Three Golden Rivers

by Olive M. Price

Set in 1850, Three Golden Rivers tells the tale of the four orphaned Bayard children--Jenny, Stephen, Carlotta, and Mady--who must leave their farm and move to the city in order to support themselves. They find a home on the South Side of Pittsburgh in a shanty, known locally as a clinger, on the steep hillside overlooking the rivers and the city. Young readers will gravitate to this remarkable story full of the details of life in a robust nineteenth-century city, in the words and experience of four children left to fend for themselves. Infused with the famous real-life characters of Andrew Carnegie, Charles Dickens, Jenny Lind and Stephen Foster, Three Golden Rivers is a natural segue to further study on these famous personalities, as well as a chance for young readers to learn much about the folklore, commerce, and ecology of the mid-nineteenth century in a booming industrial center. Three Golden Rivers is filled with fascinating bits of history such as the kind of food people ate in the mid-19th century and how it was preserved without refrigeration, the thriving commerce of the riverboats, the glass making industry that made Pittsburgh a leader in glass production, and a glimpse at the early development of the steel mills that would come to define Pittsburgh for the next century and a half. Three Golden Rivers will delight young readers as they get caught up in the lives of these independent and energetic youngsters on their own in the city. It will also provide educators and parents with an endless source of information and ideas for educational projects and approaches for discovering the history of the last century.

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

She was also known as Olive M. Price, and wrote under the pseudonyms of Anne Cherryholmes and Barbara West.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of young Pittsburghers in the 1850s.

[Marjorie Wertz · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can tell this book was originally written in 1948. Very much like Horatio Alger books.

[Laura M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult but really interesting view of 1850 Pittsburgh.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a favorite as a young teen. It encouraged me to see the main character taking control despite the challenges of leading her younger siblings (As her parents are deceased). It's set in the 1800's I believe, and she desperately wants to give her younger brother the ability to have an apprenticeship learning to blow glass creations. They move to a shack outside Pittsburg, PA where they have a beautiful view of the three rivers in that area.