Amelia Stewart Knight

Amelia Stewart Knight, her husband, and seven children set out from Iowa bound for Oregon on April 9, 1853. There were rivers to cross, floods, storms, poisoned water, drought, and disease to endure. One child, Chatfield, caught scarlet fever and was almost run over by a wagon, and another child was left behind by mistake for a few hours at a campsite. In her diary, Amelia records all her daily trials with honesty and bravery.

On September 13 the Knights arrived on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, and four days later they had reached their destination. Soon after arrival, Amelia gave birth to her eighth child. The names of the children that made the journey were Plutarch, Seneca, Frances, Jefferson, Lucy, Almira, Chatfield, and finally Wilson. Amazingly, Amelia made no mention of her pregnancy in her diary until the day of...