The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck Kassandra Nelson The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey. By Rinker Buck. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2015. 450 pp. Illustrations, index. $28.00 cloth. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey chronicles the author’s modern-day crossing of the trail. It is not a typical trail history; rather, it is a memoir heavily infused with trail history. Journalist Rinker Buck was first inspired to have a “lyrical journey across the plains” after a visit to a trail interpretive center in Kansas. He developed a desire to form what he calls a tangible connection to the trail’s history while bringing renewed attention to that history. Buck did not endeavor to recreate a trail crossing experience exactly like those of his historic counterparts. Buck, along with his brother, endeavored to cross the trail in a wagon with a mule team to see what the trail is like today. He successfully illustrates how the trail has changed from its establishment to the present day and how it in turn has influenced the development of the regions through which it runs, particularly with respect to the Great Plains. Buck makes the insightful assertion that the “reasons the trail has changed are the story of my country.” The struggles and challenges that trail emigrants faced resurfaced early on in Buck’s journey west. The summer storms, skittish mules, and obstacles posed by the landscape arose as they made their way across the plains. Buck relates his personal trail experience to that of the original emigrants; in the process he adds context and understanding to both. The heart of the memoir aspect of this book is Buck’s internal struggle with the memories of his deceased father and the evolving nature of his relationship with his brother. The emotional honesty and vulnerability with which Buck writes allows for readers to relate to him and his experience on a personal level. The sibling dynamics and Buck’s unique sense of humor provide lighthearted entertainment. However, the inclusion of unnecessary political statements, curse words, and harsh characterizations of some of the people he met along the way detract from the narrative and may be considered by some to be offensive. Throughout the book, and particularly within the acknowledgments chapter, Buck references several trail histories and numerous emigrant trail journals. The standards of Oregon Trail history such as The Great Platte River Road by Merrill Mattes are included in those references. However, the inclusion of notes and a formal bibliography would have been of benefit to both the author and the reader. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey is a dynamic story. Despite its drawbacks it makes for a unique and valuable addition to the trail historian’s bookshelf. [End Page 236] Kassandra Nelson Bellevue, Nebraska Copyright © 2017 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln