Vast Horizons

An American Family Odyssey, 1838-1853

By: Terry Collins

Narrated by: Terry Collins

In 1838, Lieutenant John Lowry Kline serves with a military escort leading deported Cherokees from Tennessee to northwestern Arkansas. Following which he starts a family and moves to southwestern Missouri. After the Mexican War and a few personal tragedies, he and his kin set out along the Oregon Trail to build a better life in the Pacific Northwest.

The wide open spaces of the West open up before them as they doggedly press on, constantly on the lookout for water, grass, or fuel. As the wagons roll over vast prairies, mountains, and deserts, death stocks among the roofs of canvas. But Kline's resourcefulness and the strength of his family carry them to the upper reaches of the Willamette River, in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.

Based on real people and real events, this inspiring family saga touches on the Trail of Tears, the Mexican War, and the Oregon Trail and is stitched together with romance, humor, and the seemingly limitless fortitude required to navigate such an arduous existence. Witness the trials and times of this era through the prism of one family, as they make their contribution to the Manifest Destiny of the United States.

©2014 Terry Collins (P)2025 Terry Collins

How much heartache and resiliency in the family.

The author told a fascinating story of life in the mid-1800s. Great history, great characters, amazing journey.

Enlighting Story

I enjoyed this audiobook about Terry Colllins’ family journey from pre-civil war times in the eastern US, to crossing the country in a wagon train heading for Oregon. The story is well told and narrated. Not too long, it was good entertainment, and learning some history, on my recent long drive. I recommend this audiobook.