The Sager Family's Troubles Continue

The nightmare journey of the Sager family continued to Fort Laramie where a buffalo stampede on the edge of what the settlers called "The Great American Desert", led Henry Sager, Catherine's father to try to turn the giant beasts away from his family's wagon and lost his life in the process.  His daughter records the event:

"It soon became apparent to all that he must die.  He himself was fully aware that he was passing
away and he could not be reconciled to the thought of leaving his large and helpless family.  Looking upon me as I lay helpless by his side, he said to me, 'Poor child.  What will become of you?'  Soon after camping Capt. Shaw came to see him and found him weeping bitterly.  Mother was feeble in health, the children were small and one (me) likely to be a cripple for a long time from my broken leg with no relatives in the country and a long journey still before us.  Father begged Capt. Shaw in piteous tones to take charge of us and see us safely through."

Mrs.  Sager herself saw her family to Oregon , hiring a young man to drive the team, but he turned out to be less than honorable.  Taking the family's rifle in the ruse to hunt he instead held up the wagon ahead of them where his "Lady Love" was. Mrs. Sager (who had just given birth on the trail by the way and buried her husband), came down with camp fever in Utah.  Women on the train cared for her newborn.  She died on the trail and was buried on the side of the road. 

In 26 days, the 7 Sager children were ophans, the eldest just 14 years old. 

Next time...what happened to the Sager children??

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Today in Pioneer History:  On August 11, 1806, while hunting for elk along the Missouri  River, Meriwether Lewis is shot in the hip, probably by one of his own men.

The Sager Family Saga

Catherine Sager's father was a restless man who had emigrated from Ohio in 1838 to Missouri.  In 1844 it was time to move again to Oregon.

Catherine remembers:

"not having accustomed to riding in a covered wagon, the motion made us all sick and the
uncomfortableness of the situation was increased from the fact that it had set into rain, which made it impossible to roll back the cover and let the fresh air in.  It caused a damp and musty smell that was very nauseating.  It took several weeks of travel to overcome this "seasickness".

Water ran through the tent, the bedclothes were saturated with water.  Soon we came to a place in the road which had quite a embankment on one side, and notwithstanding Father's best efforts to prevent it, the team ran on to this and overturned the wagon, nearly killing mother.  A tent was set up and Mother carried to it where for a long time she lay insensible.  The wagon was righted up, the things loaded in and Mother having recovered we drove on."


Catherine shares this terrible scene on the trail:

"On the first day of August we halted to noon in a beautiful grove on the banks of the Platte River.  The children had become so accustomed to getting in and out of the wagon as to lose all fear, and would get out on to the tongue and keep clear of the wheel without putting Father to the trouble of stopping the team.  On the afternoon of this day in performing this feat, the hem of my dress caught on an axle handle precipitating me under the wheels both of which passed over me badly crushing my left leg before Father could stop the oxen. 

Seeing me clear of the wheels, he picked me up and carried me in his arms and ran to stop the team which had become unmanageable from fright.  A glance at my limb dangling in the air as he ran revealed to him the extent of the injury I had received and in a broken voice he exclaimed, 'my dear child, your leg is broken to pieces!'

The Sager's journey was full of trouble and tragedy as we continue on next time...

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 Today in Pioneer History:  On August 6, 1874, law officers kill Jim Reed, the first husband of the famous bandit queen Belle Starr.