ALLISON RUPP Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Friday, July 4, 2008 12:00 am
The teenagers came to Wyoming in search of adventure.
Like the pioneers emigrating west in the 19th century, they found one - one without cell phones, the Internet or even running water for a shower.
"One of the girls was talking on the phone to her mother saying, 'Mom, I have to go now. They are taking my phone,'" said Quackgrass Sally, one of the chaperones of the group.
The girl traded in her cell phone for a bonnet, dress and apron from the 1850s. And a covered wagon.
Twenty-four teenagers from across the country - Boston, Denver, Sacramento, Texas, Oregon and even Casper - traveled the wagon trails in Wyoming this week, heading west just like teenagers would have done in the 1850s.
They fed livestock, bathed in the river, ate beans and cornbread, and drove wagons pulled by horses or oxen. Since they hit the trail Monday, they've seen sights such as Independence Rock and Devil's Gate.
There's one big difference, though.
These teenagers had a camera and sound crew following their every move. The students auditioned to be part of an educational film outlining what life on the wagon trails was like.
"In Pursuit of a Dream" was written and produced by Candy Moulton of Encampment. Boston Productions is filming the project in partnership with the Oregon-California Trails Association.
There are really no scripts, just some guidelines. The movie is about the students' raw reactions to what is thrown at them and the people they meet along the way, such as map makers and scouts.
From Boston to New York University in the fall, Lydia Gammill, 17, wanted to do something "completely different" this summer.
She got it.
Gammill was wagon master Tuesday, and she was in charge of a newborn baby (a baby doll that actually cried) one of her fellow emigrants gave birth to Wednesday.
Gammill has been most impressed with the scenery along the trail, which follows State Highway 220. They've seen the alkali flats, Pathfinder Ranch, Martin's Cove and Cherry Creek.
"A lot of the kids are from Wyoming and Colorado, and they've seen this before," Gammill said. "It's so new for me. I've done a lot of American literature, but it doesn't mean a whole lot until you see it."
Even for Wyoming students, it has been thrilling. Frankie Israel, 15, will start at Natrona County High School this fall.
"I've driven through here before, but I've never walked the trails," said Israel, who was recruited to be in the film by Boston Productions.
Israel was in another Boston Productions piece made for the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center.
The students had an early Fourth of July celebration of singing and dancing as they made it to Independence Rock Tuesday evening, a historical site where many emigrants carved their names.
Settlers had to arrive at Independence Rock by the Fourth of July if they wanted to make it to all the way west by the first snow, said Sally, a rancher from Bridger, Mont., and an active member of the Oregon-California Trails Association.
California or Oregon. That's the question facing the teenagers and teachers on this Fourth of July.
Even though the group will drive to the next leg of the trail, Sally said they will stop at South Pass near Lander where the California and Oregon trails divide and make a decision. They will film for another week.
"I think there's going to be a tiff at the dividing of the trail," Gammill said.
In their 1850s characters, teacher Dave Vixie from Paradise, Calif., wants to go to California, while retired Casper teacher Kim Merchant wants to head north to Oregon.
Merchant said it's been fun watching the kids grow even in the five days they've been on the trail. There were some kids he didn't think would make it, but those are the ones who have transformed the most.
There have been some tears, Merchant said, and some fights, but overall the students are handling it.
Despite the July heat, the Wyoming wind, high altitude and the lack of city amenities.
"And we're talking about downtown Boston," Merchant said. "We put out all the fires and the kids were like, 'It's dark, real dark.' They were so excited when we let them bathe in the Sweetwater River."
The teenagers hadn't showered since Saturday.
The parents of the students should be proud of the some of the lessons learned this week.
"For me personally, the more you help, the faster you get things done," said Joseph Belford, 15, from Sacramento, Calif. "If I don't help, I feel useless."
Even though Merchant is there to guide the students, he said, "It's not so much of a teaching but an exploration."
Contact reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.
On the Web
To track the teenage emigrants' progress, visit their blog at http://octatrails.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html