HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — Fifty years ago, convoys of horse-drawn wagons from all across the United States converged in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on July 4.
It was known as the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage of 1976— a nationally organized homage to our forefathers who forged paths across our nation.
A Hancock County man rode with his family for months on that long trail to Pennsylvania.
“When we got to Pennsylvania, the wagons were stretched 10 miles,” said Hugo Favre Jr., who rode with his family in the wagon train. “It was unimaginable how many people were there.”
Unimaginable is right: To leave the luxury of modern life and convoy across America.
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So how did Hugo’s family join the convoy?
In February of 1976, a group of wagons pulled into Bay St. Louis for the night. Favre and his family stopped for a visit. That visit turned into a giant adventure.
“My mom, my sister, me, my brother... All of us went and visited. My dad said, you want to go? We said sure,” Favre said. “We went home, put a top on one of the wagons, hooked the horses up, and when they left, we followed behind them. I’ve had a lot of experiences in life, thanks to my dad.”
For five and a half months, the Favres saw the United States at five miles an hour.
“Rain, shine, sleet or snow. We rode,” Favre said. “A pair of horseshoes last three, four days. Sometimes we didn’t bathe for three or four days... unless you found you a good creek.”
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The Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage was a national event organized for the United States of America’s 200th birthday.
Each state was supplied a wagon, a team of horses, and a mission—to travel across the country, west to east, adhering as closely as possible to historic trails and wagon routes.
Along the way, hundreds of people— like the Favres— joined in, just to experience this display of patriotism.
“When you pulled into town, people were so friendly. It was like a Mardi Gras parade, really,” Favre said. “Everyone lined up on the side of the roads. At night time, you would circle up, build a big camp fire. Everyone would come around, tell their stories, introduce their stories. Now, we drank a lot. You might have to edit that out. Oh, them ole mountain people would come down from the mountains of Tennessee and bring that ole ‘shine out and sit around the camp fire.”
Favre says the bonds forged on this pilgrimage last to this day.
It was the trip of a lifetime, fueled by a yearning to honor our nation’s past, when trails were paved by the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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