Days on the Road
Crossing the Plains in 1865
-
-
4.6 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- $0.99
Publisher Description
On May 1, 1865, Sarah Raymond mounted her beloved pony and, riding alongside the wagon carrying her mother and two younger brothers, left war-torn Missouri and headed west.
With the sole motive of bettering themselves, the Raymonds began their journey undecided as to whether California or Oregon would be their ultimate destination. But by the middle of June, they had been persuaded that Montana was in fact the place to make for and altered path accordingly.
As they passed through Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming towards the Rocky Mountains, they faced all manner of perils in experiencing the harsh reality of life on the Great Plains.
After four months and four days, the wagon train finally arrived in Virginia City, Montana, and they set about beginning their new lives.
Unvarnished and evocative, Days on the Road is an extraordinary journal of what it was really like on the trail for the many who emigrated west in a bid to start over.
Sarah Raymond Herndon (1840-1914) arrived in Montana at the height of the Gold Rush in 1865. After teaching there for one school year, she married James M. Herndon in 1867. In addition to Days on the Road she also kept a diary of her experiences in Virginia City.
Customer Reviews
Excellent read!
Days on the Road is the journal of plucky Sarah Raymond Herndon as she and her family joined around 20 other families in a wagon train toward the West. This book was quite interesting. She describes everyday life on the journey - from illnesses (fewer than I expected) to celebrations of birthdays (they actually baked cakes!) to games to weather extremes, to meeting people from varying backgrounds. Reading this book was a vicarious adventure, which i enjoyed. There were no rose-colored glasses here; she "Told it like it was." It also makes me even more thankful for the lives that we live today, with air conditioned vehicles (especially for those of us with breathing problems or allergies!), doctors closer by when we need them, much better roads that did not require directly driving into rushing water etc. For the times she lived in, she had a remarkably fair and balanced attitude toward Native Americans. She realized that like with any other group of people, most were good; in fact, she said that she feared the severe storms more than the Native Americans. Side note: the word used in the book is Indian but my Native American friend tells me that is NOT offensive to them, and in fact, that American Indian is the accurate word. I highly this book recommend for those interested in actual history, which is neither dry nor longwinded. No fact-checking is necessary, as it was told by the people who lived it, at the time. Excellent read!