At Three Island Crossing emigrants on the Oregon Trail reached a critical junction. Here they had to decide whether to make the difficult crossing of the Snake River or take a longer alternative route along the south side of the river.
We simulated the crossing by having the children each leave their wagon on shore. They then entered the stream and stood side by side. When everyone was in place the wagons were handed from one child to the next, bucket brigade fashion until all the wagons were safely across.
Parents playing the part of highwaymen attempted to steal from the unattended wagons waiting on the shore.
If a child wasn’t following instructions some one might “DROWN”
The Blue Mountains were a formidable obstacle to settlers traveling on the Oregon Trail and were often the last mountain range pioneers had to cross before reaching either southeast Washington near Walla Walla or passing down the Columbia River Gorge to the end of the Oregon Trail in the Willamette Valley near Oregon City.
The children linked arms to help each other up a steep hill.