I have been reading Western historical fiction lately and this book is a real gem when it comes to educating readers about the history of the Oregon TI have been reading Western historical fiction lately and this book is a real gem when it comes to educating readers about the history of the Oregon Territory, whose ownership was hotly contested between the British and Americans. I also chose it because I live in Canada at the very headwaters of the Columbia River, and this is the most important geographical feature in the book, influencing both transportation and settlement in the area. So significant was it that residents called it simply “The River.� There were plenty of true historical events in this novel, including the Whitman Massacre, the Lost Wagon Train, the Indian Wars, the gold rush, and the founding of various settlements including Portland and Seattle. It’s a capsule version of the history of the Pacific Northwest.
It’s also a pretty powerful love story between a ladylike southern belle and a rugged frontiersman who is the ultimate bad boy. Ultimately both of them change their ways but it’s a rocky road.
Because the book was published in 1950 (I had to keep reminding myself), the racism expressed toward the Indigenous peoples is outrageous but not uncommon for that time period. Readers beware....more
Rounded up to 3.5 stars. I loved the premise of the book and the time period. The heroine was plucky and the love interest was suitably heroic, albeitRounded up to 3.5 stars. I loved the premise of the book and the time period. The heroine was plucky and the love interest was suitably heroic, albeit maddeningly slow to act. The Indigenous characters were particularly interesting, and I liked the setting of the little Western town. This is one of a series and I would be interested to read more....more
This book takes a scholarly approach to the subject of women homesteaders in Saskatchewan, since the author and her assistants accessed 359,814 of homThis book takes a scholarly approach to the subject of women homesteaders in Saskatchewan, since the author and her assistants accessed 359,814 of homestead records at the Provincial Archives in Saskatoon filed between 1871 when the Homesteading Act opened up land in the west, and 1914, when the First World War began. The author says this project took four years.
Since single women were not allowed to claim free homesteads, unlike their counterparts in the United States, the only women who did so were heads of their own households, primarily widows with dependent children. That amounted to fewer than 8,000 women in Saskatchewan, about 2.2 percent of the total, and it is their files that are scrutinized in the book. Almost 98 percent of them succeeded in proving up their homesteads and obtaining title. The average age of these women was 39.
Government records tend to be dry, but it is in the details provided in the form of letters and notes in their homestead files that their stories are illuminated. For example, we learn that some women were deserted by their husbands, other husbands went insane, and several mothers lost their children to illness or accidents. The backbreaking labor can be clearly seen in their descriptions of how many acres were cleared, cropped, and fenced. Many of these files provide only tantalizing hints about their lives, and I longed for more. Unfortunately further research was outside the scope of this already ambitious project.
The book includes a large number of photographs of women homesteaders drawn from a variety of sources, some from the author’s own collection, and these added great interest. The author is undoubtedly an expert in her field, having researched and written a number of other books pertaining to prairie homesteaders. My thanks to her for contributing to this wonderful body of work....more
I am SO thankful that the Women's Canadian Club of Winnipeg, way back in 1923, decided it would be a good idea to record the memories of a number of oI am SO thankful that the Women's Canadian Club of Winnipeg, way back in 1923, decided it would be a good idea to record the memories of a number of old ladies who grew up in the Red River area (basically Winnipeg and environs) during the tumultuous fur trading days, long before Manitoba became a province. Here we have their memories written down almost word for word by W. J. Healy, whoever he was, presumably someone that the club hired to do the work. I wonder if he knew shorthand, because the memories seem to be very faithfully recorded. Among their tales are descriptions of such experiences as sailing from Great Britain, traveling by canoe and dogsled, camping out in forts and trading posts, making their own shoes out of buffalo hide, scything grain, wedding and funeral celebrations, and even a couple of first-hand accounts of what happened when Louis Riel and his rebels formed a provisional government. These are the details that every historian dreams about! My only caveat is that the book ends in 1870 and I would have enjoyed reading much more from these intrepid early residents, who survived so much and yet all of them remembered those days with great affection....more
I’m somewhat prejudiced because this is my favourite subject in historical fiction, the settling of the West. It was such an amazing time period with I’m somewhat prejudiced because this is my favourite subject in historical fiction, the settling of the West. It was such an amazing time period with its sweeping changes to human civilization that came at a bitter cost to the original inhabitants. The story of how one tribe, the Nez Perce, did everything to adapt to this new world and their ultimate defeat is heartbreaking. The characters, both white and indigenous, were interesting and engaging. I stumbled across this novel by accident and was happy to find the author’s blog filled with interesting information about pioneer life. I’m surprised this novel hasn’t received more attention....more
This is a real gem and I don’t understand why it has not received more reviews. It is a powerfully told story of homesteading on the prairies, with a This is a real gem and I don’t understand why it has not received more reviews. It is a powerfully told story of homesteading on the prairies, with a twist: the hardworking couple has a beautiful little girl with Down syndrome. How they coped (badly, on the mother’s part) in a time and place when to be mentally disabled was considered shameful, if not downright sinful, is the thrust of this gripping story. The girl Violet is so charming and innocent that I feared for her safety, not without reason. When something terrible happens, it is her loving father who is the heroic figure of the tale. This novel deservedly won several awards and definitely should have a wider audience. Book clubs, take note!...more
I have rarely read a more gripping first chapter, describing the massacre of Olive Oatman's family by a tribe of Yavapais in 1850. And the following cI have rarely read a more gripping first chapter, describing the massacre of Olive Oatman's family by a tribe of Yavapais in 1850. And the following chapters that describe the life she and her younger sister led with their captors for one year, then their purchase by another tribe, the Mohave, and the four years that Olive lived with them, was fascinating. The book reminded me once again that the indigenous tribes are as different as the nationalities of Europe, both in language and custom.
The second half of the book, which takes place after Olive's return to the white world five years later at the age of 19, is less interesting -- not through any fault of the author, who apparently researched every scrap of information she could find -- but because of Olive's own reticence and obfuscation about her experiences. There was a mass of information printed about the Oatman massacre, but most of it was nonsense. The author did a good job of trying to sort through this mess and make sense of it....more
Another great biography from Charlotte Gray, who was hampered, maddeningly, by the fact that Nellie's daughter burned all her letters and diaries. It'Another great biography from Charlotte Gray, who was hampered, maddeningly, by the fact that Nellie's daughter burned all her letters and diaries. It's a biographer's worst nightmare. Nevertheless, she has written a very sprightly and informative account of the life of this early crusader for women's rights.
Although I have read both the first volume of Nellie's own autobiography, Clearing in the West: My Own Story (the title refers to clearing skies, not clearing land), and also the second volume of Nellie's autobiography, The Stream Runs Fast: My Own Story, I still learned a great deal more about her career from this book. McClung was such an admirable women and sadly has not received the widespread recognition she deserves....more
My last (and possibly most inspiring) read of 2022. Since the early settlers were far too busy trying to hack out a living from this wild country of oMy last (and possibly most inspiring) read of 2022. Since the early settlers were far too busy trying to hack out a living from this wild country of ours, memoirs like this one are precious. I marvel at Traill’s ability to write at all, given her struggles with the harsh climate and isolation in the backwoods (back of beyond is more like it), of Ontario way back in 1832. And she wrote eight books! And she was an amateur botanist! And she bore nine children! The mind boggles.
Perhaps the secret to her success can be found in her philosophy as she wrote here in this slender memoir: “In a country where constant exertion is called for from all ages and degrees of settlers, it would be foolish to damp our energies by complaints, and cast a gloom over our homes by sitting dejectedly down to lament for all that was dear to us in the old country. Since we are here, let us make the best of it, and bear with cheerfulness the lot we have chosen. I believe that one of the chief ingredients in human happiness is a capacity for enjoying the blessings we possess.�
Having grown up on a prairie farm and heard many stories about the Dirty Thirties, I thought I knew what to expect from this book. However, I was NOT Having grown up on a prairie farm and heard many stories about the Dirty Thirties, I thought I knew what to expect from this book. However, I was NOT prepared for the suffering experienced by this Texas family who were struggling to survive in the Dust Bowl where not a blade of grass grew for years on end. The author described scenes in which the family huddled under their kitchen table for hours while winds buffeted their house, the children wearing World War One gas masks to breathe, and the air so filled with dirt that they could not see or hear each other. The story was so visual that I'm expecting to hear about a movie deal. The book was riveting. I'm deducting one star for the ending, but that should not deter anyone else from reading this very powerful work of historical fiction....more
History comes alive in this fascinating group of stories about the early days in Saskatchewan. The author knew his material, since his own parents werHistory comes alive in this fascinating group of stories about the early days in Saskatchewan. The author knew his material, since his own parents were pioneers, and he spent his life researching and gathering first-hand material. One article concerns the extinction of the buffalo herds, another the first North West Mounted Police march west, and yet another the first years of harvesting grain on the prairie. Not to detract from this excellent collection, which I enjoyed immensely, but the First Nations are pretty much absent in this collection. I would have loved to read more about them. The focus is on the history of white settlement....more
I could relate to this book so well. Not only did I grow up on the Canadian prairies where I encountered and lived through numerous blizzards (longer I could relate to this book so well. Not only did I grow up on the Canadian prairies where I encountered and lived through numerous blizzards (longer and colder back then), but I attended a one-room country school where my youngest teacher was nineteen. I could easily envision the panic that these young teachers experienced when faced with an unprecedented crisis for which they had no training. This was a hard book to read, though, as my heart was wrung for each and every one of those poor children who perished -- and their families. What I most enjoyed was the author's description of the prairies and the lives of those early settlers, which really made the story come to life. Well done....more
The second of two memoirs, this book picks up on Nellie McClung's wedding day and follows the first book about her childhood titled Clearing in the WeThe second of two memoirs, this book picks up on Nellie McClung's wedding day and follows the first book about her childhood titled Clearing in the West: My Own Story. This memoir provides a window into her life as wife, mother, and political activist who worked for women's suffrage among other important social issues, although she is modest about her own role. It provides an interesting perspective on how people lived in Western Canada through two world wars and a depression. Most of all, it is just so well-written that I enjoyed every word. The author could easily have been a successful writer rather than a politician, and she did in fact publish several novels. Her faith in human nature, her love of life, and her optimism about the future must have made her lovely person to know....more
I award five stars when I don't think the book could have been improved. The author did such a wonderful job of researching and documenting the story I award five stars when I don't think the book could have been improved. The author did such a wonderful job of researching and documenting the story of these remittance men, whose British families paid them to stay in Canada, that I don't know what he could have missed. A work of historical research is always enlivened with stories, anecdotes, interviews, and photographs -- and all of these things are present in abundance here. It's always fun to find a golden cache of Canadiana that hasn't already been mined, so kudos to Mark Zuehlke for identifying this one!...more
Just a delightful memoir by an admirable woman, telling the story of her life from birth to her wedding day at the age of twenty-three. No mention is Just a delightful memoir by an admirable woman, telling the story of her life from birth to her wedding day at the age of twenty-three. No mention is made here of the importance she would have on Canadian public life in later years, but apparently she covers that in the second part of her autobiography, which I am now anxious to read. Not only was she a force to be reckoned with, but she was also a gifted writer. I enjoy reading memoirs by women who often include a wealth of detail about clothing, food and furnishings, and this one is no exception. "She wore a dolman of smoke gray brocaded velvet and a black grosgrain silk dress with bugle trimming, and a gold bar brooch set with pearls, and earrings to match." She also waxes lyrical about the beauty of the prairie she loved so much: "I loved to listen to the sibilant whispering of the ripening grain billowing and dappling in the wind, and to watch the dark blue flowing shadows cast by the drifting clouds. From the time the grain began to turn to gold in early August until the stooks polka-dotted the fields, the whole countryside throbbed with colour and movement and sound." And she is also amusing, with funny stories she tells on herself as well as her family and friends. The only hints of things to come are the disagreements she has with her mother, who was forever trying to teach her to be more ladylike. What an inspiring speaker she must have been! This is one of the best pioneer memoirs I have ever read....more
An interesting work of historical research, scholarly in tone. I most enjoyed the excerpts from women's diaries or the interviews in their own words, An interesting work of historical research, scholarly in tone. I most enjoyed the excerpts from women's diaries or the interviews in their own words, which are so important to record. Since little has been written about the role of women in building the west -- ranching in particular, which has its own special culture -- I commend the author on her choice of subject. My biggest takeaway is how riding horses was the great equalizer between the genders. This book is well worth a read for anyone with an interest in ranching history....more
This is a pleasant and informative look at the life of Irene Parlby, whose efforts to advance women's rights in Canada were truly admirable. A rancherThis is a pleasant and informative look at the life of Irene Parlby, whose efforts to advance women's rights in Canada were truly admirable. A rancher's wife in Alberta, she began her public life as the humble secretary of a newly-formed women's group, the Alix Country Women's Club, and for the next several decades worked in politics, eventually becoming the first female Cabinet Minister in Alberta. She is best-known for being one of the "Famous Five" who launched a court battle to have women declared persons in the eyes of the law, although she gives all the credit for this to Emily Murphy.
The biographer, a fellow farmer from Alix, is sympathetic, and tells some charming anecdotes about her friend. She also touches briefly on a controversial topic, that Mrs. Parlby was one of those in favour of eugenics, the forced sterilization of "mentally deficient children." That must be weighed against the tremendous work she did to advance the cause of women and families.
Mrs. Parlby worked so hard that at one point she suffered a complete breakdown and took months to recover. An ardent gardener, cook, and homemaker herself, she was also a brilliant speaker. One Edmonton Journal reporter wrote: "If all orators spoke with the culture and sincerity of Hon. Irene Parlby, the world of public affairs would be better off."...more
This is an interesting compilation of letters, newspaper articles and personal interviews with women who homesteaded alone in the United States -- somThis is an interesting compilation of letters, newspaper articles and personal interviews with women who homesteaded alone in the United States -- some of them made it, others didn't. I wish their entire life stories were on record, because these tidbits were so tantalizing. They were an adventuresome bunch whose courage hasn't been given enough recognition. Kudos to the author for doing the hard work of digging up some of these wonderful stories....more
The greatest character in this novel is the prairie landscape itself, which informs the human characters and all their actions. Alexandra is a classicThe greatest character in this novel is the prairie landscape itself, which informs the human characters and all their actions. Alexandra is a classic heroine, strong and capable and with a warm heart, and her forward-thinking father leaves her the farm in Nebraska, as opposed to her three brothers. She rises to the occasion and turns the farm into such a successful operation that there is enough land and wealth for everyone in the family -- sacrificing her personal life in the process. Twenty years later, the plot takes a darker turn and a crime is committed. This is where the novel shows its age, I think, because Alexandra reveals an attitude toward women that would be considered unacceptable today. Nevertheless, it's a beautifully-written, well-constructed novel and well worth all the praise that is heaped upon it....more
A compilation of five fictional stories, each published separately as well. The author took inspiration from references to real women homesteaders andA compilation of five fictional stories, each published separately as well. The author took inspiration from references to real women homesteaders and imagined an episode from each one's life -- an older woman, a young women escaping from an abusive brother, an adventuresome individualist, etc. It's an entertaining, quick read although I would have preferred one woman's entire story rather than these vignettes....more
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