Best of Covered Wagon Women

by Kenneth L. Holmes, Michael L. Tate (Introduction)

The diaries and letters of women who braved the overland trails during the great nineteenth-century westward migration are treasured documents in the study of the American West. These eight firsthand accounts are among the best ever written. They were selected for the power with which they portray the hardship, adventure, and boundless love for friends and family that characterized the overland experience. Some were written with the skilled pens of educated women. Others bear the marks of crude cabin learning, with archaic and imaginative spelling and a simplicity of expression. All convey the profound effect the westward trek had on these women. For too long these diaries and letters were secreted away in attics and basements or collected dust on the shelves of manuscript collections across the country. Their publication gives us a fresh perspective on the pioneer experience.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History

308 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Amanda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of reviews remarking or complaining about the repetition. I found the accounts diverse and a reflection of their individual experiences while going along similar roads/challenges. The common threads the journals share show themes and reflect the common experiences felt between vastly different women at different times. These are REAL accounts…handwritten journals during the overland journey. Feels weird to complain about their repetition? It was essentially 2-4 months of doing the same thing to survive each day…it’s going to have repetition. Walk, food, water, rest, repeat. Loved the closeness I felt while reading each account, even if a couple moved a little slower than my modern brain/imagination might hope for.

[Beth Withers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some reviews I've read have criticized this book because of the repetition of the diary entries. I read each of the entries with an appreciation for all that these brave women endured. I cannot imagine the courage and determination it took for them to make it to their chosen destinations, whether Oregon, California, or somewhere else in the West, through so many challenges and trials. I appreciate the different voices and different experiences, and hearing about them in their own words makes what I've learned about this time in history more real. I have some other books in this series coming so I can learn more.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journals and letters from women crossing the wide open prairies on their way to Oregon or California. Most are from the 1840s to 1860s. Some were very detailed full of information. Others were brief and repetitious. Some of my questions are still unanswered: what did they actually eat on the journey? Surprisingly, No journals from any of the 20,000 or so Mormon women.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it was kinda dull. I wanted to know things like how they managed to put supper on the table, or what went through their minds when a child was sick, but of course the women didn’t have time to write about all that. They did very well to scribble a few words each day. Four stars for the efforts the publisher put into finding and verifying these diary accounts.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are transcriptions of actual journal entries from women emigrating west in covered wagons. The entries vary in detail, from brief weather and mileage notes to very descriptive passages. They give the reader a good sense of the hardships endured. Some were better prepared (financially as well as basic supplies) than others. An interesting picture of this slice of history.

[R D Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating first person accounts

Excellent assortment of journals. I experienced a whole range of emotions reading these journals - from laughter to fear, from hope to hopelessness.

[Lydia Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read about the journey women took in covered wagons. After the 3rd story it gets a bit repetitive, every woman saw the same things. They all wrote about the dead on the side of the trail, the landmarks, the Mormons and the Indians.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is important because it is true. We need to hear the voices of the women who crossed our land.

[John Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical reference. Very detailed account of hardships endured by early settlers coming west.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting first person look into what it was like to make the westward journey from the easier to hardest and saddest experience. Recommended

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these journals were more interesting than others. But it is pretty cool to have these records left by those who made the journey, their thoughts and experiences written down

[DeEtta Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED.
LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED.
LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED.
ETC.

[Mary Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, but after a while the stories of hardship & privation lose their appeal. These are the journals of 9 women who traveled to either California or Oregon between 1849 & 1864. Two of the women were pregnant on the journey west & neither one ever once mentioned the fact in her diary. They all regard the Indians as interlopers & dirty savages, never mind the fact that the pioneers are encroaching on the Indians' territory.

[Jenny Clause · Rating 3 out of 5]

i couldnt finish it. i was too repetative. different women but the same trip , over and over and over....

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book as it gave a true insight via diaries of the women who traveled west to Oregon and CA and the hardships they endured along the way.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this!