Saddles East

Rating:
Summary: The Oregon Trail in 1948
Review: This book is indeed a classic. Beard's conversational narratives and word pictures are a fast read with unparalleled clarity and excitement. A student of Western history, Beard adds numerous, historical accounts of other writers and conversations with locals met along the way that either lived or knew about the "old days." Hardship and triumph defined the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century, and the Beards tasted both. Who better to appreciate these extremes than a Chaplain assigned to a U.S. Army unit in France during World War One and the long-time pastor of Mount Tabor Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon. Ride with the Beards through rivers, deserts, mountains and plains sprinkled with sunshine, rain, snow, sleet, wind and sand storms. The Beards were friends of three generations of my family. The last time I saw them was in 1947, the year before they took their saddles East. Readers will not be disappointed with this riveting, first-hand account of a trip first dreamed of when Chaplain Beard was a boy.