I’ve written before about emigrants crossing the Missouri River at Kanesville, Iowa (now Council Bluffs). The Denny party made that crossing on May 6, 1851. Earlier that spring, hundreds of emigrants crowded the riverbanks there, preparing to leave the settled East behind and begin the long journey west.
The Dennys had already encountered hardship before they even reached the Missouri. Crossing Iowa, Arthur Denny suffered another attack of the malarial “ague” that plagued him back home in Cherry Grove, Illinois. His daughters, Catherine and Lenora, ages seven and four, came down with whooping cough. These illnesses would follow the family for much of the trip to Oregon.
Crossing the Missouri River was slow and dangerous. Emigrants depended on ferries—large, flat-bottomed boats that carried wagons, livestock, and people across the swift, muddy water. During the spring migration season, long lines formed on the eastern bank of the river as emigrants waited for their turn.
The river was intimidating—wide, fast-moving, and unpredictable. Wagons were rolled carefully onto ferry decks beside frightened livestock. Horses, mules, and oxen often resisted boarding. A single mistake could send people, animals, or wagons into the current.
Once across the river, the emigrants organized themselves into a formal wagon company for protection and efficiency on the trail. According to Arthur Denny’s diary, their company was formed on the evening of May 7, 1851, after an eventful first day west of the Missouri.
Arthur wrote:
Wednesday, May 7. Nine miles to Elkhorn and 3 miles to camp. Water supplied by lake or pond and wood by willows. This evening we had the first stampede caused by horses taking fright at Indians while feeding. First rain since we crossed the Missouri. Two showers. This evening we organized by electing John Denny captain and Hadley Lieutenant. Indians camped in two hundred yards.
I don’t know all the men who traveled in this company, but John Denny, Arthur’s father, was a logical choice for captain. Born in Kentucky, he had served during the War of 1812 with the Kentucky Volunteers, before moving first to Indiana and then to Illinois. In Illinois, he served as a justice of the peace and later as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served alongside Abraham Lincoln.
No record survives of the rules adopted by the Denny company, but most wagon companies established guidelines governing travel, grazing, guard duty, and camp procedures. Company officers enforced the rules and settled disputes.
Life on the trail quickly settled into a demanding routine. Emigrants rose before dawn, hitched their teams, and traveled in long wagon lines across the plains. Stops were brief—usually only for a noon meal and then for camp at night. After dark, the men stood guard watches while livestock grazed nearby.
By mid-May, the Denny party was traveling west along the Platte River. During the rest of the month they endured high water, thunderstorms, hailstorms, and continuing illness. Yet along the trail they also passed many graves, reminders that others had suffered far worse. Despite their hardships, the Dennys escaped without serious injury or death.
Would you have made the journey west along the Oregon or California Trail?
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