The Journal of Sedona Schnebly

by Lisa Schnebly Heidinger

Sedona Arabella Miller Schnebly followed her husband west when their small Missouri town condemned his Presbyterian religion. Arriving in Arizona Territory in 1901, they planted orchards and hosted early tourists in what is now named Sedona. This vivid journal of her life introduces you to a pioneer family—from their gentle upbringings through adventures with rattlesnakes, trappers, and colorful travels. With 30 photographs from family collections, this volume of Sedona Schnebly's life draws you into a fiercely private woman's life that is by turns amusing, and heartbreaking—and always fascinating.

Genres: History

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2017

Reviews

[Kim Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book in Sedona, AZ. Loved this story the woman the town is named for. She has the spirit of a true pioneer and a great love for her family.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just visited Sedona this book had special meaning for me. I enjoyed this book from the first page. The life of this woman felt so real and clear to me. I felt her feelings, beliefs, and emotions were so relatable to my own. The way she saw things socially and politically felt ahead of her time but fueled her desires to grow and expand herself and her family. Her courage always outweighed her fears and insecurities. Rarely do I read a book with so much depth. I am grateful I picked up and purchased this fascinating book while at the museum in Sedona.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written story of one woman's journey and homesteading to the unsettled Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona region of Arizona. Sedona was named for her.

[Elise Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A PERFECT BLEND OF BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORICAL FICTION! FIVE GLORIOUS STARS!

This fascinating story is a perfect blend of biography and historical fiction that grabbed me on page one and never let go! I read and review dozens of books each year, but I rarely find one that captures my interest and emotions so completely. I laughed and cried as this captivating journal swept me into the life and times of Sedona Miller Schnebly, the author's remarkable great-grandmother.

Here's a bit of her compelling story. (WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!) After Sedona is disowned by her Methodist parents for marrying a Presbyterian (Carl Schnebly), the young couple and their two small children leave Missouri to start a new life on eighty acres in Arizona's Oak Creek Canyon, a majestic but sparsely-settled place in 1901. Carl--a gregarious man of many talents--builds a house large enough for them and paying guests. A true entrepreneur, he builds the first road (Schnebly Hill Road) between Oak Creek and Flagstaff, and starts a grocery business hauling produce from his orchards and gardens to Flagstaff and bringing canned goods (and tourists) back to Oak Creek. As the area's first postmaster, he decides to name the town "Sedona," after his wife.

Sedona's journal of their first four years in Oak Creek Canyon is an engrossing account of the joys, trials and tribulations of a pioneer family in the wilds of Arizona Territory. Her descriptive prose--laced with similes and metaphors--pulled me right into that world as she recalls their first Christmas, describes colorful local folks and temporary boarders, and ruminates (with wry humor) on life's big mysteries and the everyday problems of a pioneer woman. She takes great delight in her home, husband and children, giving birth to a third baby (Genevieve) in 1903.

But Sedona's happy world collapses on June 5, 1905, when her sweet five-year-old daughter (Pearl) is dragged to death by her pet pony. Wracked with grief and guilt, Sedona can scarcely function. "I didn't get up. I didn't eat. I drank when Carl held the cup to my lips. But mostly I tried to . . . to just not be. I knew it would be a sin to die. People needed me. But living seemed out of the question." (I could barely read this section through the tears in my eyes.) Finally, when the doctor tells Carl, "You must move her, or lose her," Carl decides to move the family back to the narrow-minded small town of Gorin, Missouri.

Carl's selfless act of love and devotion touched me deeply. How many men would be willing to leave a beloved home, good friends, and a flourishing business, and return to a town full of people who've condemned him for his religious beliefs? Not many! But Carl does this out of love for Sedona, knowing she can't remain in a place where she can see their little girl's grave from their kitchen window. "I must be the most selfish person alive," Sedona writes when he tells her they're leaving. "I don't know how Carl stands me . . . I am costing my husband his dream."

They spend the years from 1905-1910 in Gorin, where they have another baby (Hank), and Carl works in a menswear store belonging to his shifty brother-in-law (Loring), who's married to Sedona's sister Lillie. Sedona gradually recovers her health and spends time filling her journal with recollections of growing up in Gorin, her first crush (with Loring), and her sweet romance with Carl after Loring jilts her for Lillie. She marries Carl despite her parents' objections (he's Presbyterian, after all!), and she delights in married life. Remembering their first night together, she writes, "I feel like a mermaid, or some sylvan forest nymph, purely female . . . I feel like rolling around in bed and just giggling. I guess I'll get up and act like a wife for awhile. But tonight, he comes home and we get to be us all over again."

Sedona reconciles with her parents and seems fairly content with her life in Gorin until 1910, when the nefarious Loring embezzles all of the funds from the menswear store (including Carl's investments) and disappears, abandoning his wife Lillie. Knowing there's nothing left for them in Gorin, Carl asks Sedona if she'd be willing to return to Arizona, saying, "I'd love to get back on that land. It felt more like home than anywhere I've ever been." But she refuses, so they decide to homestead on "spare and joyless land" in Boyero, Colorado.

Carl builds a lovely home for her (again) and struggles to eke out a living as a farmer on land "so wide, so flat, so spare [that] the eye gets tired, having to go all the way to the horizon when looking in any direction, without any feature of either canyon or town upon which to stop and rest." Life is hard and crops fail due to grasshoppers ("a plague of Biblical proportions") and hailstorms. They have two more children, and their first grandchild arrives in 1928. But when anthrax destroys their herd of cattle and Carl nearly dies in December of 1930, Sedona finally agrees to return to Arizona, twenty-five years after they left in 1905.

The last section of the journal covers their final years in Sedona, from 1931 to 1950. Carl quickly recovers his health and his joy, renewing old friendships, making new ones, and managing a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. Sedona is happy as well, entertaining friends, enjoying her grandchildren, keeping up with world affairs (World War II), writing in her journal, and realizing (finally!) that Sedona is where she belongs. "I am in Sedona the place . . . and I guess it could be posited after all this time, Sedona the place is in me."

This is the longest review I've ever written, and still I've left out so much of this amazing story. Far more than a book, this is an experience to be enjoyed and savored. Above all, it's quite possibly the sweetest love story I've ever read. As Sedona writes in the final paragraph, ". . . whenever Carl does come [to Heaven], and I get to be the one to meet him at the end of his long journey, be in his arms again, and hear the familiar, 'Well, Dona, it's good to be home . . . ' that for me, will well and truly be Heaven."

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this book easily earns five glorious stars and my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling mix of biography and historical fiction, this story about Sedona Schnebly’s life is a must-read for anyone who loves Northern Arizona or local history.

Lisa Schnebly Heidinger has a real gift for portraying Sedona’s voice through various stages of life; her journal entries at sixteen felt just as believable to me as those in her 60s. As a young mother myself, my favorite section of the book was when she describes her daily life living rough in Oak Creek between 1901-1905—even the tragedy, which made my heart cry out in sympathy. So much of good writing makes the reader ask, “What would I do if I were in this situation?” and I found myself wondering that very thing, over and over again. This is as much an exploration of womanhood and real, human emotions as it is a retelling of the history of a place and family.

Living in Northern Arizona definitely brought a depth to my reading that someone else might not share. I was tickled by all the casual references to place names that have a special place in my heart. I feel a real kinship with Sedona now; I’ll be thinking about her the next time I bring my children down to play in the creek. <3

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began The Journey of Sedona Schnebly, I thought it may be a narrowly appreciated book — I have a penchant for biographies and autobiographies of women who helped settle the harsh Arizona territory that I call home.
Even if one has no familiarity with the extraordinary Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona area, the window opened by the author on a lost world — not only in the unsettled west, but the post Civil War genteel society, is captivating.
This is not merely a journal, although the journal pages published of the young Sedona reveal rich writing skills far beyond contemporary youth, but a slice in time in America, in Missouri, in Arizona, in a uniquely adventurous family, in a wife who prayed as a young girl for God to allow her to be free of ease and perfection, of a mother who loved and lost, who left safety and society to raise her children in the rugged wilderness of the west, of simple easy, unpreachy faith… all beautifully painted with words that immerse and enthrall the reader.

[Gretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books is exceptionally well researched and competently written. I licked this book up on my honeymoon in Sedona and was enchanted to learn that the city was named after a woman with a love story of her own. I wish the author had written more about the earlier period of the character’s life and put the last half in an epilogue. At the very end it felt a bit like there was so much good research that the author couldn’t bear to leave anything out. That being said Sedona certainly had a full life, and her story needed to be told.

[Rebekah Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is well written enough and probably the most accurate retelling of Sedona's life, as it's written by her great granddaughter. The lack of bibliography really annoyed me. I guess we're just supposed to guess at what is real or based off close family members retelling? Footnotes would have helped this book be more believable as something that is allegedly based on primary sources. However, the authors goal was to tell a story, and she does. It's just not believable as a historically accurate account due to citing exactly zero sources

[Gayle Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. My grandmother moved to Sedona and bought a small home in Grasshopper Flat in 1964, just 14 years after Sedona Schnebly passed away. It was a stunning revelation to me, after reading this book, because I started going there in 1965 and now own my grandmother’s home. I have always loved the area, and because of the beautiful story I now have a much more deeply seated appreciation of it each morning I wake up in that unique and beautiful country. It’s said that you don’t choose Sedona, it chooses you. If that’s true, I think it chose Carl Schnebly - and maybe my grandmother, too. Many thanks to the author for the years of research into her great grandmother’s life, and for sharing her vision of it in this book. It was a fascinating journey.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I loved this book and gave it a five-star rating, I have to admit that I was disappointed to learn that it was fictionalized. I had visions of someone discovering Sedona's journals somewhere and that excited me. Still, I think Heidinger did a fantastic job. It's a book that shines with love for her great-grandparents.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a true story, but a work of historical fiction about the life of Sedona Schnebly. It is a charming, engaging, and loving work written by her great-granddaughter. Recommended to all interested in the history of Sedona, Arizona.

[Susan Kaup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely fictionalized biography of Sedona, AZ's namesake, written by her great-granddaughter. Extensively researched, reads like it should be made into a move. Highly recommended.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so fortunate to hear the author speak about this book. Loved her enthusiasm for history and especially for the story of gggrandmother Sedona. Such a wonderful book

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this family history. Well written.

[Tammy Tyson Ruocco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought the book after attending an author's talk. Such a great book.

[Patrice M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have loved it if not so long ...Diary/ Journal format fiction based on history

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, moving story about an inspiring woman. My brother recommended it, and, as an Arizona native, I was interested in the history of the woman Sedona was named for. The book turned out to be so much more.

Learning about Sedona Schnebly and her husband, T.C., moving to Arizona when it was still a territory in 1901 was wonderful. Their desire to build something new with their two small children in tow took courage and vision. Their brave pioneering made an important impact on Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, improving and enriching that part of Arizona Territory, making them an integral part of the rich tapestry that is Arizona’s history.

The things that touched me most deeply and resonate, though, were Sedona and T.C. themselves. They dealt with setbacks and endured heartbreaking loss, but loved each other deeply and were true partners, not hesitating to sacrifice for each other’s well-being. They were extraordinary people in good times and bad. I’m so happy their great granddaughter has told their story. I recommend it to anybody, whether or not they have an interest in Arizona.

[Cynthia Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the story of this pioneer woman is interesting, the voice (supposed to be her journals) sounds too modern. It wasn't until the end of the book when I read the afterword that I realized how much sense that made as this is not her actual journal.

[Randi Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just lovely.