Last updated: April 26, 2023
Contact Us
Article
Alcove Spring Exhibits Audio Description
NPS Exhibit
A Spring Camp Exhibit Audio Description
-
Alcove Spring - A Spring Camp Exhibit Audio Description
Listen to the audio description Alcove Spring - A Spring Camp Exhibit.
- Date created:
- 04/26/2023
A Spring Camp. 361 words.Sitting here beneath shady trees on the side of the hill just past a stone bench and stone monument are two graphic panels, side by side. The hillside rises beyond with more trees in the distance. Ruts are visible going down the hill on the left.
The background of this panel has a color illustration looking down a hill to a river bend in the distance. A line of covered wagons pulled by oxen moves down the hill from bottom right of the panel to the river near the middle, then crosses the river and continues moving back up the hill on the far side towards the right edge of the panel. At the left side of the panel a boy stands on a boulder holding a dead rabbit in his right hand and a rifle in his left. He looks down showing the rabbit to a man, rifle over his shoulder, who stands farther down the hill near the wagons.
At upper right text reads, "Emigrant wagon trains heading for the Oregon or California territories typically left Independence, Missouri, in mid-April to early May between 1841 and 1869. It was important to cross the western mountains before fall snows made them impassable. Leaving too early meant risking delays from spring thunderstorms and flooded river crossings. Nearly 100 emigrant wagons crowded this meadow for several days in May 1846 while waiting to ford the “Independence Crossing” on the Big Blue River. Whether they stopped for a short rest or camped for several days, emigrants found good drinking water, firewood for cooking a meal, forage for their livestock, and wild game to hunt. Camp offered a chance to write in journals, wash laundry, or make wagon repairs that would get them to the next stop."
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Alcove Spring." At the right end are the logos and text for Oregon National Historic Trail and California National Historic Trail. Other text reads, "National Park Service, Alcove Spring Preservation Association Oregon-California Trails Association."
At bottom right is a QR code and the Audio Description symbol. Text reads, "For audio description of this wayside visit go.nps.gov/ASpringCamp."
End of Description.
NPS Exhibit
A Swale Vantage Point Exhibit Audio Description
-
Alcove Spring - A Swale Vantage Point Exhibit Audio Description
Listen to the audio description Alcove Spring - A Swale Vantage Point Exhibit.
- Date created:
- 04/26/2023
A Swale Vantage Point. 449 words.This panel sits on a hilltop underneath a covered wooden lean-to. A metal bench is to the left. The view beyond the panel looks down the hill to a meadow below that slopes to the left with a tree line on the far side. On the left side of the meadow swales or ruts can be seen going down the slope.
The background of this panel has a color photograph of the view below during the summer with a bright green meadows and green trees beyond. Several small figures of people move across the meadows. On the left side ghosted images of ox-drawn wagons move down the slope following the ruts still visible. Text at top left reads, "From this vantage point, one can envision what the emigrant travelers saw on the route west to Oregon and California more than 150 years ago. The hilly terrain made travel difficult. Thousands of people, heavily loaded wagons, and livestock carved ruts into the ground. Wagon wheels cut deep into the earth softened and muddy from spring rains. When the emigrant wagon trains stopped using the trails, grasses and other plants slowly covered over the ruts, turning them into smooth depressions in the landscape called swales."
At upper right on the panel are two smaller images. The top one is a map of the surrounding area oriented to your view with north to the right and the Big Blue River in the distance in front of you. The Oregon and California Trails are marked with a red and yellow dotted line coming up from the bottom on your right, curving to pass in front of you, then curving back to cross the river and moving off the top of the map.
The lower image is a 3D Lidar image of your position and the hillside you’re viewing. It clearly shows the grooves of the wagon swales going from right to left on the hillside in front of you. The caption reads, "Topographic remote sensing has identified numerous traces of wagon swales in the surrounding landscape. Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, is an aerial laser scanning method that produces precise, 3D maps of the terrain, like the one pictured here."
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Alcove Spring." At the right end are the logos and text for the Oregon National Historic Trail and California National Historic Trail. Other text reads, "National Park Service, Alcove Spring Preservation Association Oregon-California Trails Association."
At bottom right is a QR code and the Audio Description symbol. Text reads, "For audio description of this wayside visit go.nps.gov/SwaleVantagePoint. Photo by Tom Parker."
End of Description.
NPS Exhibit
Time to Cross Exhibit Audio Description
-
Alcove Spring - Time to Cross Exhibit Audio Description
Listen to the audio description Alcove Spring - Time to Cross Exhibit.
- Date created:
- 04/26/2023
Time to Cross. 419 words.This graphic panel sits by trees on the edge of a low bluff. Down below is a wide field with a low tree-covered ridge on the far side. A slight depression runs from left to right across the middle of the field.
The background of this panel has a photograph of the view in front of you. The depression across the field is filled with blue water. The right third of the photo blends into an illustration showing two men on horseback looking over the river below which winds away to the right.
At lower left text reads, "The great flood of 1903, along with years of farming activity, altered the historic course of the Big Blue River, which no longer flows through the old channel in the field below. In the 1800s, this location was known as the “Independence Crossing.” Emigrant wagon trains arrived here in the spring each year to ford the river. The gravel bottom provided sure footing for wagons, animals, and people. Timing the crossing was important. Arrive too early in the year and spring rain could make the channel too hazardous to cross, which created delays that stressed food supplies. Start the journey too late, and the wagon train risked winter weather making the route through the western mountains impassable."
To the right of the text is a map of an area roughly five miles wide and three high showing the historic channel of the Big Blue River and its present-day route. Both have numerous twists and cross each other several times. The approximate historic route of the Oregon and California trails is shown as a red and yellow dotted line coming up from the bottom of the map, passing to the right of your location, crossing the river, and continuing up and off the map. North is to the right. Alcove Spring is below you on the map. A label to the left of the map credits the photograph above to Tom Parker and the illustration to David Hammett.
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Alcove Spring." At the right end are the logos and text for Oregon National Historic Trail and California National Historic Trail. Other text reads, "National Park Service, Alcove Spring Preservation Association Oregon-California Trails Association."
At bottom to the left of the map is a QR code and the Audio Description symbol. Text reads, "For audio description of this wayside visit go.nps.gov/TimeToCross."
End of Description.
NPS Exhibit
An Excellent Place Exhibit Audio Description
-
Alcove Spring - An Excellent Place Exhibit Audio Description
Listen to the audio description Alcove Spring - An Excellent Place Exhibit.
- Date created:
- 04/26/2023
An Excellent Place. 470 words.This panel overlooks a small hollow topped by a stone ledge on the far side. Water streams off the middle of the ledge and falls into a small pool below. To the right a path crosses a wooden bridge at the right end of the ledge and continues up the slope beyond to the right.
The background of this panel has a color illustration of the scene in front of you with a small waterfall falling over the edge of the rocky outcropping with a stream winding away behind it. From the pool at eh bottom of the falls, the stream continues towards you. At right next to the pool is a group of three men. In the left foreground are two men sitting with a woman standing by them. The man at left is carving letters into the stone he is seated on. A label at bottom right credits the painting to William Henry Jackson. His signature is visible below the label.
At upper left text reads, "Emigrants on the Oregon and California trails faced many obstacles – scarcity of water and food, sickness, rough terrain, and harsh weather, to name a few. Sanctuaries like Alcove Spring offered respite from the daily hardships of trail travel. Wagon trains often camped near the spring while waiting for the swollen waters of the Big Blue River to drop to levels that were safe for fording. Emigrants carved their names in the rocks surrounding the spring, and many of these carvings are still visible today. Edwin Bryant, a member of the ill-fated Donner-Reed party, gave the spring its name. Members of the party carved the name into the stone and trees." Below the text is a quote from the emigrant journal of George McKinstry, May 30, 1846, which reads, "The water is of the most excellent kind. The spring is surrounded with Ash Cotton wood and Cedar trees. It is an excellent place to camp for a day or two to wash, recruit the cattle etc. I this day cut the name of the spring in the rock on Table at the top of the falls.”
At upper right is a photograph of a large rock surface with the words "Alcove Spring" carved into the surface. The caption reads, "Alcove Spring inscription carved by George McKinstry of the Donner- Reed party, May 30, 1846. (Inscription darkened)."
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Alcove Spring." At the right end are the logos and text for the Oregon National Historic Trail and California National Historic Trail. Other text reads, "National Park Service, Alcove Spring Preservation Association Oregon-California Trails Association."
At bottom right is a QR code and the Audio Description symbol. Text reads, "For audio description of this wayside visit go.nps.gov/AnExcellentPlace."
End of Description.
NPS Exhibit
Lost Along the Way Exhibit Audio Description
-
Alcove Spring - Lost Along the Way Exhibit Audio Description
Listen to the audio description Alcove Spring - Lost Along the Way Exhibit.
- Date created:
- 04/26/2023
Lost Along the Way. 538 words.Sitting here beneath shady trees on the side of the hill just past a stone bench and stone monument are two graphic panels, side by side. The hillside rises beyond with more trees in the distance. Ruts are visible going down the hill on the left.
The background of this panel has a color illustration looking up a slope towards a tree line in the distance. At the crest of the hill is a covered wagon pulled by oxen coming towards us. A man with a whip stands on the right and a woman in a long dress is on the left. On the right side of the panel is a historic photograph of an older woman wearing wire-rimmed glasses. Her dress is made of a dark shiny material with buttons up the front of the tight bodice and a narrow lace collar. Her hair is covered with a lace-trimmed cap with ringlets falling down on either side of her face.
Text at upper left reads, "Stranded by heavy flooding on the Big Blue River, 100 members of the Donner-Reed party camped here for several days in May of 1846. Sarah Keyes, James Reed’s mother-in-law, was feeble and ill but still traveled with them. While camped here, Sarah’s illness worsened, and she died on the morning of May 29th. Her party fashioned a coffin and gravestone, and laid her to rest a short distance away. Sarah Keyes was the first loss of the ill-fated Donner and Reed Wagon Train. That winter, the party lost 40 of its 87 members when winter storms trapped them in California’s Sierra Nevada. Death was a part of traveling the overland trails. Sarah’s grave served as a reminder to passing wagon trains that the journey ahead was fraught with challenges and losses."
Below the text in the middle of the panel is a portrait of a girl with dark hair parted in the middle and gathered over her ears. Her earrings have crosses on them and she wears a cross around her neck. To the left of her portrait is a photograph of a female doll with a painted face, jointed elbows, and wearing a long full skirt. Text below the images reads, "Eight-year-old Martha “Patty” Reed treasured her “dolly.” It may have been a gift from her grandmother, Sarah Keyes, before departing Missouri. When the trail grew difficult, Patty’s family asked her to leave her belongings to lighten the load, but she could not part with dolly. Patty hid her four-inch wooden companion in the hem of her skirt, keeping it with her through the tragic winter of 1846. Patty’s granddaughter donated the doll to Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park in Sacramento, CA. Courtesy of Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, [object #308-1744-89 & object #308-1744-2]."
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Alcove Spring." At the right end are the logos and text for Oregon National Historic Trail and California National Historic Trail. Other text reads, "National Park Service, Alcove Spring Preservation Association Oregon-California Trails Association."
At bottom right is a QR code and the Audio Description symbol. Text reads, "For audio description of this wayside visit go.nps.gov/LostAlongTheWay."
End of Description.