So Much to Be Done: Women Settlers on the Mining and Ranching Frontier

by Ruth Barnes Moynihan, Christiane Fischer Dichamp (Editor), Susan H. Armitage (Editor)

"So Much to Be Done brings to life the diversity of women's lives on the mining and raching frontiers of the American West. It shows the degree to which women involved themselves in every detail of the work at hand---'men's work' or 'woman's work'---it hardly mattered which. The note that rings most clear is the women's voice, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, or eager, but always unshrinking. "This is the best collection of its kind I know."---Lilian Schlissel, author of Women's Diaries of the Overland Trail.

The genuine creative achievements of nineteenth-century western women have often been obscured by sentimental tributes to their devotion and diligence, while men are praised as pathfinders, entrepreneurs, and community builders. But the nineteen narratives in So Much to Be Done by women of diverse status and background reveal women's involvement in every aspect of settlement. Their part in making hard decisions, producing essential income, and developing new communities was as important as their flexibility, humor, and sense of adventure. This collection describes the experiences of pioneer women responding in individual ways to the challenge of frontier hardships.

The letters, diaries, and memoirs presented here offer glimpses of women's courage, physical strength, and independence that were the equal of any man's, even as they also reveal the failures, weaknesses, and tragedies that beset both sexes during the complex settlement process. Women describe their multiple daily tasks, the ingenuity by which they asserted themselves or circumvented patriarchal authority, the networks of relatives and friends who made the survival of both men and women possible. Such information is seldom found in men's narratives. Women's words provide rich veins of new material for social historians.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Womens, Womens Studies

325 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Neva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories. Surprising how much it disproves modern thinking that women in past days were wimpy servants to their husbands. These women were strong, brave and adventurous women, business women, leaders and landowners.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of interesting extracts of memoirs/diaries by women who ventured west. As with most anthologies some of the portions are better than the others. The longest extract "No persuits in common between us anymore" became the most boring because it contained the most repetition. Others were much better. The women tell of the hardships they endured and their accomplishments. Most of the history we hear leaves out the work of women. While men sometimes cooked for themselves, it was generally the women who ran the boarding houses and 'diners'. Women did the laundry and made everyday clothes for the family. Women also tended to the ranches and farms when the men were away. These excerpts provide only a part of the woman's side of the story. Unfortunately, much has been lost because it likely was never recorded.

[Debbie Thorson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring. I didn't finish this one, in fact I purposely left it in the laundromat. The title was promising, I was expecting the hardships, challenges, and triumphs of women pioneers. Perhaps it got better, but the first 100 pages were very boring journals of women consisting of entries like... today I swept the floor and made a new bonnet...

[Terry Tschann Skelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection of pioneer women's stories. Contrary to popular belief, there were many woman amongst the ranchers, cowhands, miners and gamblers in the days of "settling" the west. The writers in this collection include wealthy wives, single, struggling women, young and old, a nun, a Native American woman. Some were miners' wives, who also worked to supplement the family income. Some traveled in covered wagons to the prairie where they struggled alongside their husbands (or alone) to survive miles from their nearest neighbors. Some were healers; most had children to support and care for. All had various talents and abilities which they exercised however they could to keep a roof over their heads. All were fascinating.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of first hand accounts of the different experiences women had in different areas of the frontier. Frontier life is vividly described through letters and journals by a variety of women. A must read for anyone interested in life on the frontier, it is full of hardships and triumphs as well as the daily moments and chores that were required to keep life going.

[Karen Divine Van Iwaarden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were better than the others. Some I wished were longer.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read this before and enjoyed re-reading it.