Wagon's Ho!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012
From left, Kaitlan Looney, Gabby Kennedy and Gabby Milillo learn that washing clothes on the frontier is harder than it looks as the Base Primary School students participated in this year's pioneer experience. Photo by Brian S. Orban

With the morning chores completed, the children gathered around the campfire as Cal Clevenger shared with them the real life story of a hapless frontiersman. Taking a seat on a makeshift wooden stool, he shared with the fourth graders a little-known fact of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition.

Among those making this trek across the western United States was a man by the name of George Shannon, who at age 19 had earned the unfortunate reputation of easily getting lost. At one point, he went missing for two weeks before the expedition found him.

Simply put, Shannon was horribly unprepared for this harsh, unforgiving environment, Clevenger said. He survived during that two-week period by eating nothing but wild berries and grapes because he forgot to bring materials to make bullets for his hunting rifle.

This led to Clevenger's next lesson that day. The long-time frontiersman poured molten lead into a pair of openings at the top of a metal tool held in place by Sara Green, a para educator from West Elementary School. In mere seconds, Clevenger had created a pair of .58 caliber bullets that Shannon would've needed to make his survival a bit more tolerable.

It was one of many lessons hundreds of fourth grade students from local area schools learned during this year's Wagons Ho experience. Celebrating its 21st year, the pioneer camp brought the flavor of early American life to Mountain Home students practically in their own back yard.

Set up at Carl Miller Park, the hands-on experience included everything from a covered wagon to a campfire to help students learn how life really was for those living on the American frontier. Throughout the day, the students and their adult chaperones visited different stations set up around the park, each one capturing a different aspect of pioneer living.

"We enjoy that we can make a museum come to life" where children can experience firsthand what life was like for America's pioneers, Clevenger said. It's a definite change from walking through a museum where everything's behind glass, he added.

The hands-on teaching environment makes it not only memorable, but it allows these youngsters to better appreciate how tough life could get for those living in the days before technology, added his wife, Marla Clevenger.

"We thought kids would really enjoy learning about Idaho history through a hands-on experience," she said.

The Wagons Ho idea started out quite unexpectedly for the Clevengers, who share a lifelong fascination with this moment in U.S. history. In fact, while their children were still young, the family refurbished a frontier wagon -- without using power tools.

Traveling from place to place to showcase their wagon at events like the Three Island Crossing in Glenns Ferry, the family noticed that people were engrossed watching them partake in the frontier-style games and chores, which they brought along to keep their sons occupied.

At the urging of others, the Clevengers took their frontier camp idea to local schools, who jumped at the opportunity. Today, Wagons Ho remains a memorable experience for both children and their adult chaperones.

Safety remained the most important lesson taught each day. Before allowing these young "wranglers" to use anything at the camp, Clevenger took all of them to each station to show the students how everything worked, emphasizing the need for people to play it safe to avoid injuries. With children expected to use matches, hammers and sharpened tools, the camp stressed this safety message throughout the day with parent chaperones keeping a close eye on their respective group of youngsters.

Despite the lure of chopping wood or creating buttons from wooden disks, the roping exhibit remained a popular destination for many students. During their allotted time, students tried their best to swing a lasso around their heads and throw it accurately enough to snag the revolving steel frame that represented a runaway calf. For most of these aspiring cowboys and cowgirls, their attempts tended to fall way short.

While most activities were designed for individuals, the bandsaw exhibit focused heavily on teamwork. To cut through a section of a roughly nine-inch-thick log, students needed to work in unison to successfully and quickly cut through this stubborn piece of lumber.

Their tenacity to slice through the timber earned them the privilege of holding onto the cut timber as a keepsake for their class.

While some frontier chores seemed "fun" to some, others were deemed not so pleasant.

Kaitlan Looney, Gabby Kennedy and Gabby Milillo from the Base Primary School discovered, for example, that washing clothes with only a washboard and cold, soapy water was a lot tougher than it looked.

But not every activity required a strong arm to complete. Taking a break from the day's chores, Wolfie Steinhauser and Ashleigh Carpenter took turns winding up moon spinners -- a simple top made from a length of string and an oversized shirt button.

Following the morning's hands-on lessons, the day's festivities focused on fun and friendly competition. The youngsters had a chance to participate in a series of games, including an egg race -- using raw eggs. Following several potato sack races, the day's fun wrapped up with a series of tug-of-war matches with teams digging in their spurs, so to speak, to earn bragging rights for the rest of the day.

Throughout the day, the children were asked to put the experiences to paper and pencil. Some took time to either write a thank you note, jot down their thoughts or just draw something that interested them during their day as pioneers. The Clevengers assured the children that they read each letter they receive.

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  • The kids always seem to enjoy this tradition. What fun and learning experience for them. My kids and grandkids loved it.

    -- Posted by midea on Fri, May 4, 2012, at 7:34 AM
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