Twenty Miles From A Match: Homesteading In Western Nevada

by Sarah E. Olds

Twenty Miles From a Match , originally published in 1978, is the autobiography of an indomitable woman and her family’s twenty years of adventures and misadventures in a desert wilderness. In 1908, a venturesome woman named Sarah Olds packed up her brood and went homesteading in the deserts north of Reno, west of Sutcliffe on Pyramid Lake. Her ailing husband said, welcoming her to their new home, "There, old lady. There’s your home, and it’s damn near in the heart of Egypt." Olds tells of the hardships, frustrations, poverty, and other tribulations her family suffered from shortly after the turn of the century until well into the Great Depression. Through it all, however, runs a thread of humor, cheerfulness, and the ability to laugh at adversity. The foreword is by her daughter, Leslie Olds Zurfluh, the fourth of Sarah and A. J. Olds's six children.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Adult, Book Club

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought to look up my great grandmother's book before on Goodreads but I'm glad I did! It's so nice to read these reviews.

I'm definitely proud to be alive today because of her and only wished I could have known her personally. She passed away in 1963 when my mom was only 12. But because of Sarah's children and their children, as well as this book, she and her stories are apart of us all.

[Kar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun slice of history. It was like listening to my grandma telling stories about her girlhood in Arkansas, except Sarah Olds isn't my grandma and her memoirs take place in Nevada. This book is an easy read, and Sarah includes plenty of entertaining stories about her life on the homestead to keep readers engaged. It was fun seeing the plucky ways she dealt with hardships. She never stayed down for long. While I probably would not have chosen to read this book on my own, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who are interested in how people used to live back in the day.

[Xyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't look at memoirs, autobiographies, or biographies that much. Some are great and interesting, while others plod along or seem self-important. Twenty Miles from a Match did NOT fall into the plodding/self important category.

In Twenty Miles for a Match I felt as if I was sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea listening to a family friend reminisce about all the things that led to inside jokes that bring those in the know to hysterics with just one word or phrase. (In half of my family something like "pudding phone" works as an example.)

If you have read any of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books, then you can understand a little bit about what went on when the Olds family homesteaded near Reno, NV. It was not pleasant at first or easy, but the family worked together not only surviving hardships but also building a comfortable lifestyle and working ranch. Oh, and by comfortable I do not mean to draw a picture of the Ewings on South Fork. No way! I'm talking having 7 rooms instead of 2 and an automobile instead of a wagon to get to town - which even with a car was still a 3-day endeavor.

The Olds family story is one of inspiration, perseverance, determination, ingenuity, and faith. While Sarah tells us a lot of good things that happened, she did not forget the bad. Nor did she leave out the less than pleasant chores she had to take on when in need - her son was a trapper and when he was sick she had to check and clear the lines. So if you are not okay reading about hunting or trapping and killing animals (even for survival) this probably isn't a story for you. However, the scenes are presented in a such a way you could skip a page here and there.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and reading about life before paved roads and indoor plumbing. Makes me realize the details people forget about when they say they'd rather live during this and such era instead of now. Yep, I'd like to see them without their Internet, plumbing, electricity, radiant heat, air conditioning and making a three-day trek driving a wagon over rutted paths and mountains to buy supplies. :)

Great book. Give it a try. I bet you enjoy listening to Sarah.

[Kim.chi.wawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reluctant to read this book, but at my father's persistence, I did. I was surprised at how interesting, funny and inspiring it was! I was born and raised in Reno/Sparks and I really enjoyed reading about what life in that area was like during the early 1900s. If you've ever thought about moving out to the country and building a life from the ground up, you will enjoy this book. There are many great stories about dating/marriage, ranching/farming, raising children, and the whole book has a positive, humorous outlook.

[Fv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for all 6-8th grade in the USA. It really told some of the rougher times of homesteading, but the focus was on the success and the way the family made it. Not only homesteading, but keeping education as a big importance in the lives of the family. And how the teachers, young and eager were willing to pull more than teaching for getting along out in the west while it was still being being settled.

[Karen Boyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. Living in Nevada all of my childhood and most of my adulthood I am familiar with the places written about in this book. The fortitude shown my Sarah Olds reminds me of my own grandmother who was one of the original women that raised children during tough times and made the best of what life had to offer. You can tell that there was much love in the family and that is often the greatest riches life can offer.

[Jennifer Mcfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book with great insights about Reno/outlying areas in the early 1900's. Would make a great book for students learning Nevada history--perhaps a local elementary/middle/high school (especially one out in Spanish Springs, closer to the homestead in the book) could start a school/class newsletter like the one Sarah's children wrote as part of the school which met in their home.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very few books are good enough that I want to have them as part of my personal library. This is one! I loved this true story of a mother that was honest, hardworking, and a true hero. I loved having places close to home to read about and someone with similar interests to become a hero of mine.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this woman! She is feisty, hard-working, industrious and fun. she is not a top-notch writer by any means, but well worth the quick read, especially if you live in the Reno/Tahoe area. she has left a great heritage for her family.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the memoir of an absolutely indomitable woman who homesteads in Nevada, about two days travel by horse and wagon from Reno. Not only did she figure out how to feed, clothe, and educate six children, but she also often did the work of two adults, as her husband was an invalid.

Besides all this, Sarah Olds can write! She is not a professional but the book is well-written and it certainly keeps your interest. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in America's pioneers or in particular the history of this state or region.

[Audreygold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful gem of a book that I received as a gift from my mother. Set in the early 1900's near Reno Nevada it is a great story of a fearless strong resourceful woman and her family. Not the best writing but the stories she tells about homesteading life are incredible.

[Donald Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best autobiographical book set in Nevada that I’ve read. Honest and engaging. Nevada is not all or even mostly casinos and other exploitative entertainment. Homesteading, as the Olds family did, was not just brave. It was heroic. Fascinating book.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I like to read about how women managed in the "olden times" and am always amazed at their strength, resilience and fortitude. When the news gets to me these days, I need books like this to remind me to be strong like these women had to be.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

On man, I enjoyed this book. I'm not an objective reader since her homestead was 25 miles east of where I live now, and I've said so many times - I have no idea how any of the early ranchers survived the winters. Her family rode 18 miles on horseback to Constantia to get their mail, which was where the train stopped, and that's only three miles north of here. I've read the oral history of the couple who ranched where we live and again I was taken in this book by the draw of dances and the miles and days required to attend them. It was a time when honor was honored, neighbors were neighborly and work was work. '

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this woman! She reminded me of my own mother.

[richard m. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable.
Very much like Willa Cather's pioneer series, except this is auto-biographical.
Perhaps not the same quality writing as Willa Cather, but an excellent book nevertheless.

[Rhonda Wax · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow... I have never worked a day in my life compared to this woman!

[Bonnie]

Great read....felt like I lived it myself. Sarah Olds was a remarkable woman!