John lost his job as a factory worker. His wife Mary suggested that they move to the west. John and his son James went to go claim land in the west. John wanted land by the Missouri River in Nebraska.

Mary prepared some food while John went to the market to buy a carriage and a horse. When John got back Mary and James started to pack all of their belongings into the wagon.

They left the next morning at first light. The first couple of days of traveling went well, they were going 30 miles a day. Then day by day as they got closer to the west they were going less and less until they stopped and evened out at about 15-20 miles a day.

When they were about a 1/2 way to Nebraska Mary got sick with dysentery and they had to stop progress for a week. About a week after Mary recovered and they were moving again they ran into some cowboys herding about 1000 cows. The cowboys reluctantly went around them.

After 4 and a half months of travel, they finally arrived at their land, but they had to destroy their wagon to make a bridge across the Missouri River. For the first night they slept on grass but the next day John used the dirt and environment to make a small house.

After they got their farm set up it went well for a few weeks until the twisters came and ruined a lot of crops. Then the locusts came and destroyed almost every crop that was in the ground.

Once the transcontinental railroad was established John sold what crops he could afford and used that money to buy lumber for a better house that would be delivered by the railroad. The railroad made life way easier for John and his family.