Blood on the Oregon Trail: a stolen horse and the Ward Massacre of 1854

Wikimedia Commons/Alfred Jacob Miller

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Alexander Ward’s Fatal Horse Dispute at Boise River

The Ward Massacre of 1854 began with a stolen horse and ended in blood. On August 20, Alexander Ward led five wagons from Missouri toward Fort Boise on the Oregon Trail.

When they stopped near the Boise River, Shoshone warriors took one of their horses. Then, a fatal mistake—an emigrant shot the thief dead…

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