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Life Along the Applegate Trail: A Tale of Grit and Determination
Questa is a beautiful, independent widow who was forced to bury her dead husband, alone under the blazing desert sun.
Chase Gunner is a chivalrous cowboy who's also heading west for a better life.
Romance sparks when they meet in a caravan of covered, ox-drawn wagons.
They're venturing along The Applegate Trail, which was supposed to be safer than the Oregon Trail.
Yet Questa, Chase, and dozens of families must brave wild animals... mountains... and the threat of deadly illness, starvation, and unrelenting elements.
These grueling conditions haunted real-life travelers in 1846 as they made a treacherous trek in a wagon train of covered, ox-drawn wagons, while courageously venturing into the Northwest to claim land and begin new lives.
Then, 150 years later, their saga inspired history enthusiast Linda Lochard to join 31 days of a re-enactment of a 51-day trek along The Applegate Trail.
Along the way, she experienced the grueling realities of travel by wagon train-while learning the tragic fates of men, women, and children who lost their lives 150 years beforehand on that same trail.
This inspired Linda to pen Life Along the Applegate A Story of Grit and Determination to showcase the dangerous, brave, and adventurous realities for the families who made the original trip and settled in the Pacific Northwest.
This novel based on the true story highlights the travelers' hardships, especially those of women who gave birth along the way.
Romance, humor, and kindness balance the danger and suffering, as this beautifully written story provides a peek back at history.
Chase Gunner is a chivalrous cowboy who's also heading west for a better life.
Romance sparks when they meet in a caravan of covered, ox-drawn wagons.
They're venturing along The Applegate Trail, which was supposed to be safer than the Oregon Trail.
Yet Questa, Chase, and dozens of families must brave wild animals... mountains... and the threat of deadly illness, starvation, and unrelenting elements.
These grueling conditions haunted real-life travelers in 1846 as they made a treacherous trek in a wagon train of covered, ox-drawn wagons, while courageously venturing into the Northwest to claim land and begin new lives.
Then, 150 years later, their saga inspired history enthusiast Linda Lochard to join 31 days of a re-enactment of a 51-day trek along The Applegate Trail.
Along the way, she experienced the grueling realities of travel by wagon train-while learning the tragic fates of men, women, and children who lost their lives 150 years beforehand on that same trail.
This inspired Linda to pen Life Along the Applegate A Story of Grit and Determination to showcase the dangerous, brave, and adventurous realities for the families who made the original trip and settled in the Pacific Northwest.
This novel based on the true story highlights the travelers' hardships, especially those of women who gave birth along the way.
Romance, humor, and kindness balance the danger and suffering, as this beautifully written story provides a peek back at history.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2021
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 25, 2023
This novel is an amazing work of art that gives us a detailed picture of what life was like for people c.1846 on the Applegate Trail in Nevada and Oregon. Food was scarce at times and hardships were abundant. Every chapter in this novel gives us great insight into the perilous journey they experienced.
I was especially impressed with the author, Linda Lochard. She has credentials that more than qualified her to write this. This novel didn't spring from her imagination so much as from her knowledge of history and her life experiences. She has worked as the Visitor and Conventions Bureau Director, was a board member on the Oregon Trail Board and on the Applegate Trail Coalition, and helped plan a 51-day re-enactment of a wagon train on the Applegate Trail. During the re-enactment she participated for 31 days. Pretty amazing, right? So when she wrote this book it came from her many years of being immersed in the history of Oregon immigration.
The novel starts with a young 17-year-old wife alone in the desert with her husband's body. He just died, probably from cholera, and she has to bury him there. Alone. She is forced to become tough and capable. Having buried him she hurries to catch up with a wagon train heading toward Southern Oregon.
This book has a beautiful cover! I have the hardcover version and the image on the dust cover is also on the book underneath. There is a map inside that shows both the Oregon Trail and the Applegate Trail which is further south. I believe the story starts in Nevada and ends somewhere near what we now call Roseburg, Oregon.
I thought the book could have used more editing and nearly gave it four stars, but after seeing that someone here gave it one star and then didn't even leave a review to tell why, I decided to give five stars. Plus, the quality of research done for this novel really makes up for what I thought were editing problems. There were no typos or misspellings, so probably many readers won't notice what I noticed. (I'm a writer too and notice things others might overlook.)
What else can I say? I enjoyed this journey on the Applegate Trail. By the end of the book I was so ready for the main characters to choose some land and settle down!
For the clean-reads people - the book is completely clean other that some violence toward animals.. shooting, trapping and eating them! Otherwise, no concerns.
I was especially impressed with the author, Linda Lochard. She has credentials that more than qualified her to write this. This novel didn't spring from her imagination so much as from her knowledge of history and her life experiences. She has worked as the Visitor and Conventions Bureau Director, was a board member on the Oregon Trail Board and on the Applegate Trail Coalition, and helped plan a 51-day re-enactment of a wagon train on the Applegate Trail. During the re-enactment she participated for 31 days. Pretty amazing, right? So when she wrote this book it came from her many years of being immersed in the history of Oregon immigration.
The novel starts with a young 17-year-old wife alone in the desert with her husband's body. He just died, probably from cholera, and she has to bury him there. Alone. She is forced to become tough and capable. Having buried him she hurries to catch up with a wagon train heading toward Southern Oregon.
This book has a beautiful cover! I have the hardcover version and the image on the dust cover is also on the book underneath. There is a map inside that shows both the Oregon Trail and the Applegate Trail which is further south. I believe the story starts in Nevada and ends somewhere near what we now call Roseburg, Oregon.
I thought the book could have used more editing and nearly gave it four stars, but after seeing that someone here gave it one star and then didn't even leave a review to tell why, I decided to give five stars. Plus, the quality of research done for this novel really makes up for what I thought were editing problems. There were no typos or misspellings, so probably many readers won't notice what I noticed. (I'm a writer too and notice things others might overlook.)
What else can I say? I enjoyed this journey on the Applegate Trail. By the end of the book I was so ready for the main characters to choose some land and settle down!
For the clean-reads people - the book is completely clean other that some violence toward animals.. shooting, trapping and eating them! Otherwise, no concerns.
October 14, 2021
Great read! From the first page, the reader cares about Questa and falls in love with her more throughout the novel as we learn of her intelligence, kindness, empathy, self-reliance, generosity, and keen sense of observation. Told from Questa’s perspective, the story treats readers to fascinating details about hardship, humanity, and hope. “Seventeen-year-old woman”—sounds like an oxymoron until we learn about Questa’s upbringing, young marriage, and widowhood. Through this well told saga we understand Questa’s past and present, and we hope, along with her, for a bright future in a new territory.
October 12, 2022
The author has combined meticulous research with an intimate knowledge of Southern Oregon to produce a fictional story of what life was like for those seeking to move West. Her 31 dates on a wagon train re-enactment added greatly to ability to craft a believable story. Of course, everyone wants to know what is next for Questa and Chase.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews