Recommended Reading - Women on the Western Frontier










	If you really want to know what life was like on the frontier, you have to take the time to look at it through the eyes of some of the women who lived there.

Chief Sarah Chief Sarah
Dorothy Nafus Morrison, 1990
Oregon Historical Society Press - $8.95
ISBN 0-87595-204-6

Sarah Winnemucca's struggle against the corruption of the Bureau of Indian Affairs propelled her into a position of leadership in the Indian community. Dubbed "the Indian Joan of Arc" by Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Sarah Winnemucca's story is now largely forgotten. Chief Sarah was written with younger readers in mind, but it is not "dumbed down" -- adults will find this an interesting read, as well.

"Conversations with Pioneer Women" by Fred Lockley Conversations With Pioneer Women
Fred Lockley (Mike Helm, ed.), 1981
Rainy Day Press - $17.95
ISBN 0-931742-08-0

In the early Twentieth Century, newspaperman Fred Lockley sought out and interviewed dozens of survivors from the era of the Oregon Trail. While it should be noted that Lockley had a reputation for fictionalizing his interviews when the truth proved too dull for his tastes, some of the interviews needed no improvement...

Covered Wagon Women Covered Wagon Women
Kenneth L. Holmes, ed.
Bison Books - $13.00
ISBN 0-8032-7277-4

The editor of this series, which currently spans about a dozen volumes, lets the letters and diaries of emigrant women speak for themselves. Each woman is introduced with a brief biographical sketch to acquaint the reader with the particulars of her situation.

More Than Petticoats... More Than Petticoats:
Remarkable Washington Women
L. E. Bragg, 1998
Falcon Publishing - $14.95
ISBN I-56044-667-6

...Remarkable Oregon Women
Gayle C. Shirley, 1998
Falcon Publishing - $14.95
ISBN I-56044-668-4

These books tell the stories of women who made their presence felt in the Pacific Northwest of the 19th and early 20th Century. In addition to well-known historical figures such as Abigail Scott Duniway and Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, readers will discover Thea Foss, the original "Tugboat Annie"; Bertha Knight Landes, the first female mayor of Seattle; and Lola Greene Baldwin, the first policewoman in the US.

Soiled Doves Soiled Doves
Anne Seagraves, 1994
Wesanne Publications - $11.95
ISBN 0-9619088-4-X

In every boom town and near frontier military posts, there were "red light districts" where women practiced the world's oldest profession. Prostitution was an integral part of the social and economic order of the American frontier, though it was rarely documented by artists, authors, and historians of the period.

Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey Women's Diaries of the
Westward Journey
Lillian Schlissel, 1982
Schocken Books - $14.00
ISBN 0-8052-1004-0

For entirely too long, our western history and folklore consisted of tales of rugged menfolk who tamed the wilderness. In fact, homesteading was a family affair, and the experiences of American women are central to developing an accurate understanding of what life was like on the frontier.

Women's Voices from the Oregon Trail Women's Voices from the
Oregon Trail
Susan G. Butruille, 1993
Tamarack Books - $14.95
ISBN 0-9634839-8-6

To describe the lives and roles of women along the Oregon Trail, the author uses diary quotes, recipes, songs, poems, and even quilts. Beginning with the Midwestern frontier of the mid-1800s, the reader is taken over the Trail and given a glimpse of life in the Willamette Valley. Further, the author concludes by retracing the Trail as it exists today and showing where to find markers, landmarks, and other signposts which illustrate and preserve the presence of women on the Oregon Trail.

"Women Women's Voices from the
Western Frontier
Susan G. Butruille, 1995
Tamarack Books - $16.95
ISBN 1-886609-00-4

Life on the frontier from the perspective of the women who lived there, including black, Asian, and Native American women.

[Return to Recommended Reading Menu]

[Home Page] - [History Library] - [Biographical Menu] - [Map Menu]

	Chief Sarah Dorothy Nafus Morrison, 1990 Oregon Historical Society Press - $8.95 ISBN 0-87595-204-6 Sarah Winnemucca's struggle against the corruption of the Bureau of Indian Affairs propelled her into a position of leadership in the Indian community. Dubbed "the Indian Joan of Arc" by Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Sarah Winnemucca's story is now largely forgotten. Chief Sarah was written with younger readers in mind, but it is not "dumbed down" -- adults will find this an interesting read, as well.
	Conversations With Pioneer Women Fred Lockley (Mike Helm, ed.), 1981 Rainy Day Press - $17.95 ISBN 0-931742-08-0 In the early Twentieth Century, newspaperman Fred Lockley sought out and interviewed dozens of survivors from the era of the Oregon Trail. While it should be noted that Lockley had a reputation for fictionalizing his interviews when the truth proved too dull for his tastes, some of the interviews needed no improvement...
	Covered Wagon Women Kenneth L. Holmes, ed. Bison Books - $13.00 ISBN 0-8032-7277-4 The editor of this series, which currently spans about a dozen volumes, lets the letters and diaries of emigrant women speak for themselves. Each woman is introduced with a brief biographical sketch to acquaint the reader with the particulars of her situation.
	More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Washington Women L. E. Bragg, 1998 Falcon Publishing - $14.95 ISBN I-56044-667-6 ...Remarkable Oregon Women Gayle C. Shirley, 1998 Falcon Publishing - $14.95 ISBN I-56044-668-4 These books tell the stories of women who made their presence felt in the Pacific Northwest of the 19th and early 20th Century. In addition to well-known historical figures such as Abigail Scott Duniway and Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, readers will discover Thea Foss, the original "Tugboat Annie"; Bertha Knight Landes, the first female mayor of Seattle; and Lola Greene Baldwin, the first policewoman in the US.
	Soiled Doves Anne Seagraves, 1994 Wesanne Publications - $11.95 ISBN 0-9619088-4-X In every boom town and near frontier military posts, there were "red light districts" where women practiced the world's oldest profession. Prostitution was an integral part of the social and economic order of the American frontier, though it was rarely documented by artists, authors, and historians of the period.
	Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey Lillian Schlissel, 1982 Schocken Books - $14.00 ISBN 0-8052-1004-0 For entirely too long, our western history and folklore consisted of tales of rugged menfolk who tamed the wilderness. In fact, homesteading was a family affair, and the experiences of American women are central to developing an accurate understanding of what life was like on the frontier.
	Women's Voices from the Oregon Trail Susan G. Butruille, 1993 Tamarack Books - $14.95 ISBN 0-9634839-8-6 To describe the lives and roles of women along the Oregon Trail, the author uses diary quotes, recipes, songs, poems, and even quilts. Beginning with the Midwestern frontier of the mid-1800s, the reader is taken over the Trail and given a glimpse of life in the Willamette Valley. Further, the author concludes by retracing the Trail as it exists today and showing where to find markers, landmarks, and other signposts which illustrate and preserve the presence of women on the Oregon Trail.
	Women's Voices from the Western Frontier Susan G. Butruille, 1995 Tamarack Books - $16.95 ISBN 1-886609-00-4 Life on the frontier from the perspective of the women who lived there, including black, Asian, and Native American women.