The only thing factual about this episode of "Death Valley Days" is that there were 7-children named Sager who were left orphaned after both parents died during their long hard grueling journey west along the Oregon Trail in 1844. But that's it. Everything else regarding the retelling of this historical event is pure fiction.
For example, a historical fact that's always omitted from the TV version of events is that the oldest daughter (9-yr old Catherine Sager) leg was crushed when her dress accidentally caught on an anvil while leaping out of the moving wagon. She was thrown under the wagon where her leg was run over breaking her leg in several spots.
The entire wagon train consisting of 300-people and 72-covered wagons came to a collective halt as a surgeon was summoned from Fort Laramie, Wyoming 50-miles ahead of the wagon train to repair the child's broken leg.
As a result of this unfortunate accident, Catherine was forced to travel the rest of the slow journey while confined entirely to riding inside their Ox-Wagon that was inducing symptoms resembling sea sickness due to the motion. And, that all happened before both of the Sager parents later died of Camp Fever(Typhus) leaving all 7 of their children orphaned in the middle of the unsettled western frontier.
The surgeon from Laramie remained with the Sager's wagon team for the remainder of the trip to attend to Catherine's injured leg and later to provide medical care for both parents while they slowly died from Typhus.
Yet, despite all the tragic hardships the 7-Sager children were forced to endure they all survived the 2,000 mile journey from St. Peters, Missouri to the Whitman Station in Wallah Wallah, Washington where all 7-children were quickly adopted by Dr. Whitman and his wife and raised as their own children.
Unlike the "Death Valley Days" version of events, the orphaned children never separated from the wagon train. They never had much trouble with the local Indian tribes (except for a few cattle rustling Indians) and all the Sager children managed to survive due to the extraordinary unselfish care and concern they received from many of the emigrant families within the wagon train. That included one family giving the children their last pieces of bread that they had toward the end of the trip.
While, I'll always appreciate "Death Valley Days" for at least informing me of the existence of this very interesting part of American history regarding the 7-orphned children along the Oregon Trail. Therefore, giving me at least a direction to start doing my own research into the subject.
However, I can't help be reminded that this episode of "Death Valley Days" was originally broadcasted in 1958. That's a long time before you could simply sit down at a computer and quickly fact check all the absolute fictitious hogwash, while this episode of "Death Valley Days" was being shown on your 12-inch TV screen.
Instead, it could take possibly days to find out the "real" story regarding the Sager Orphans if a person became interested. So, most people probably didn't even bother with all the hassle and just let this completely phony tale of a fascinating and awe inspiring event of American history become the new narrative.
I later checked out a TV movie made in 1974 about the Sager Orphans hoping it would provide a much more accurate depiction. Unfortunately, it was almost the exact same retelling of the "Death Valley Days" fairy tale episode back in 58'. Except, it was stretched out over the coarse of 2-hrs instead of 30-minutes. So disappointing.
I don't see why they never just tell the actual story of the Sager Orphans? It's an amazing part of American history all by itself, that doesn't need Kit Carson suddenly showing up to jazz up the story a little bit. Might as well include Billy the Kid and Batman to the historical events. Along with special appearances by King Arthur and Elliot Ness while they're at it.
