape. These
striking black and white images are juxtaposed with
excerpts from emigrants' diaries and nineteenth-century
guidebooks. The “Overland “exhibition presents
a vivid portrait of what the journey was like for the
people who crossed the trail with no idea of what lay
ahead.
The “Overland” exhibition includes:
- 60
framed black and white photographs, matted to 20”
by 24” (runs approx. 200 linear ft.)
- Text
panels, labels and maps
- Exhibition
manual
- Press
kit
- Educational
materials
Rental
fee: $1,500 + shipping for an 8-week booking
Security: Moderate
This exhibition is no longer traveled by CERA. For more
information please contact Greg MacGregor at gregorym@jps.net
or (505)466-3128.
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