Dr. Arrell Gibson wrote a tribute to the Pioneer Woman, "I fancy I see her now, her smiling face encircled with a sunbonnet. She was young, brave and beautiful in her own way. It was she who fortified the humble home, the cabin or the dugout, with her character. It was she who went down into the Valley of the Shadow of Death to bring forth the sturdy sons and daughters of the pioneers. It was she who stayed when all others were anxious to leave. It was the Pioneer Woman and not the pioneer man who conquered the frontier." We hope you enjoy these selections on the Pioneer Woman, compiled by Reader Advisor Cheryl Hassler.
Betty Zane by Zane Grey.
Recounts the family stories about Betty Zane, the capture of her brother Isaac by a Native American princess, Betty’s suitors, the successful defense of Fort Henry against the British in 1782, and Betty’s race for her life. Grey’s first novel about pioneer days, written in 1903. RC 48134, BR 12123.
Bride for Donnigan by Janette Oke.
A man sure can get lonely on the frontier. In fact, Donnigan Harrison is so lonely he has decided to take himself a mail order bride. Kathleen O'Malley, an Irish lassie who had become a servant in her own home, has come to America to be Donnigan's wife. They will have their share of problems in adjusting to one another, but their faith in God and their concern for each other will get them through the hard times. RC 37618.
The Chisholms by Evan Hunter.
Lusty pioneer tale set in middle nineteenth century America. Hadley Chisholm, his reluctant wife, and their five children pack their few belongings in a wagon and head west. On the way they risk hunger, illnesses, Indian attacks, and treachery. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 10896.
The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas.
A woman finds the diary of her grandmother, Mattie Spenser, an American pioneer. In 1865 Mattie marries in Iowa and heads off to the Colorado prairie. She grows from a simple farm girl into a woman complicated by the harsh life in a sod house, the birth and death of children, and the faithlessness of her beloved husband. RC 45356.
The Earth Abideth by George Dell.
Saga of pioneer farming in late nineteenth century Ohio. Thomas and Kate Linthorne begin their wedded life on virgin land near the Ohio hills. Through decades of births, deaths, toil, friendships, forbidden passions, and strife, the Linthorne family survives amidst the new community of struggling farmers, most of whom are of German descent. Originally written in 1938. RC 25360.
Follow the River by James Alexander Thom.
1755. Mary Ingles is 23 and expecting her third child when Shawnee Indians ravage her Virginia settlement and take her captive. Mary keeps up her spirits and, after a few months in captivity, escapes to make her way on foot through a thousand miles of wilderness to return to her family. RC 47552.
Forgiving by LaVyrle Spencer.
1876. Sarah Merritt has come to Deadwood in the Dakota Territory for two reasons: to find her sister Addie and tell her that their father is dead, and to start the town's first daily paper. Addie, who ran away from home five years ago, is working at Rosie Hossiter's boardinghouse as an "upstairs girl." Finding Addie is easy, but everything else Sarah tries lands her in big trouble. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. RC 32030, BR 8520.
Hannah Fowler by Janice Holt Giles.
Raised in the wilderness by her father, Hannah knew she would be a good wife to Tice Fowler on the Kentucky frontier. Not even Hannah, though, expected to be attacked by starving wolves, frozen in blizzards, burned out of her home, and taken by Indians. RC 17383.
The Homesteaders by Lauran Paine.
For years Constable Cutler has kept peace in Peralta. But now he has a corpse on his hands and mayhem in the town. With the help of two stubborn deputies and a strong willed, homesteading woman, Cutler must fend off his enemies. RC 27377.
Journal of Callie Wade by Dawn Miller.
The fictional diary of an eighteen-year-old Missouri farm girl, describing her family's trek to California by wagon train in 1859. Her journal conveys the sorrow of leaving home and childhood friends, the perils and privations of the trail, and the hope and courage that sustained the pioneers. RC 43653.
Keegan's Lady by Catherine Anderson.
Colorado, 1885. Ace Keegan returns to avenge his stepfather's murder and his mother's rape. He discovers that the killer, Conor O'Shannessy, is dead but O'Shannessy's daughter, Caitlin, has inherited the ranch. Ace compromises Caitlin's reputation, but then proposes a marriage of convenience as compensation. Descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language. RC 46569.
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich.
The story of a pioneer woman who, as a bride, accompanied her husband to Nebraska by covered wagon and lived there for the rest of her eighty years. It tells of her courage and devotion to her large family through poverty and hardship. RC 24820.
Larkspur by Dorothy Garlock.
Twenty-three and unmarried, Kristin Anderson angers her half brother when she leaves his Wisconsin home to claim Larkspur, the Montana ranch she unexpectedly inherits in 1883. Others want Larkspur too, so she joins forces with a cranky cowboy to save it. Some violence, some strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 45933.
The Living by Annie Dillard.
Hardy men and women carve a place for themselves out of the wilderness of northwest Washington during the last years of the nineteenth century. A large cast includes indigenous Nooksack Indians who are farmers and fisherman, Chinese laborers who help build the railroads, a hermit who lives in a hollowed-out tree, and pioneers who prevail through wet, gloomy winters and fruitful summers. Violence. RC 35193.
Love Is a Gentle Stranger by June Masters Bacher.
After being jilted by her fiance, gently bred Chris Beth Kelly heads for Oregon Territory where she plans to be a teacher. Shortly after her arrival, Chris Beth learns that her sister is also coming to Oregon. Both girls find themselves engulfed by a family of friends, and their individual pains begin to heal. Prequel to Love’s Silent Song (RC 44256). RC 44252.
My Antonia by Willa Cather.
A lawyer recalls his Nebraska boyhood and the girl who was a strong influence on his life in this novel about pioneering conditions and the assimilation of the immigrant. RC 13491, BR 11320.
River of Sky by Karen Harper.
In 1835 widowed, impoverished Kate Craig befriends Blue Wing, her husband’s other wife, and together they set out for the Mandan tribe up the Missouri River, where Kate hopes to set up a fur trade. Also on the riverboat is Rand, a part-Indian man bent on saving the Mandans from corrupt traders. Descriptions of sex. RC 43808.
Springwater Seasons by Linda Lael Miller.
Stories of four women who come to Springwater, Montana Territory, in the late 1800s. Rachel is the town's first schoolteacher, Savannah is part owner of the saloon, Miranda is an unwed mother, and Jessica takes over her brother's bankrupt newspaper. Each finds the man of her dreams. Some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 53506.
The Stars for a Light by Lynn Morris and Gilbert Morris.
As Cheney Duvall, 24, graduates from the Women's Medical College, she looks forward to beginning her career. But no one wants to hire a female physician. Then she learns that Asa Mercer is looking for a doctor to care for the several hundred women he is transporting from New York to Seattle. It is the first sea journey for many, and Cheney will have her hands full. RC 41058.
The Wedding Dress: Stories from the Dakota Plains by Carrie Young.
In the title story, Ildri, a seamstress of Norwegian descent, is asked to model an intricately made wedding dress. Upon leaving her position, Ildri buys the dress and lends it to a succession of brides in her homesteading community before finding her own bittersweet use for it. The collection's other entries are also peopled with Norwegian Americans on the Dakota plains. Some strong language. RC 43856, BR 9634.
Where the River Runs by Richard S. Wheeler.
In 1849 Captain Jed Owen is in command of a Montana treaty and exploring party. His band of men are struck by illness and die one by one, leaving nearly dead Owen a prisoner of the Kootenai tribe. When he is finally healed and set free, Owen, clutching a bag of deathbed letters from his men, must find his own way home. Meanwhile, Owen's fiancée, Susannah St. George, a colonel's daughter, sets out to find Owen. RC 42303.
White Fire by Cassie Edwards.
Minnesota Territories, 1820s. Reshelle "Flame" Russell fell in love with a teenager, Samuel "White Fire" Dowling, who is part Native American, when she was a mere girl. Years later she joins her father, the Colonel, at his frontier outpost, determined to find the man of her dreams. Violence and explicit descriptions of sex. RC 48256.