Jane Eakin diary , 1866

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hanna, Jane Eakin, 1849-1932
Title
Jane Eakin diary
Dates
1866 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.1 linear feet, (1 container)  :  1 folder
Collection Number
A 030
Summary
Jane Eakin was a pioneer whose diary describes a trip across the plains from Illinois to Eugene, Oregon in 1866.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Jane Eakin (1849-1932), also known as "Jennie", left Chicago Heights, Illinois, in April 1866 and began a four-month journey by wagon to Eugene, Oregon. She traveled with her family – including her parents, one set of grandparents, and a number of siblings (she mentions five in her diary). Little is known about Eakin's life before or after her migration to Oregon. She appears to have married later and changed her surname to Hanna.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Jane Eakin Diary of a Trip Across the Plains from Illinois to Eugene, Oregon in 1866 consists of nine typed pages from a travel journal that Eakin kept during the summer of 1866 when her family migrated to Oregon from Illinois. Eakin's entries are brief. They mark the progress of her family's wagons, note the weather conditions, and recount illnesses her family suffered. Some of Eakin's references to campsites are specific – such as "stayed in Frog" – but many of them are less specific, such as "camped in a man's yard." Consequently, tracing her family's progress is difficult. Eakin notes when other wagon trains joined them; she mentioned the "Montana train" and her sorrow when they parted company. She also offers observations about other travelers; she said she did not like the Oregon train because the women were "rough, course and ugly" and the men swore. The Eakin family joined other family members who had already settled in Eugene (the McCornack and Pattison families).

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Pioneers--Oregon
  • Women Pioneers--Oregon--Diaries

Geographical Names

  • Oregon National Historic Trail--Description and travel

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries