May 7, 1841

Three months ago, when I was still in Missouri, I heard about big cities like New York. After the building of the Erie Canal, New York exploded in population. I can only imagine how crowded it must be living in a city like that and how you might accommodate for the number of people. Knowing about the city of New York, the place where I live would seem tiny in comparison. But I've realized the benefit of it. There is less crowding issues, and generally, you are closer to the other people in a small place. You form better relationships, and everyone will know everyone. Even compared to Missouri, the Oregon Country still seems slight. The air somehow feels cleaner here, like somehow the air is filtered before it enters your lungs. A sense of harmony always lingers wherever you go.

Oregon White Flowers
Via  www.kristenandloren.com

May 2, 1841

When I learned about the concept of Manifest Destiny, I was greatly inspired by it. Although when I lived in Missouri, some people were against this concept because it included kicking out the Natives to a reserved area. Though I think this is wrong also, I am solely inspired by the determination in which our country is driven by. That we are always sure of our futures, like we can really control it. I want to be unwavering and confident like our nation. I may be someone so small compared to this country, but I want to have this type of certainty. I am sure that in the future, America will be a strong influence concerning the idea of freedom and democracy, looked high upon others living in the rest of the world.

Manifest Destiny
Via www.msstantonsclass.blogspot.com

April 26, 1841

I took a walk today around the farm. And I've realized, the world really is a beautiful place. I thank God for bringing me here. I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here. The Oregon Country has really made me think about life and how some people out there are suffering, and how I'm here, safe and sound. The scenery here is magnificent. I'm writing this to tell you that in the  Oregon Country, you can find a sense of peace; of tranquility. That you won't just get a good life money-wise or economically. Although this was a short post, I just wanted to get this out today. I feel like I can't just keep the greatness of where I live to myself. I want to share it.

Oregon Scenery
Via www.grapesqueeze.com

April 18, 1841

I remember times when I lived in Missouri that at night, I would hear the cries of my parents through the walls in my house. I had only been about nine or ten, and I hadn't understood why my parents would always soak their pillows at night in the dark. The Panic of 1837 hit the Mississippi Valley hard, leaving people hungry and homeless. People by the thousands had lost their jobs and tons of businesses closed down. 

But coming to the Oregon Country was like entering a new world. When my family came, the people of the Willamette Valley welcomed us with open arms along with thousands of other emigrants. I no longer see or hear my parents shed buckets of tears at night. They are happier than ever. Here, in the Willamette Valley, we have our own farm that is running successfully. We just plowed the field and planted the seeds over this past month, and crops should be growing soon. 

There is free farmland everywhere I look, just fields and fields of land, waiting to be taken and grown upon. 

Farmland
Via www.wildnatureimages.com

April 15, 1841

Hey guys! This is my first post on my blog called the "Oregon Insider." I've created this blog so I am able to tell everyone who is out there, in whatever state or country, how great the Oregon Country really is. But first, I want to tell you a little about myself.

My name shall remain secret, so if you ever need to write to me, just call me the "Oregon Insider." I'm thirteen years old and I live in the Willamette Valley. My family and I moved to the Oregon Country on March 1, 1841 because of the Panic of 1837, the depression that swept through the Mississippi Valley. So, I moved here just over a month ago. Moving here was quite hard for me; I had to say goodbye to all the friends I had, and leave everything I'd ever known to somewhere so foreign. The journey to get here was the hardest period of time in my life. My family traveled the Oregon Trail, which was a 2,000-mile journey. I stuffed our prairie schooner with the little of my possessions, and my family headed off. It was a time of hunger, disease, and  endless work. But it all paid off once my family and I came to Oregon.

Our Praire Schooner
Via www.encyclopedia.com

We came to Oregon to search for the fortunes that we had only heard about in fantasies, but once we came, we knew all those fantasies were true. We are always warm here in the Oregon Country because of the abundance of fur. The fur business is one of the most successful in the nation. We came here for all the free farmland, and for better health, and we have found it all. Here, we have found our safe haven.

Come to the Oregon Country! Come for better economic success, and a happier, and healthier life!