On Sidesaddles to Heaven: The Women of the Rocky Mountain Mission

This book was put together really well. Everything had an order and only once or twice did you feel like you were jumping back and forth between years(which is what I think is the problem with most books on history). I really enjoyed the time the author took to describe things like the sidesaddles themselves or all the stages of syphlis. The Whitmans were portrayed in a completely different light than what most children are taught in school. In a time when the women were all but ignored; I find it amazing that this author could find so much information about them so that we could finally read about who they were beyond the wives of missionaries. Thank you Laurie Carlson for all the hard work you put into this one. It was worth your time and dedication.

Carlson has written an absorbing and poignant account of these brave ladies. In addition to giving readers a good sense of these women as real people--not simply stoic helpmates in a great historical drama perpetuated by their missionary husbands--Carlson provides many telling details about aspects of frontier life, such as feminine hygiene, childbearing and sanitary practices, that previous historical accounts have overlooked. This book is a wonderful example of history from a woman's point of view, and it does a fine job of bringing the past vividly to life. Highly recommended.--Paul Slimak, in The Bookcase, Victorian Decorating & Lifestyles, February, 1999.

The characters seemed quite real. I was drawn to them in spite of their obvious human frailties. They were much like modern peace corps workers, idealistic but not very practical. Dedication to their individual faiths gave them both motivation and courage. The depictions of the characters lives in New England before their journey were disturbing. The severity of their lives made it easy to understand why they would choose such a dangerous path. Depictions of the Indian tribes concerned were historically accurate, but possibly not politically correct. I greatly enjoyed this example of Mrs Carlson's work. I look forward to seeing further work by this author.

This book is an excellent read for lovers of Northwestern history. It is an insightful glimpse by a women author about women missionaries. I believe it is an important addition to the genre. Carlson's research helps readers understand why these women specifically "sought out" westward-bound missionary men to marry. The book gave me a new perspective on the Rocky Mountain missionary efforts and greatly increased my understanding of the cultural mores and pressures on women during the 1800's.