MES students travel the Oregon Trail

Two fifth grade classes at Marlinton Elementary School are taking an imaginary 2,100 mile trip in covered wagons.

The journey begins in Arkansas with a plan to arrive in Oregon in six months. Each wagon family purchases 2,000 pounds of supplies, hoping they made good choices for the challenges ahead.

Participants on the Oregon Trail will face cliffs, rivers, mountains, deserts, snow, rattlesnakes, broken equipment, cholrea, hail, wind and rain storms, Native Americans, hunger, thirst and death.

Each week through dramas, challenges and monthly journaling activities, the students will press forward on the trail.

The program is funded by Pocahontas County Free Libraries.