Bøger af Mary Barmeyer O'Brien

Pioneer men traveling the overland trails during the mid-nineteenth century found the adventure of their lives--and the most grueling, dangerous endeavor they had ever undertaken. The trip was so challenging that no part of it could be considered ordinary as they pushed toward the West, which glowed in their minds like the rising sun. These are the stories of ten men who made the journey west--each with their own struggles and dreams.

True stories of the triumphs and tribulations of eight women who crossed the American frontier by wagon. First hand accounts from their letters and diaries, most written on the trail.

Driven by the promise of prosperity and opportunity on the frontier, thousands of men and women traveled west in the mid-1800s to forge a new life. Accompanying them were their children, wide-eyed and excited about the adventures that awaited them as they headed toward the setting sun. Little did they know how treacherous and grueling the trip would be.

An adventurous single woman who knew how to cook, twenty-three-year-old May Arkwright moved - alone - to the remote valleys of northern Idaho in 1883. She opened a one-table restaurant for the silver prospectors near Wallace, serving her homemade berry pies and hot dishes. Before long, she was a well-known part of the fledgling mining district.May, a large, outspoken woman who favored low-cut, brightly colored dresses, scandalized the "proper" women of town. But her self-confidence and ease with people helped her make important friends among the miners, merchants, and railroad men who ate at her table. After she met and married local train engineer Al Hutton, the two invested in a mine upstream from Wallace. After several long years they struck it rich and moved to Spokane, where May spent the rest of her life working on philanthropic projects that still affect residents of the Pacific Northwest to this day. As related through the skilled storytelling of Mary Barmeyer O'Brien, this larger-than-life woman's story adds a compelling new element to the history of the West.

Mary Rockwood Powers reluctantly left her comfortable life as a doctor's wife in Wisconsin in 1856, one of the many women whose destiny as a settler of the West was determined by her husband's wishes. Trading in her home for canvas roof and wheels, Mary, her husband, and their three children set out on the arduous trek westward to California.Shortly into their travels west, it became painfully obvious that Doctor Powers was simply not up to the task of making sure his family "outlasted the trail." Mary had to step in and become the head of the household with its canvas roof and wheels--leaving behind her ideals of femininity along with her beloved possessions. In Outlasting the Trail author Mary Barymeyer O'Brien uses the letters Mary Rockwood Powers wrote to her mother and sister back home as a stepping off point to further illuminate this remarkable woman's story. Based on the dramatic struggle a real family, this novel brings to life a fascinating slice of American history.

The incredible story of one woman¿s fortitude, courage, and indomitable spirit¿based on a true story Across Death Valley tells the remarkable story of a woman¿s brave struggle to keep her family alive during one of the most arduous and dramatic episodes in the history of Western migration. A riveting narrative by a writer known for her books on pioneers, this is a fictionalized account based on the true story of the legendary journey that Juliet Wells Brier, her husband, and their three young sons undertook during the Gold Rush from Salt Lake City to the settlement of Los Angeles. Departing Salt Lake City via wagon train, the Briers had been promised an easy trip along the well-traveled Old Spanish Trail to California. But, after several agonizing weeks, some of the families¿the Briers included¿broke off from the main group to continue on an unmapped shortcut. As hardships mounted, they splintered into smaller groups until, finally, the Briers were traveling alone. Their chosen route led directly into Death Valley¿eventually, on foot. Diminutive Juliet piggybacked her youngest son even when she was near death from thirst and exhaustion.Rich in compelling detail, Across Death Valley is an unforgettable tale of courage, love, and hope.