Covered Wagon Women, Volume 9: Diaries and Letters from the

Covered Wagon Women, Volume 9: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1864-1868

In their simplicity is their poignancy. On August 7, 1865, Mary Louisa Black noted in her journal that they were â€œnooning on a nice stream in a valey in the mountains.â€ A day later she observed that one of the men in the overland expedition had â€œburied an infant here yesterdayâ€”still born.â€ One can only imagine her emotional turmoilâ€”she had buried her own daughter three months earlier, just as she and her husband set out for Oregon.
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While each diarist and letter-writer had her personal joys and sorrows, collectively these invaluable accounts demonstrate the passion and courage of these nineteenth-century pioneering women who led and followed their families into the West, pursuing dreams of better economic or social situations. One can only marvel at their ability to persevere under conditions that sent many scurrying back home to the East.

Covered Wagon Women, Volume 9: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1864-1868