The Missouri River was running rapidly, dotted with ice, but the large group of people, mostly one family, had decided to cross it anyway. They struggled through the dangerous waters, their horses swimming alongside their boat, and managed to reach the other side safely. But now there was a new problem – all their supplies were on the other shore. For eleven days, until they could recover them, they lived on the bark of the slippery elm, some acorns, and a wild turkey. They were the vanguard of the settlers of central Missouri – the first white settlers south of the Missouri River in that part of the state.
