In book one of this diary of life on the oregon trail, pat hermes tells the story of Joshua McCullough's family's experiences as they pack up their belongings and head west in a wagon train. It is 1848 when Joshua McCull...In book one of this diary of life on the oregon trail, pat hermes tells the story of Joshua McCullough's family's experiences as they pack up their belongings and head west in a wagon train. It is 1848 when Joshua McCullough and his family leave their home in st. Joseph, missouri, and set off for oregon on a wagon train.