Mollie: The Journal of Mollie Dorsey Sanford in Nebraska and Colorado Territories, 1857-1866

by Mollie Dorsey Sanford, Donald F. Danker (Introduction)

Mollie is a vivid, high-spirited, and intensely feminine account of city people homesteading in the raw, new land west of the Missouri. More particularly, it is the story of Mollie herself—just turned eighteen when the Dorseys left Indianapolis for Nebraska Territory—of her reaction to the transplanting and such vicissitudes as rattlesnakes, blizzards, Indians, and the hardships of pioneer life. After her marriage to Byron Sanford, a romantic young blacksmith from New York State, Mollie's life took a new turn. Catching "Pike's Peak Fever," the Sanfords crossed the plains to Colorado and the gold diggings. In mining camps and later, after the outbreak of the Civil War, in forts and army posts, Mollie's strength and endurance were tried to the uttermost, but she reports her trials and tribulations with the same gaiety, courage, and common sense which she displayed in living through them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography, Biography Memoir, Westerns, Womens

199 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five star book simply because it has survived since 1857. Mollie's journal entries happen to coincide with the gold rush to Colorado, as well as the civil war, make it all the more fascinating to read. I imagine anyone that survived during that time had a great many interesting life events, but Mollie was a firecracker so it's fun to imagine her experiences. I would love to see what Denver and Boulder looked like at that time. (Her husband was later on the board that picked the site for the University of Colorado.)

The first many years of their marriage they are all over the place, living in cabins, tents, rooms, whatever it took. During one anniversary Mollie writes that she's glad her husband and baby are alive and they have shelter (at that time - a tent). I wonder what she would think of us now complaining about our out-of-date kitchens?

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…while I do not pose as a heroine, I know that I have had peculiar trials and experiences, and perchance something I have said or done may be a help to my posterity, for trials and tribulations come to all.

May the faith that has sustained me through all up to the present be with my children and children’s children always.”

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Mollie's account of life in the mid-1800s, especially her journey by steamboat from the east to Nebraska, establishing a home in the Nebraska territories, and her journey, after her marriage, by wagon train from Nebraska to Colorado.

Part of the interest this journal held for me was that it mirrored the journey my own family took from Pennsylvania to Nebraska to Colorado at nearly the same time. And although Mollie is not directly related to me, her sister married my great-grandmother's brother. However, Mollie's journal holds a wider interest because she is a good writer and she has a warm and funny personality. Her writing is clear, direct and relatable. Mollie's outlook on life and her attitude toward her many suitors is both humorous and surprisingly modern, or so it seemed to me.

[Sherry Beth Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have been a companion to "Letters From a Woman Homesteader" if Mollie had been a little more dedicated to keeping her diary. I enjoyed her voice and appreciated her humor and the honesty in which she described her struggles.

My family showed up in 1887 in Nebraska, and the other half came not too long before that. It was interesting to read about the settlement of Eastern Nebraska, pre-statehood.

I would like to read an update to this book, I am interested in what else might have been found out about her siblings and what happened to her children. And maybe more footnotes about the folks she ran into. Did the Prestons found the city of Preston, Nebraska?

[Cathlina Bergman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Mollie's adventures, big and small. Mollie reminds me of an Anne of Green Gables or Emily of New Moon in real life! Her amused take on her own and others' mishaps is delightful, from her adventures in chasing down the cow while dressed as a man to attempting to maintain her dignity when a false tooth keeps popping out at all the wrong times. I just fell in love with Mollie!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. I'm the only person whose read this book on goodreads.

My roommate's name is Mollie so she has this book, but never read it. Go figure.

I grew up crazy about Laura Ingalls Wilder and this is very similar.

What I enjoyed the most: As one of the only young women out on the prairie, Mollie got a few proposals a month! She was about my age then or younger, too. Funny.

[Cheryl Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most engaging historical diaries I've ever read. Mollie Sanford was a city girl (Indianapolis) forced to become a frontierswoman in the 1850s by her father's straitened circumstances. She worked as a teacher, a seamstress, a cook, and a farmer over the course of the journal, and through many hard times kept a lively good humor, optimism, and strong faith. She was quite a good writer, and the journal reads very easily and gives vivid impressions of settler communities in the American West (including attitudes toward Native Americans that made me cringe). The editor's annotations were interesting and unobtrusive. Though it wasn't a big part of the journal, something I found really interesting was her clairvoyant ability--she would have both premonitions and clairvoyant dreams. This was not something that happened often, but she writes about several instances as an almost ordinary part of her life, though she does record the reactions of people that demonstrate that they thought her foreknowledge extraordinary. Anyone interested in the American West in the mid-19th century would find much of interest in this book.

[Tasha Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! For research, it was astounding, but also as a story! Mollie's REAL life was as exciting as fiction. I cried multiple times out of joy and sadness.

I will be flipping through it again I'm sure.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The journal of how Mollie moved to Nebraska and met By (Byron Sanford) and later how they moved to Colorado.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this journal! For me, reading this was mostly interesting from a historical perspective, but that didn't keep me from falling for Mollie's unique voice and style. Mollie was a real firecracker in her time and that shows in this journal. She chartered her own path as her family moved West to settle in Nebraska and later in Colorado. This volume is chock full of examples of how women navigated their roles in 19th century America. Their struggles, but also the gains they worked for are evident. As a primary source, I could come back to this text again and again to scour it for details and insight. Mollie herself forged a new path and it offered a rather different take on what I had been taught life was like for women during this time. It appears that life on the prairies came with great risks but also great rewards. I only wish I had more education on how to interpret historical texts, and hopefully I can come back to this text after doing some more learning.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

While weeding out our school library, I happened upon this journal. I am not normally one who enjoys non fiction, but as I am from Nebraska City this one piqued my interest. Reading about her life takes you through the many hardships they endured and how they were able to find joy in the simple things in life. She lived through many historical events that helped shape our country. One word of advice is to simply remember the time frame in which she was writing. She is simply sharing the sentiments and thoughts and opinions of that time period. An excellent read of what it what like for our ancestors, and this book is definitely staying on our library shelves! Nebraska and Colorado are where she lived. The epilogue helps tie up her family's lives and one almost feels if they are saying goodbye to a dear friend upon closing the book at the end.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This journal is an interesting account of a city-bred young woman homesteading in Missouri after her family experiences financial reverses, and in Colorado, after her marriage. In an eleven year span she experiences the hardships of homesteading, living in mining camps, and after the outbreak of the Civil War, in forts and army posts. Many Journals are simply a reporting of life experiences. This journal clearly shows the personality fo this independent young woman.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Homestead Act opened the floodgates of people immigrating from the cities of the east to the American west, in this case Nebraska and Colorado. Before the railroads, this movement of material and people was incredibly difficult, many or perhaps most didn't make it. Mollie's journal documents their struggle. Anyone interested in the American West in the mid-19th century would find much of interest in this book.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little surprised at what a "girlie girl" Mollie was at eighteen when her journal begins. But, oh my, did she grow up a lot in the next nine years! The book starts with her family settling in Nebraska. A few years later she marries and moves with her husband to Colorado to search for gold. Adventure ensues.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabbed me early and didn’t let go. If you like My Antonia and Jane Austen, you’ll love Mollie’s Journal. Mollie transcribed the journal which was damaged in a river crossing and willed it to one of her grandsons because she didn’t want to be forgotten. She succeeded.

[Amanda Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read to get an insight into the past, but I don’t like how her husband treated her. I understand times were different back then, but he was ridiculously late to their wedding, which would be bad even today. He also couldn’t hold a job, which forced he and Mollie to move constantly.

[Balin Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and straightforward account of a young woman's life as a settler in 1857 - 1866 Nebraska, her sense of humour and determination to be the heroine, makes for a light-hearted, but not unfeeling account of hard times.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars. It's hard to rate a personal journal. I found this journal/book interesting and enjoyed reading it.

[Lizzy Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting! But honestly halfway through I could of been done. The beginning is more captivating

[JulieAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. For those people who think the settlers had it so easy. . . give this one your time. Amazingly difficult lives they led, yet the power of the human spirit. . .

[Toodles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't love it....

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began reading this book last summer, as I biked through Nebraska. It was very interesting to read a true account of the area's history while I was in it. I was surprised at how much I could relate to Mollie, particularly in the first half of her journal, which details her every day life. Her stories were often very amusing, especially the ones that involved boys who wished to court her.

Because it is a journal, it doesn't flow as well as if it were a novel, and halfway through I stopped reading, but picked it up about 6 months later to finish, and it felt like I had never stopped reading. Mollie mentions that she wished to be a writer at times, and some of her poems are included. I'm not a fan of poems, but mention it only to say that she truly did have a gift for writing, so this isn't like reading just any girl's journal.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The journal starts when Mollie is 18 years old, which could make for hard reading, but she was a good writer. It makes me wonder if some of this journal has been "edited." In about 1894 or '95, Mrs. Sanford recopied her old journal, saying that, "the original, by going through a flood while camping in the mountains is almost obliterated, and only can be deciphered by myself." She writes that her main purpose in doing this is for her children. I can't help but think she must have cleaned up the writing at least a little bit.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very charming journal, and fascinating for the depiction of the settlement of Nebraska and Colorado territories. It’s more of a primary historical text than literature, so it is full of tantalizing gaps, both gaps in Mollie’s life, and gaps in historical context. But it was fun to hear out places in CO where I’ve been, when they were first settled.

[Donna Halloran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is one of my favorite books I have read in a long long time. It was wonderful. It is truly her diary which makes it so fun. She talks about boys in such a humorous way. Her optimism is genuinely beautiful. This is a woman I would love to meet

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty funny sometimes; made me think of my relatives who were coming to Denver at that point; but pretty wild to think that this seems not much different from life now, yet Indians were still terrorizing whites.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting look at what life was like before and during the civil war

[Janna Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look at some Nebraska/Colorado history from the perspective of a normal girl who actually lived it.

[Kellye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool snippet of pioneer life in the mid-19th century. Be aware that some of the language is very Eurocentric (i.e. disparaging to certain cultures).

Other than that, I enjoyed the book.