Selected Oregon Trail, Oregon History, and books about Pioneers, 2.
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Overland in 1846: Diaries and Letters of the California-Oregon Trail
by Dale Lowell Morgan

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal:
These volumes collect the letters and diaries of pioneers who crossed the American wilderness in 1846 and 1847, such as members of the ill-fated Donner party. First published in 1963, these volumes offer a rich mine of firsthand perspectives of the pioneer experience.

One Woman's West: Recollections of the Oregon Trail
and Settling of the Northwest Country
by Martha Gay Masterson, Lois Barton

Recollections of the Oregon Trail and settling the Northwest
Reviewer: A reader

   The intriguing story of a woman who came to Oregon in a covered wagon in 1851 and lived long enough to see hundreds of automobiles passing by her home in the last year of her life. Here we have the West as it truly was, from the primitive era of the Oregon Trail to modern times of World War I. Dr. Richard M. Brown, History Dept. University of Oregon

Treasures In The Trunk: Quilts of the Oregon Trail
by Mary Bywater Cross

Amazing,
Reviewer: Andrea M. Schneider from Vienna, Europe Austria

   One of the most interesting books on quilts I ever read. The histories of the lives of the women described in the book shows, what, apart from their family chores they contributed to social and cultural live in those hard times. With nothing on hand they intended to enrich the lives of their dears and their owns and given the fact, that there was a lack of goods for surviving, they even cared for their quilts and brought them to Oregon.

America can be proud for their wives and their contribution to its history. These words from a person who is not american and from a country where there is no tradition of quilting but who deeply admires this part of America.

Everyday Life in the 1800s: A Guide for Writers, Students & Historians
by Marc McCutcheon

A must have resource.
Reviewer: nealbray from Anacotes, Washington United States

   This book is an essential work, not only for the writers, students, and historians, as the subtitle states, but also for genealogists. Reading this book will give the genealogical researcher an insight in the the life of our ancestors in the 19th century. Tons of great and fascinating info. The only reason for withholding the 5th rating star, is that illustrations not only would add great value to the work, but they are truly need. Mr. Varhola does his best to give a word picture of the items in the book, but the reader would greatly benefit from pictures, drawings, etc.

Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey
by Lillian Schlissel

Family Stories
Reviewer: Michele T. Woodward from Arlington, VA USA

   I purchased this book to read more about Jane Gould Tourtillot, who, it turns out, was my great-grandfather's aunt by marriage. For me, this book provided a glimpse into her world, and by extension, my world. I can't imagine riding a wagon or walking for miles wearing a long-sleeved, long dress in scorching heat. Or, for that matter, preparing meals, being pregnant, taking care of children, or burying a loved one on the side of the road. But these women did all these things in stride. Modern women focus on what women weren't able to do in the 19th century but this book shows that women have always been strong, brave and capable. It's a wonderful book which you will enjoy for years to come.

Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1850
by Kenneth L. Holmes (Editor), Lillian Schlissel (Introduction)

Straightforward, commendable
Reviewer: William Higgins  from Laramie, Wyoming United States

Meaningful, first-hand chronicles from six westward women pioneers of 1850.
As editor Dr. Holmes notes, Anna Maria Morris was the wife of a military commander and as a result was "treated with attention and care". Nonetheless, she describes the relentless heat, lack of water and wood, poor grass, etc. which was typical of travel to Santa Fe, along with daily routines.
Mary Colby, Margaret Frink, Sarah Davis, Sophia Goodridge and Lucena Parsons all traveled the northern ,more familiar, Oregon Trail. These women give stunning details of wagon travel including: the phenomenal numbers of graves along the trail due to cholera, daily chores and mishaps, the vast numbers of emigrants along the route, dry ponds, abandoned wagons and personal belongings, river crossings, cutting grass for future livestock feed, etc.
We feel the persistent, annoying stings of clouds of mosquitoes along the Platte, the disturbing sights of countless numbers of human graves, the unsettling smells of innumerable dead livestock left alongside the road, feel their Indian anxieties, the sounds of nerve-racking horrendous thunderstorms, the continual unwelcomed taste of trail dust. These women clearly illustrate what life was like traveling westward in 1850.
A pleasure to read.

Oregon Geographic Names
by Lewis A. McArthur, Lewis L. McArthur

All you need to know about Oregon
Reviewer: Bryan Hiatt from Wilsonville, OR

   McArthur's Oregon Geographic Names is the definitive "all you need to know about Oregon" text. The author spends some 500 or so pages describing towns from Alsea to Zigzag. His details include a mix of pioneer history and native lore. What emerges is a singular and often unknown view of Oregon.

As a student of history, this text provides the "little" details that a larger view of history might neglect to tell. For instance, in discussing the origins of the Willamette river name, McArthur explores the first use of the word in local newspapers, and also calls on linguistic records in order to discover its first use. What the reader discovers here, and it is representative of most of the text, is that McArthur digs deep into the archives by following all available paper trials.

As a student of history, and of Oregon in general, this book is indispensable. I suspect too that it could be used by the "Cliff Clavens" of the world as a way of distributing "little known facts" about Oregon at parties.

Bryan Hiatt, Humanities Department, Chemeketa Community College, Salem OR

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