Quintina Snodderly

A pioneer mother, Quintina Snodderly died near here on June 25, 1852. A native of Tennessee, Quintina, with her husband, Jacob, and their eight children (five girls and three boys) had lived in Clarinda County, Iowa, for several years before embarking on their trip across the plains. They were members of a wagon train captained by Rev. Joab Powell, which had left St. Joseph, Missouri, in the spring of 1852

Quintina’s grave was discovered and excavated in 1974. An examination of the skeleton revealed the cause of death. Most of the ribs had been crushed, probably by the heavy wheels of a covered wagon.

The skeleton was in otherwise perfect condition, with fragments of a green ribbon bow still around the neck. The Powell wagon train probably crossed the North Platte River at this point and the accident may have occurred as the wagons climbed the river bluffs to enter the north bank trail.

Jacob and the children reached Linn County, Oregon, and several descendants still reside in that area.

The grave was restored and fence constructed here in 1987, by the Oregon-California Trails Association. It is a few feet from the original site.

Remember that next Oregon Trail day (May 22 and arriving just about now on the calendar) when the first of the many wagon trains left Independence Missouri to the Oregon territories.  6 months. 2500 miles. No guarantees.  If you fly over coast to coast on a clear day you can see some of these routes cut like a carving, lines straight.  Thousands of wagon wheels; unfortunate graves along the way.

Going or migrating within our borders is Emigration.  People coming here in the first place are Immigrants.  American dreams carved in stone and buried on the prairie.  Others dashed at the border.