All Together In One Place, Jane Kirkpatrick

All Together In One Place, Jane Kirkpatrick

Growing up in Eastern Oregon, along the Oregon Trail, I have always felt like that's all you ever hear about here. Half the businesses in town are named after the Oregon Trail, and tourists come from all over for that Oregon Trail history. I think, and it's probably this way for whatever historical claim to fame one's region has, that it can do one of two things for the locals--they can either wholly embrace it, or just get tired of hearing about it. I have always been tired of hearing it. It wasn't that I didn't respect those who came over on the wagon trains, I just always got tired of it being pounded into my head that this was all that was important, IS important where I live...so I have always steered clear of books about The Oregon Trail. 

However, how can I turn my back on anything written by one of my favorite authors, Jane Kirkpatrick? She actually has written a lot about the general area that I live in, and although it hasn't always been my first choice of subject to read upon, each one of her stories helps me understand and appreciate the history of this land and the people in it. And so it is with this story, the first in a trilogy, about a wagon train that lost its men to cholera, and the women had to continue on without them. This story is based on a remark made by Ezra Meeker about eleven women on a wagon train whose men all died; the author has done an excellent job researching the time, location and details of when Meeker recorded this bit of information; unfortunately, there is no more information on who these women were, but in this book, there are a variety of women with different backgrounds---farmers, store owners, a woman running from her past, Asian mail order brides, and more, and how they deal with their loss as they work together to survive and move along to their destination in the West. 

I look forward to reading the next installment. Her work is always so good.

Also of note, I picked up this book at a thrift store, and it is autographed! That's always a bonus!

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