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Brave hearted : the women of the American west 1836-1880 / Katie Hickman.

Hickman, Katie, (author.).

Summary:
"As the internationally bestselling historian Katie Hickman writes, "Myth and misunderstanding spring from the American frontier as readily as rye grass from sod, and - like the wiry grass - seem as difficult to weed out and discard." But the true-life story of women's experiences in the Wild West is more gripping, heart-rending, and stirring than all the movies, novels, folk-legends, and ballads of popular imagination. Hard-drinking, hard-living poker players and prostitutes of the new boom towns; wives and mothers traveling two and a half thousand miles across the prairies in covered-wagon convoys, some of them so poor they walked the entire route; African-American women in search of freedom from slavery; Chinese sex-workers sold openly on the docks of San Francisco; Native American women brutally displaced by the unstoppable tide of white settlers -- all were women forced to draw on huge reserves of resilience and courage in the face of tumultuous change. Drawing on letters, diaries, and other extraordinary contemporary accounts, sifting through the legends and the myths, the laws and the treaties, Katie Hickman presents us with cast of unforgettable women: the half Cree, Marguerite McLoughlin, the much-admired "First Lady" of Fort Vancouver; the Presbyterian missionary Narcissa Whitman, who in 1837 became the first white woman to make the overland journey west across the Rocky Mountains; Biddy Mason, the Mississippi slave who fought for her freedom through the courts of California; Olive Oatman, adopted by the Mohave, famous for her facial tattoos. This is the story of the women who participated in the greatest mass migration in American history, transforming their country in the process; a tale brought to life by a brilliant social historian and a dynamic storyteller. This is American history, not as it was romanticized, but as it was lived." --publisher's website.

Record details

  • ISBN: 1954118171
  • ISBN: 9781954118171
  • Physical Description: xxvi, 372 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Spiegel & Grau, [2022]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 351-357) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
"An unheard-of journey for females" -- Fort Vancouver -- Oregon fever -- Jumping off -- The Whitman Mission -- California -- Trapped -- Gold fever -- The mines -- White brothers -- Fort Laramie -- Utopias -- Captives -- Hell on wheels -- Military wives -- Camp followers -- Meanwhile, back in California... -- Strong-heart songs.
Subject: Mason, Biddy, 1818-1891.
McLoughlin, Marguerite, 1775-1860.
Oatman, Olive Ann.
Whitman, Narcissa Prentiss, 1808-1847.
Women > West (U.S.) > Biography.
Pioneers > West (U.S.) > Biography.
West (U.S.) > History.
Genre: Biographies.

Available copies

  • 15 of 16 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 16 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Altoona Area Public Library 978.02 HIC (Text) 33240005152882 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Cambria County Library 978.02 H628b (Text) 85131001857789 CACM Non-Fiction Available -
DuBois Public Library 978.02 HICKMAN (Text) 61000100087879 Adult NonFiction Available -
Green Free Library (Wellsboro) 978 HIC (Text) 92525914 GFWM Main Room Available -
Guthrie Memorial Library: Hanover's Public Library Adults 978 HIC Nonfiction (Text)
Bookplate: Plated 2022: In Memory of C. Ann Hollinger
34007002477839 Adult Area New Available -
Indian Valley Public Library 978.02 Hickman History (Text) 39427103707170 Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction Available -
Martin Library Adults 978 HIC Life Times (Text) 33454005904651 2nd Floor Available -
Mason-Dixon Public Library Adults 978 HIC Nonfiction (Text) 34262000786380 Main Room Checked Out 04/05/2024
Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity 978.02 HIC 2022 (Text) 31001101868868 Adult Non Fiction Available -
New Castle Public Library 978.02 Hickman (Text)
Honor: In Honor of Dr. Joseph Ross, given by Cheryl & Frank Dodd, Molly Dodd, and Ben Leas
31902005476122 NWCM Non-Fiction Available -

Summary: "As the internationally bestselling historian Katie Hickman writes, "Myth and misunderstanding spring from the American frontier as readily as rye grass from sod, and - like the wiry grass - seem as difficult to weed out and discard." But the true-life story of women's experiences in the Wild West is more gripping, heart-rending, and stirring than all the movies, novels, folk-legends, and ballads of popular imagination. Hard-drinking, hard-living poker players and prostitutes of the new boom towns; wives and mothers traveling two and a half thousand miles across the prairies in covered-wagon convoys, some of them so poor they walked the entire route; African-American women in search of freedom from slavery; Chinese sex-workers sold openly on the docks of San Francisco; Native American women brutally displaced by the unstoppable tide of white settlers -- all were women forced to draw on huge reserves of resilience and courage in the face of tumultuous change. Drawing on letters, diaries, and other extraordinary contemporary accounts, sifting through the legends and the myths, the laws and the treaties, Katie Hickman presents us with cast of unforgettable women: the half Cree, Marguerite McLoughlin, the much-admired "First Lady" of Fort Vancouver; the Presbyterian missionary Narcissa Whitman, who in 1837 became the first white woman to make the overland journey west across the Rocky Mountains; Biddy Mason, the Mississippi slave who fought for her freedom through the courts of California; Olive Oatman, adopted by the Mohave, famous for her facial tattoos. This is the story of the women who participated in the greatest mass migration in American history, transforming their country in the process; a tale brought to life by a brilliant social historian and a dynamic storyteller. This is American history, not as it was romanticized, but as it was lived." --publisher's website.

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