The Lippincott Project was researched and written in the summer of 1994 by students from Sisk Elementary School in Salida School District.
1846 has been called “the year of decision.” In that year, more than 2,500 individuals took to the Oregon/California Trail in covered wagons. Three years before the gold rush, these emigrants traveled along the Platte River to begin life anew on the Pacific coast.
One of these intrepid pioneers was Benjamin S. Lippincott. Leaving his home in New York, he made his way to Independence, Missouri, where he joined a wagon train under the command of Col. W.H. Russell. As he made his way along the Platte, Lippincott encountered the full range of wagon train experiences. Later he wrote about his experiences. These letters were made available to the Madera Method in 1994, and students from Sisk School used them as source material for their book.
