It Happened on the Oregon Trail includes twenty-nine unusual, remarkable, little known events that happened along the trail from Independence, Missouri to Oregon's Willamette Valley. From Rufus K. Porter's brilliant plan to fly people to Oregon in hot air balloons, to the plight of a young girl who climbed Independence Rock to carve her name and was left behind by her wagon party, this book reveals the hidden stories about the trail.

(1) Introduction (2) Map of the Oregon Trail (3) Almost within Reach--Early 1800s (4) A Man All Alone--1828 (5) Over the River or Through the Woods--1843 (6) For Better or For Worse--1845 (7) The Way Home--1845 (8) Just One More Day--1846 (9) He Who Laughs First--1847 (10) Turnarounds--1847 (11) Patience of a Saint--1847 (12) Up, Up, and Away--1849 (13) Unexpected Luxury--1849 (14) Against All Odds--1850 (15) The Marriage Bed--1850 (16) Etched in Stone--1852 (17) You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide--1852 (18) A Kindness Returned--1852 (19) Bubble Up--1852 (20) Just Around the River's Bend--1853 (21) Then and Now--1853 (22) The High Price of Steaks--1854 (23) A Trail Delicacy--1854 (24) Push Me, Pull Me--1856 (25) Girl Overboard--1859 (26) Wish Upon a Falling Star--1860 (27) A Trip to the Moon, Anyone?--1864 (28) Clouded Vision--1865 (29) Capturing History in the Making--1886 (30) Stuck in a Rut--1906 (31) Right of Way--1996 (32) A Potpourri of Oregon Trail Facts (33) Where to Visit the Oregon Trail (34) Bibliography (35) Index