North is the Way
If General Tubman wasn't able to escort her cargo all the way to the Promise Land, she would tell them how to stay safely aboard the Underground Railroad by following the Drinking Gourd. Traveling mainly at night and on foot, escaping passengers were instructed to follow the Big Dipper, which was once referred to as the Drinking Gourd. Many freedom-seeking African- Americans used the North Star to guide them, since it never moved across the sky. By finding the Drinking Gourd in the night sky and recognizing the two stars on the pouring edge, passengers escaping could find the North Star directly above, which lit freedoms path to the north.
Following the Drinking Gourd was just one of the many effective methods used for safe travel. Operations on the Underground Railroad took courage and cooperation among many people. Operating with code words and passing information about methods of escape through word of mouth, stories and songs, the Underground Railroad continued to run secret tracks and grew stronger as years passed.