Ebenezer Emory Gore was born in 1824 in Vermont and died in Kansas 1910. "What's so interesting about that?" you might ask. Well, in his later years, he said his occupation was a "traveling man". It's all that traveling he did in the years between 1824 and 1910 that make him such a fascinating character. Fortunately, he wrote about it. Part 1. Part 2.
In 1904, Ebenezer recounted the years in a memoir of his
life and experiences from early childhood to his crossing the plains on the Oregon Trail in 1852. He spoke in great detail and color of their camps and encounters with Indians along the way. It was a five-month journey. Upon arriving in Oregon, he settled in Jackson county for a time. There, he and his identical twin brother Emerson started several busineses. His brother was married and settled. But "Emory" was single and never settled anywhere for very long.When in he decided to go see relatives on the East Coast in about 1860, he had no desire to travel overland again. So he took a ship
to the Isthmus of Panama instead. Since there was no Panama Canal in those days (not until 1914), it was necesssary to take a train from the west coast of Central America to the east coast of Central America. Then, once he had arrived on the east coast of Central America, he boarded yet another ship to continue his journey and arrive at his destination.[-- to be continued]
