Covered Wagon Women, Volume 6: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1853-1854

Lively, energetic accounts full of grit and substance from the women who migrated west in 1853 and 1854. To mention a few: Amelia Knight details river fordings; the vast numbers of dead cattle with their ensuing stench; wagons, chains, yokes, etc. strewn along the trail; the wind and sand ("them that eat the most breakfast, eat the most sand"). She gave birth to her eighth child towards journey's end. Writes with much clarity. Celinda Hines had the attributes of a young naturalist. Her descriptions of scenery, landforms, wildflowers, etc. are most touching. When her father drowned along the Boise River, her final entry for the day was a haunting "wolves howled". A very religious and optimistic Hannah Tapfield King began the journey "happy, blessed and content". By the time she reached the Fort Laramie area she was feeling dismayed, dejected and weary. Quite understandable. A deep thinker. This is another excellent book in the Covered Wagon Women series.