A Pioneer Woman's Memoir

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-During the 1800s, the promise of a new start in a new land lured thousands of Americans west. Arabella Clemens set out on her journey along the Oregon Trail in 1864 when she was 20 years old. After settling in the Boise Valley with her sister and brother-in-law, she met and married Frank Fulton. There they stayed until 1872 when they set out, again by wagon train, to settle in Texas. Eleven years later, they joined yet another wagon train and headed for the Northwest Territory, where they remained. This book is comprised of excerpts from Clemens's memoirs of her life and travels. Each brief chapter is introduced by interesting explanatory material from Greenberg and McKeever. The details Clemens offers of life on the Oregon Trail and in the pioneer settlements provide authenticity and vitality to that remarkable period of U.S. history. She discusses everything from buffalo chips and bedbugs to the details of preparing for a wedding. Her account is filled with courage, good sense, and humor. The life she writes of is extraordinary in that it represents the experiences of thousands like her. Abundant black-and-white reproductions and photographs add to the value of this text as a reference source, as do the list for further reading and the index. However, Clemens's story is so compelling that it is a pleasure to read just for the opportunity to become acquainted with her and the adventure she lived.-Marilyn Makowski, Greenwood High School, SC

Kay Weisman

In the spring of 1864, 20-year-old Arabella Clemens, along with her two sisters and their husbands, left by covered wagon from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and headed for Oregon. Greenberg and McKeever have edited the intriguing memoir (composed as a gift to her children and grandchildren when she was in her eighties), adding introductory material, commentaries, and black-and-white illustrations that allow readers a glimpse of one woman's account of pioneer life. The editors acknowledge that Arabella's perspectives on slavery and Native Americans are outdated by today's standards, and their comments help to add balance to the presentation while accurately reflecting Arabella's views. An excellent addition to classroom units on the westward movement or women's studies, this will also be of interest to history buffs.