Daggsville, Missouri

Daggsville is a mining town in Missouri, which Thomas remembers for its “uproar, mucky horses, banging doors, queer shouting” (6). Shortly after meeting each other under a hedge, Thomas and John Cole go to Daggsville to look for work. There, they come across Mr. Titus Noone’s saloon, where they are hired to perform as women. In contrast to the “muck and water” of Daggsville, Thomas and John Cole stand out like “two diamonds” (14). Daggsville is not only as a place for Thomas, but also an “era” (14) in his life. Paradoxically, the era he describes is both simple and complex at the same time; simple because it was where Thomas felt most happy and free, and complex because it is where Thomas grows into manhood while simultaneously exploring his femininity for the first time. Thomas and John Cole leave Daggsville when they enroll for the army.

The Oregon Trail