Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart | 1914 | Dover | Ebook $ 7.99
A series of letters make for a fascinating narrative and descriptive journal of the author’s life, moving from the city to a wild homestead, remarrying and still having the determination to homestead on her own. Elinore Pruitt Stewart’s captivating missives bring to full life the beauty, isolation, and joys of working the prairie.
While selecting titles for my to-read list for Classics Club, I wanted to include at least a few nonfiction books written by women about their own experiences. Letters of a Woman Homesteader is exactly that — the story of a widowed mother making a new life for herself in a far-flung corner of Wyoming, as told to a friend through a series of letters.
Elinore’s varied experiences are told with an engaging combination of reverence for nature, care for her occasionally exasperating neighbors, and just a simple appreciation of a good fun time whenever it can be had.
I think the overall theme can best be described in her own words:
I never did like to theorize, and so this year I set out to prove that a woman could ranch if she wanted to. [….] I have tried every kind of work this ranch affords, and I can do any of it. Of course I am extra strong, but those who try know that strength and knowledge come with doing. I just love to experiment, to work, and to prove out things, so that ranch life and “roughing it” just suit me.
Like many personal accounts of the time, the book does include a peppering of racist remarks. It’s nothing shocking if you’re used to reading primary historical sources like this, but I feel that it is at least worth acknowledging before making any kind of readerly recommendation.
That said, I do think I’d recommend this book to people who have a general interest in the historical experiences of homesteaders in rural America, particularly from the lens of a pre-feminist self-supporting woman.
Links:
- Profile from the Wyoming Historical Society
- Homestead information from the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
Publication information: Stewart, Elinore Pruitt. Letters of a woman homesteader. New York, NY: Dover, 2012. EPUB.
Source: Public library, via Hoopla.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
