Another good book -- Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Forum

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Date Posted: 16:30:41 08/12/02 Mon
Author: Shell
Subject:

Another good book

I recently got a book from my library-"Pioneer Children on the Joureney West" by Emmy Werner. There are parts from letters, diaries etc. of childrens perspectives of the wagon trains from 1841-1865 that were going to California for the gold rush.. Some of it was really sad, all the heartache, deathetc. the had to go thru. Of course they didn't include happy memories. It's amazing how well they did survive and kept encouraginze others to keep going. Thre was a chapter about the Donner party. That was sad.Out of 41 children 26 lived that winter. Usually infants and toddlers died.
There was a sction on the Oatman massacre(wich I had never heard about) It was about a fmily who was attacked by indians and 5 of the children died(one was a new baby) two were kidnapped and one was seriously injured but survied. Both parents were killed.
They talked about families travelling thru death valley, sometimes not having water for days. A lot of children lost a parent, some both and were "adopted" by others on the wagon train.
I couldn't imagine doing that. Months in a wagon, not knowing were you were going or might encounter. Not having food or water. Losing your parents. Being 8 and in charge of so much, helping out the group, looking after younger brothers and sisters.All the illness and accidnts. Seeing death as a way of life. And the women, I wonder how many didn't want to go, but did for there husbands(especially if they were pregnant). I wonder, how often did they chand babies out there especiallry if water was scarce, how did they wash the diapers. And for the girls who's mothers died how did they learn the facts of life if their father never remarried?I'm sure that wasn't talked about much between mother's and daughters, never mind father's and daughter's.
I definitley would recommend this book.There was more in it. (i don't know if I'd by it though.It was great getting it through the library.) It gives a differnt perspective that what is usaully given. Most things are from adults. It seems alot hared than what Laura went through.

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[> Re: Another good book -- Ann, 00:10:48 08/13/02 Tue

That sounds fascinating, Shell. I'll have to see if my library has it. Laura's travels were relatively short compared to those going to Oregon or California, and while not easy, I think a lot less treacherous. Of course, I think LIW left negative stuff out to a certain degree (or had it edited out. Back then editors tended to treat children as if they were delicate and would be traumatized by too much negativity).
But the long journeys in real life must have been extremely hard on children. Has anyone ever read Ordeal By Hunger, a book about the Donner Pass tragedy? With each page all I could think was "oh, those poor people!" It just went from bad to worse to worse.

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Re: Another good book -- mindy, 13:27:27 08/13/02 Tue

any other new books coming out anytime soon, cuz i need to add them to the booklist page again????

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