Letters of a Woman Homesteader

Letters of a Woman Homesteader

By

4.75
(4 Reviews)
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Published:

1913

Pages:

118

Downloads:

2,175

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Letters of a Woman Homesteader

By

4.75
(4 Reviews)
The writer of the following letters is a young woman who lost her husband in a railroad accident and went to Denver to seek support for herself and her two-year-old daughter, Jerrine. Turning her hand to the nearest work, she went out by the day as house-cleaner and laundress. Later, seeking to better herself, she accepted employment as a housekeeper for a well-to-do Scotch cattle-man, Mr. Stewart, who had taken up a quarter-section in Wyoming. The letters, written through several years to a former employer in Denver, tell the story of her new life in the new country. They are genuine letters, and are printed as written, except for occasional omissions and the alteration of some of the names.

Book Excerpt

nup and a glorious day we had. We followed a stream higher up into the mountains and the air was so keen and clear at first we had on our coats. There was a tang of sage and of pine in the air, and our horse was midside deep in rabbit-brush, a shrub just covered with flowers that look and smell like goldenrod. The blue distance promised many alluring adventures, so we went along singing and simply gulping in summer. Occasionally a bunch of sage chickens would fly up out of the sagebrush, or a jack rabbit would leap out. Once we saw a bunch of antelope gallop over a hill, but we were out just to be out, and game didn't tempt us. I started, though, to have just as good a time as possible, so I had a fish-hook in my knapsack.

Presently, about noon, we came to a little dell where the grass was as soft and as green as a lawn. The creek kept right up against the hills on one side and there were groves of quaking asp and cottonwoods that made shade, and service-bushes and birches that shut off the ugly hills on t

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Onnaise
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Simply a delightful book! I love the way Elinore tells of all her adventures. It made me wish I could go back in time and meet her in person.
I throughly enjoyed this delightful book. I love how she described where they went and what happened. She had such a good outlook on life and look for the best in bad situations. I highly recommend this book.
Elinore Stewart's memorable account of pioneer life and motherhood made me feel like I was right there with her. Take time Jerrine was asking Elinore about her new baby brother-

"Mamma," she said, "did God really make the baby?" "Yes, dear." "Then He hasn't treated us fairly, and I should like to know why. The puppies could walk when He finished them; the calves can, too. The pigs can, and the colt, and even the chickens. What is the use of giving us a half-finished baby?"

Who can't relate to that? Toss in adventure, camping, wonderful relationships and even an interesting peek into Mormonism. My only regret is that the book ended. This one is definitely a keeper and makes me long to try homesteading!
Alex Martin - Love and Loss and the Perils of War
FEATURED AUTHOR - 'The Plotting Shed' (see her blog http://www.intheplottingshed.com/) was Alex Martin's first writing space at the bottom of her Welsh garden. Now she splits her time between Wales and France and plot wherever she is. She still wanders aimlessly in the countryside with her dog and her dreams and she can still be found typing away with imaginary friends whispering in her ear, but these days she has the joy of seeing her stories published and the treasured feedback from readers who've enjoyed them.