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Local students experience life on frontier during Wagons Ho program
by Tim Bondy
Mountain Home News
Fourth graders from local area schools took part in a unique, hands-on learning program as they learned the challenges associated with pioneer life during a yearly program held last week.
Cal and Marla Clevenger brought their Wagons Ho history lesson back to Carl Miller park last week to give students an appreciation for the how pioneers lived, worked and played back in the 1800s.
Each day started off with the Clevengers explaining what is expected of the students, teachers and helpers throughout the day. Safety is stressed as part of the whole learning experience.
"During the 25 years running the Wagons Ho program, we haven't had one child injured, and we aim to keep it that way today," Clevenger told the crowd.
Once everyone was aware of their roles and responsibilities for the day, Clevenger got the real learning process started. He released the student and their honorary "trail bosses" out to one of the 12 learning stations scattered around the park.
Every 20 minutes or so, Clevenger ventured out into the middle of the learning stations with pistol in hand. Even though the students were aware that the crack of the pistol was coming -- signifying they needed to move onto the next learning station -- many in the crowd still flinched from the noise.
"Learning how the pioneers of the Oregon Trail days did things is what I liked the most," said Eden Kramer, who was learning the art of cattle roping at the time.
Nearby, Tristen Bibber from Stephensen Elementary learned how to make butter the pioneer way -- by vigorously shaking a small container of heavy cream. After about 10 minutes, the top came off the jar. Shouting a hearty, "yee-ha," he discovered that he had created butter.
"I've never made butter. It was hard work , but it tasted pretty good," said Tristen Bibber as he chewed on a cracker topped with butter he had just churned.
At the toy making and candle lighting station, the students made a spinning top using nothing but string and a large button. They also learned how hard it was to light a candle in the wind.
"This was good practice for when there is a blackout at home and candles were the only source of light the pioneers had at night to read and get things done," said Paul Rockefeller, a student from West Elementary.
At the roping learning station, Sarah Winings, a mother whose son attends West Elementary, was coiling up rope after rope for the students. She then showed them how to safely swing the rope and throw it over the head of the practice metal steer.
"This is the third year I've taught roping at Wagons Ho, and it's just fun for me and the kid," Winings said.
Over at the wood splitting station, two trail bosses were busy showing the students how to split a small log into wooden shingles using only those tools a pioneer might have had.
"It was fun bashing the log onto the splitting tool," said Gus Winings from West Elementary. "It was cool to learn how the pioneers made wooden shingles so water wouldn't drip on them at night."
Mathew Vance from West Elementary enjoyed his time at the button making station.
"We took a piece of wood, drilled holes in it, and now we're polishing them down until they are smooth," he said as he demonstrated. "These big buttons would be good for a bear skin coat."
With a large open fire and the group of highly charged fourth graders milling around, safety was again the main priority of the day. But the cowboy cast iron lunch cooking on the fire was also of interest to both the students and adults in the crowd.
When Cal Clevenger pulled the cast iron pot out of the fires and lifted the lid, a cloud of steam poured out as did the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the students.
"We helped make that beef stew in the pioneer kitchen today," said Jesus Sanchez as the West Elementary student looked around at the other kids that had gathered around him.
"We've taught and safely entertained at least 6,000 students a year for a long time, and this is why we need the everyone to stay away from the fire," Clevenger told a group of students as he switched between the many tasks and activities around the chuck wagon and the camp fire he tended.
As lunchtime approached, the cowboy buffet lunch was set-up for the adults working with the Wagons Ho program.
"You look like the hungriest cowboy out here so you get to ring the dinner bell," said Clevenger as he looked over at Tami Corby, who stood next to the chuck wagon kitchen and rang the triangle dinner bell.
The students were then released to eat their bag lunches and the adults lined up for a hot cowboy meal.
At the journal writing station, one of the last learning stations the student rotated through, trail boss Lyn Pickering helped the kids document their time with Wagons Ho. The journal helps the students remember what they liked best, what they saw and what they experienced during their pioneer experience.
"This is the best field trip the kids will experience all year as fourth graders and we want them to be able to discuss it with friends and family," Pickering said. "That why we have them put it in a journal."