Transcontinental Journeys

Originally Aired: November 11, 1936 In Cavalcade of America #56, "Transcontinental Journeys," the program contrasts two journeys across America separated by 80 years. Eighty-eight-year-old Mrs. Dean flies west from Omaha on a modern transport plane, covering in three hours what once took her three months as a child. When a young passenger named Diana complains about the inconveniences of air travel, Mrs. Dean begins recounting her harrowing 1856 journey by covered wagon with her father, Silas Perry, and their pioneer company of 200 souls. Led by the weathered guide Cherokee Joe, the wagon train faces mounting dangers as they push westward through hostile territory. Indian smoke signals warn of gathering war parties, and the travelers must circle their wagons each night for protection. Mrs. Dean's memories grow darker as she recalls their approach to a treacherous river crossing, swollen with spring snowmelt and choked with ice. As the Perry family wagon enters the deadly current, tragedy strikes when her father is swept away trying to save the family. The story powerfully illustrates how modern conveniences have transformed transcontinental travel from a life-threatening ordeal into a routine overnight flight.