In the spring of 1846, Francis Parkman and his friend, Quincy Shaw, traveled by railroad from the East to St. Louis. From St. Louis they went by river steamer up the Missouri River to Kansas, then called Kanzas, about five hundred miles from the mouth of the river. Their object was a trip to the Rocky Mountains, a very unusual excursion in the 1840’s.
Disembarking, the two young men went by wagon to Westport to get horses and guides for their journey. At Westport they met three acquaintances with whom they agreed to travel; two British army officers and another gentleman, who were planning a hunting expedition on the American prairies. Pleased to have companions on their dangerous journey, the two Easterners were also glad they did not need to travel with a train of emigrants, for whom Parkman expressed the utmost contempt.
The journey began inauspiciously for the five travelers. The Britishers decided to start by a trail other than the one which had been previously decided upon. The result was that the party discovered, after several days of travel, that they had gone far out of their way. The party then rode northward to the Oregon Trail, which they decided to follow to Fort Laramie, seven hundred miles away.
