Heart of the Trail: Stories of Covered Wagon Women

by Mary Barmeyer O'Brien

Overview

Updated and expanded for its twentieth anniversary—the beloved book that tells the stories of the women who traveled West.

In Heart of the Trail Mary Barmeyer O'Brien beautifully captures the triumphs and tribulations of women who crossed the American frontier by wagon during the great Western migration of the mid nineteenth century. While their stories are widely different, each of these remarkable women was inspiring, courageous, and resourceful. From the successes of mountaineer Julia Anna Archibald to the grueling trials of Mary Powers, these stories reflect the adventure and hardship experienced by the thousands of women who took to the trails. The legacy of their letters and diaries, most written on the trail, is a fascinating addition to understanding the history of the West.

Mary Barmeyer O'Brien’s books on the pioneer experience include The Promise of the West; Jeannette Rankin: Bright Star in the Big Sky; Outlasting the Trail: The Story of a Woman's Journey West; May: The Hard-Rock Life of Pioneer May Arkwright Hutton; and Across Death Valley. She lives in Polson, Montana.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493026678
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/01/2017
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Mary Barmeyer O’Brien was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, and received a B.A. in Sociology from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. She is the author of eight previous books about women’s history and pioneers on the overland trails, including The Promise of the West: Young Pioneers on the Overland Trails, Jeannette Rankin: Bright Star in the Big Sky, Across Death Valley: The Pioneer Life of Juliet Wells Brier; Outlasting the Trail: The Story of A Woman’s Journey West; and May: The Hard-Rock Life of Pioneer May Arkwright Hutton (all by TwoDot/Globe Pequot). Mary writes from her home in Polson, Montana, and enjoys hiking, camping, and reading. She and her husband, Dan, have three grown children.

Table of Contents

Map of Trails vi

Introduction ix

Near Death in the Desert: The Story of Sarah Eleanor Bayliss Royce 1

Grandmother on Horseback: The Story of Tabitha Moffatt Brown 11

Outlasting the Oregon Trail: The Story of Amelia Stewart Knight 19

Chilling Journey: Tide Story of Mary Rockwood Powers 27

To the Summit in Bloomers: The Story of Julia Anna Archibald 35

"I Lift My Lamp": The Story of Clara Brown 41

Driving the Sheep: The Story of Martha Missouri Bishop Moore 49

Shock and Grief on the Overland Trail: The Story of Mary Peters Ringo 59

With Determined Optimism: The Story of Sarah Raymond 67

A Honeymoon Trip to Montana: The Story of Ellen Louisa Gordon Fletcher 77

Bibliography 85

Index 91

About the Author 97

Acknowledgments 99