Oregon Public Broadcasting

The pioneers who settled the west endured a months-long journey over rutted trails and high mountain passes. 

An Oregon man is commemorating that trek this month by taking his covered wagon on a much shorter journey. 

Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman went along for part of the ride.

Tom Marquette talks to his mule before attaching it to the wagon in the background.

Tom Marquette dreamt of rounding up history buffs and leading them on a 132 mile trip through the Willamette Valley. 

He envisioned a train of wagons, stopping in towns along the way and giving people the chance to see how their ancestors may have traveled. 

It didn't quite work out that way.  His wagon train ended up with just one wagon. 

But undeterred, Marquette pushed ahead anyway.

Tom Marquette (talking to his animals):  "Here now, here.  Alright, come around haw, step up easy, just walk, just walk, just walk."

Marquette has limited vision and a broken arm. 

But a small band of volunteer trail hands has come along for the ride. 

Tom Marquette leads his team along a street in Brownsville, Oregon.

And strangers have stopped by with gifts of food for man and animal. 

A few days into his 2-week journey, Marquette's mules came up lame, and for now he's making do with a couple of substitutes. 

They're not as prepared for the perils of the trail:

Tom Marquette (talking to his animals):  "Come up, step up there, it's just a dog, they're not going to hurt you.  Get on up there, you're not afraid of a dog.  Step up girl, step up easy now." 

The wagon slips past the canine threat and continues north. 

The destination? Independence, Oregon. 

Marquette wants to make it there in time for a reunion of people who commemorated Oregon's Centennial back in 1959 by undertaking a five-month covered-wagon journey along the route of the Oregon Trail. 

This year, the state is celebrating its Sesquicentennial and Marquette figured he'd take the wagon train theme and go with it.

Tom Marquette is taking his covered wagon on a 132 mile journey through Oregon.

Tom Marquette: "My reason for doing it is, I'm seventh-generation Linn County, Oregonian.  And my grandkids are ninth generation Linn County.  My ancestors settled Linn County in 1847."

He may not be enduring the hardships that his ancestors did. 

But he's had his own set of troubles, animal and otherwise, on this modern-day journey. 

What keeps him going? 

The chance to tell his canon of stories to anyone who will listen. 

And along the way people gawk and wave as the one wagon wagon train passes by.

Online:

Tom Marquette's "Wagon Trek 150" website