Rachel's Son, Jackson

Rachel’s Son, Jackson is based on a true story that took place in the United States between 1843 and 1865. On a southern plantation in Tennessee in 1843, Elizabeth Delaney is convinced by her husband Daniel that relocating to the Oregon Country from their comfortable situation would benefit her undiagnosed health problems. They join a group of pioneers and embark on the 2000 mile long Oregon Trail. The trip is less than blissful with most of the group walking the entire way, from Independence, Missouri, to a small staging area on the banks of the Columbia River locally referred as The Dalles, a French word for "Sluice of Water." Worn out and tired, they arrive in the Willamette Valley. They work to build new lives in the territory and eventually have homes, farms, and good bounty. Yet, each struggles along the way striving to reach their destination and make their dreams come true in the midst of clashing personalities and the stress of starting a new life. Rachel’s Son, Jackson illustrates an honest picture of the strife of the family traveling the Oregon Trail, the hard work necessary upon arrival to become established, and the events that would soon follow. Rachel’s Son, Jackson is a story based on fact - a real story about real people, whose graves are located throughout the Salem area, this story is theirs.

-- Timothy C. McFetridge