Scout of the Oregon Trail
Discussion Questions
Chapter 1 – Two Bits
1. Why did the Churchill family spend the winter in St. Louis if they weren’t from there?
2. How much money was “two-bits,” and was that a lot to pay for a stray dog?
Chapter 2 – The Riverboat Zephyrus
1. What does Zephyrus mean, and why was the riverboat named that?
2. Why did Josh keep asking Sarah for money? What does that say about Josh’s character, and what does it say about Sarah’s character?
Chapter 3 – Westward up the Missouri River
1. Were you surprised to learn the family was from Vermont? How do you think they traveled from Vermont to St. Louis?
2. Why was the Churchill family willing to take such a long, dangerous, and expensive journey 3,000 miles across the country?
3. When Sarah asks her mother about the Native Americans, what do you think Ma Churchill meant when she says, “I don’t think they hate us. I think they are troubled by the changes they see us bringing to their way of life.”
Chapter 4 – Independence and the Tent City
1. What was the nationality of the boy that the American boys were bullying?
2. Did Scout do the right thing in defending Sarah’s honor by attacking the bully?
3. What could you do to help someone that is being bullied?
Chapter 5 – Westward Ho!
1. Why did Pa Churchill decide to hire an experienced wagon master instead of electing someone from their wagon train to be the leader, or Captain, as many other wagon trains did?
2. Why was Mr. Lasiter so anxious that they head out on the trail as soon as possible, ahead of other wagon trains?
3. Most of the deaths on the western trails were from cholera and dysentery. Knowing what we know now, what could the wagon trains have done differently to reduce these deadly diseases?
Chapter 6 – Scout Saves a Life
1. Mr. Lasiter knew that once the wagon train hit the open prairie, the individual wagons would fan out instead of traveling in a single file. Why would they do that?
2. Did Scout do the right thing by knocking Ma Churchill to the ground after her dress caught on fire? What would you have done?
Chapter 7 – The Pappan’s Ferry
1. In the 19th century, how were ferries propelled across moving rivers?
2. If there was another ferry upstream from Mr. Pappan’s, why didn’t Mr. Lasiter simply head upstream to find a cheaper way to cross the river?
3. Was it wise for emigrants to travel in wagon trains instead of individually when dealing with frontier proprietors like Mr. Pappan?
Chapter 8 – The War Party
1. As Josh had to reload his rifle between every firing, should he have immediately reloaded before searching for the deer he shot?
2. The Indian boys also had a rifle like Josh’s, but they did not point it at him or threaten him with it. Why do you think the boys didn’t threaten Josh?
Chapter 9 – Molly and the Snake
1. Did Mr. Lasiter make the right decision in taking Molly to an Indian village to treat the wound from the snake bite?
2. How did the Indian medicine woman treat Molly’s snake bite? What would you have done?
Chapter 10 – Buffalo Stampede at Chimney Rock
1. What did the Army doctor think of the Indian medicine woman’s treatment of Molly’s snake bite?
2. Why was the descent from Windlass Hill so dangerous, and what did Dawson do to help the families?
3. What caused the buffalo stampede at Chimney Rock? What precautions did Mr. Lasiter take to protect the wagon train, and what else could he have done to reduce the damage?
Chapter 11 – Fort Laramie and the Troopers
1. If you had been the head of the family whose little boy died at Scott’s Bluff, would you have returned home to Illinois as the mother wanted to do, settled at Scott’s Bluff to be near the little boy’s grave, or would you have continued on to Oregon?
2. Was Scout justified in being suspicious of the young trooper’s interest in Sarah, and what should have Sarah done when the soldier asked her if she wanted to take a walk away from the campfire?
Chapter 12 – Devil’s Gate
1. Why did Mr. Lasiter warn the members of his wagon train against buying anything at the Fort Laramie trading post that wasn’t edible or consumable on the trail?
2. Why was the sudden summer snowfall at Devil’s Gate such an ominous warning to the emigrants? Have you ever been to the mountains and had it snow on you during the summer months?
Chapter 13 – Parting of the Ways
1. Was the cougar more of a threat to the emigrants or their livestock? Would Josh and Rachel have been in danger if they had encountered the cougar in the sagebrush? Was it wise to post a double guard that night?
2. Why was it so notable when the wagon train crossed the South Pass? Were they really in Oregon, as Mr. Lasiter said, or has the area now known as Oregon changed?
Chapter 14 – The Great Bear
1. Is a bear more dangerous with cubs or without, and why?
2. Was it a good thing that Josh’s shot missed the mother bear? And why didn’t the other two men shoot at the bear when they had a chance?
Chapter 15 – The Mountain Man
1. What language was the Mountain Man speaking, and where do you think he was from originally?
2. Did Josh do the right thing in confessing to Pa that he had taken the tobacco, and was Scout right in trying to protect Josh from his father’s anger?
Chapter 16 – The Indian Village
1. Do you think Sarah got a fair deal, trading a fox-skin cap for a basket of leafy greens?
2. Was it fair that Josh was punished for stealing his father’s tobacco, but Sarah wasn’t punished for stealing Josh’s hat? Why and how was Sarah treated differently?
Chapter 17 – Crossing the Snake River
1. Do you agree with Mr. Lasiter’s decision to begin each day at 4:00 AM? What other options do you think they had?
2. Why do you think Mr. Lasiter was right to trade with the Shoshone rather than chance a river crossing without their help?
Chapter 18 – Snow on the Blue Mountains
1. What was the significance of the death of Grandma Parsons and the birth of Mrs. Hyatt’s baby on the same day?
2. Do you agree with Pa Churchill’s decision to move his family under their wagon, rather than stay in the wagon as the blizzard hit?
Chapter 19 – The Dalles
1. Would you have trusted the Indian guide or the ferry operator to cross the Deschutes River? Why do you think Mr. Lasiter allowed each family to make their own decision regarding who to trust in crossing the river?
2. Despite Mr. Lasiter’s warning about the dangers of the Barlow Road, do you agree with the Churchill’s decision to take the mountain road over floating down the Colombia River?
Chapter 20 – Home in the Willamette
1. Were you surprised that Dawson refused to pay the toll of ten cents per head for the livestock to travel the Barlow Road? How much would it have cost if he had paid the toll for the livestock? If you had been the toll booth operator, what would you have done?
2. What could have been done to keep Scout from getting injured as the wagons were descending Laurel Hill?
3. What enterprises did the Churchill family undertake to earn money after settling in the Willamette Valley? What would you have done to earn a living?
4. After reading the book, can you describe what you think Scout looked like? Can you draw a picture of Scout? Did you guess correctly as to whether Scout was a boy or girl dog? If you did guess correctly, why?