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Innes McElrathillustrated by Ralph Canaday  \nh20  \nHOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURTSchool Publishers  \nCopyright oby Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company  \nAll ights reserved.No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic ormechanical,including photocopying or recording,or by any information storage and retrieval system,without the priorwritten permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law.Requestsfor permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers,Attn:Permissions,6277 Sea Harbor Drive,Orlando,Florida 32887-6777.  \nPrinted in China  \nISBN-13:978-0-547-01675-7  \nISBN-10:0-547-01675-1  \n891009401817161514134500416963  \n\n| If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge,Houghton Miffin Harcourt School Publishers  \u003Cbr>retains title to the materials and they may not be resold.Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.   |\n| --- |\n\n\n| Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication,or any portion of it,into  \u003Cbr>electronic format.   |\n| --- |\n\n# Foreword\n\nThe year 1843 was the beginning of“the great migration”in the United States.Over the next 25 years,about half a millionpeople moved west.They traveled to the California goldfields.They traveled to Utah for religious freedom.More than 100,000traveled the Oregon Trail in covered wagons to Oregon Territory,lured by the promise of free,fertile farmland.  \nMost emigrants on the Oregon Trail walked the entireway—over 2,000 miles.They traveled four to six months,covering an average of 10 to 15 miles a day.They forded deeprivers,crossed vast plains,and climbed high mountains.They were rained on,snowed on,and scorched by the sun.They battled diseases and fell victim to accidents.Cholera,adisease caused by bacteria in dirty water,was the worstkiller on the trail.Despite the challenges,the promise of abetter life out west kept them moving forward.  \nThis is the story of a fictional family traveling west on theOregon Trail in 1851.  \nA Near Disaster  \n\"Roll the wagons!\"shouted Luke Farnsworth,the wagontrain captain.It was seven o'clock in the morning,and the firstprairie schooner was moving out of camp.A few wagons back,James Wheaten cracked his bullwhip above the heads of hisoxen.Ponderously,the family wagon began to roll forward.  \nFour-year-old Harry Wheaten stood beside the wagon withhis older siblings,Alice and George.\"I want to sit in the wagonwith Mother!\"he shouted suddenly.He darted to the front ofthe wagon and tried to leap onto its empty seat.  \n\"Harry,STOP!\"shouted Alice.It was too late.With ashriek,Harry missed the seat and fell directly into the path ofthe rolling prairie schooner.  \n3  \nDesperately,Harry rolled away from the oncoming wheelsand barely escaped being crushed by the heavy wagon.  \nAlice grabbed Harry and lifted him to his feet.\"You couldhave killed yourself!\"she scolded him angrily.Hearing hertone,Ollie,the family dog,whimpered.  \nNow that the danger was past,Harry was shaking uncon-trollably.\"I just wanted to see Mother!\"he cried.  \n“You know Mother isn't well,\"George told him.\"She andbaby Emma are resting inside the wagon.\"  \nFather hastened over to make sure Harry was safe.\"Begrateful for your salvation,\"he told Harry soberly.He added,“Alice,you must mind your brother better.”  \nAlice bit her lip to keep from responding disrespectfully.It was not her fault that Harry had been reckless.Since Motherhad fallen ill,Alice's responsibilities had increased drastically.In addition to her usual chores,she had been doing most of thecooking,cleaning,and childcare for the family.It was a heavyburden,and the family was not even one third of the way toOregon Territory.Already her“Oregon Fever”had subsided.","cbCainspbKtUsgad","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainspbKtUsgad","pdf",2172981,24,"English","# Foreword\n## A Near Disaster\n## Sights Along the Trail","[{\"question\":\"What historical events does the foreword describe?\",\"answer\":\"The foreword explains that 1843 marked the start of “the great migration,” with many families traveling west over the following 25 years for opportunities such as gold, religious freedom, and farmland.\"},{\"question\":\"What near disaster happens to Harry Wheaten?\",\"answer\":\"Harry tries to jump onto the wagon seat, misses, and falls into the path of the moving wagon. He rolls away from the wheels and escapes being crushed.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is the trail’s water supply dangerous?\",\"answer\":\"The text warns that alkali water can be poisonous; it references sun-bleached bones and notes that many oxen died after drinking from similar holes.\"}]","Decision at Fort Laramie - Foreword - A Near Disaster | PDF",1790584329,37]