You Can Buy Sourdough Starter That Dates Back To The Oregon Trail. Here's How

The internet is a fascinating place where you can buy everything from tiny houses to pillows with Nicholas Cage's face on them. And, according to a website that went viral on social media a few years ago, you can also get sourdough starter that dates all the way back to the Oregon Trail. The starter in question traveled the Oregon Trail in 1847 in the possession of the Griffith family. Carl Griffith, a descendant of those original Griffiths, was the keeper of that original starter until his death. To share the starter in keeping with the old pioneer tradition, Carl set up a system for anyone who wanted to make their own sourdough from an 1847 Oregon Trail starter to receive a sample.

Since his death in 2000, that task has been handled by the Oregon Trail Sourdough Preservation Society, a group dedicated to continuing Carl's generous contribution to the world of bread baking. To get your own starter, all you have to do is visit www.carlsfriends.net and follow the instructions — you'll need a self-addressed stamped envelope and patience while your starter is sent to you. There is no cost for a sample, which makes the society's work a labor of love to carry on Carl's tradition, but donations to the society can help them carry on his legacy.

Of course, you can easily make a sourdough starter at home, and the resulting bread will make everything from delicious sandwiches to crunchy, tangy croutons that are perfect for a bowl of tomato soup on a cold night. But having a sourdough with roots along the Oregon Trail has a special ring to it that makes even the most discerning bread fans take notice. 

For bread lovers, a historic sourdough starter is a thing of legend. Starters like the Griffith family's from the Oregon Trail and others that date back to the Gold Rush are part of a worldwide phenomenon of preserving the past through food — there is even the Puratos Sourdough Library, which is dedicated to preserving the history of sourdough and its many iconic strains. 

To put it simply, a starter is a mixture of flour and water. When stored and fed properly, the same starter can be used for years, continually creating delicious bread from the same source. The technique has been used for millennia — archaeologists have discovered evidence of fermented bread dough as far back as ancient Egypt. 

As societies continued to refine the process of creating and maintaining sourdough starters, different techniques and flavor nuances emerged. By carefully preserving and sharing the starters, those flavors are carried on as well, giving us a direct and tangible link to the past. The 1847 Oregon Trail sourdough starter is known for creating bread with reliable flavor and stability. By keeping that starter going, those who use it today are not only getting flavor and quality, but they are also sharing a direct link to the early pioneers who set out across the country building communities and creating a future for their families.