Terry Doerksen

Many lessons learned while getting to know an ox like Zik out on the road

In 2022 Terry Doerksen and his wife Patty took an ox-drawn Red River cart from Winnipeg to St. Paul, Minn., along the Red River Trail. Last year, they dusted off the cart for a rumble down the Old Daw...

Prior to steering a Red River cart, Manitoba family trekked across Mongolia’s desert region

In the summer of 2022, Winnipegger Terry Doerksen and his wife Patty, along with Zik the ox pulling their replica Red River Cart, retraced the 800-odd kilometres of the historic Red River Trail, from Winnipeg to St. Paul, Minn. A new journey beckons for the Doerksens.

In the summer of 2022, Winnipegger Terry Doerksen and his wife Patty, along with Zik the ox pulling their replica Red River Cart, retraced the 800-odd kilometres of the historic Red River Trail, from...

St. Louis and the end of the trade route

New wheels

A few days ago a car with Manitoba plates drove by Zik and me. This was the first time we’d spotted a plate from home after a month in Minnesota — probably because we mostly travel on back...

The ‘perfect campsite’ changes when you’re travelling with a two-year-old — who happens to be an ox named Zik. Long grass for grazing and a swamp for water take priority over a...

Several nights ago we camped beside the town of Lake Agassiz, Minn. At least that’s what I read on the map. I didn’t blink and I still missed it. Not much of a monument to the largest lake...

The paddlewheeler from Minnesota nudged the shore of the Red River at the forks of the Rat River and lowered its gangplank. When my ancestors — the very first of a coming wave of international migrants — stepped onto terra firma, they had no idea of the history of the land on which they walked.

Sometimes, when I’m asked why we would attempt an eight-week-long, slow-motion journey down a long forgotten trail, I’m tempted to be a smart ox and quote legendary climber George Mallory: “Because it’s there.” The problem is, unlike Mount Everest, the Red River Trail isn’t there anymore.