Journey Down the Ohio River
May 12, 1818
Dear Diary,
We have been drifting down the Ohio River for three days now on our wooden flatboat, which Pa built himself back near Pittsburgh. The boat is large and sturdy, shaped like a big rectangular box, carrying our entire life within its heavy pine walls. We have our two cows, Daisy and Clover, huddled in the stern, along with crates of tools, sacks of cornmeal, Ma’s favorite rocking chair, and all our winter blankets. The river is wide and brown, sweeping us smoothly west toward our new home in southern Indiana.
During the daytime, Pa and my older brother, Thomas, stand at the long wooden oars called sweeps. They use them to steer us away from dangerous sandbars and fallen logs hidden just beneath the water's surface. Ma says the river is a moving road, carrying hundreds of families like ours who hope to find fertile farmland.
May 16, 1818
Dear Diary,
- flatboat:
- A large wooden boat with a flat bottom used to transport goods and families down rivers.
- sweeps:
- Long wooden oars used to steer heavy flatboats on river currents.
- sandbars:
- Ridges of sand formed in a river by moving water currents.
- settlement:
- A small village or community established by people moving into a new region.
- timber:
- Wood from trees prepared for use in building structures.
Educational example text · Diary Entry
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- 1Who built the flatboat that the narrator's family used, and where was it built?
- 2What animals did the family bring aboard the flatboat, and what were their names?
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About this diary entry passage for Upper Elementary
“Journey Down the Ohio River” is a diary entry reading passage about Pioneer life and river travel in early Indiana, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (472 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.