Jane: A Woman's Determination and the Wild West Frontier

by Michael R. King

Contents:
Jane --
Leaving England --
Death at sea --
The mighty Mississippi --
One thousand, one hundred miles on foot --
Day after day they walked --
The Great Salt Lake Valley --
Jane and Charles --
A Paiute warrior is born --
Hole in the Rock --
"Fire in the hole" --
Bluff --
Chief William Posey --
Monticello, "Me want biscuit!" --
The first winter and a lunar excape --
Tom Roach --
Four pathways converge --
In pursuit of Roach --
The aftermath.

Genres: Biography

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[LAB · Rating 3 out of 5]

On July 24, 1891 the community of Monticello, UT held its annual celebration of the Mormon arrival in the Salt Lake valley. During dances that night Tom Roach, an alcoholic cowboy with a long history of brawling, started yet another fight. When it ended William McCord and Jane Walton were dead. Witnesses were adamant that Roach killed McCord, but Jane Walton’s killer was never arrested. Was it Tom Roach or someone else?

Michael King, a descendant of Jane Walton, has taken his turn at solving the mystery in Jane, A Woman’s Determination and the Wild-West Frontier (IQ Design, 2010). King bills his book as a true story and draws heavily from materials collected by the Walton family. Source citations are provided but footnoting is infrequent.

King begins his story in Jane’s hometown in Scotland and follows her immigration to America, in company with family members who converted to the LDS Church. If you have read about the westward migrations of Mormons or others, you’ll easily recognize the hardships, beauty, hard work, and friendships that marked the passage of pioneers. Once in Utah Territory, Jane married and later joined the San Juan Mission, whose arduous trek across southern Utah to Bluff has been oft told.

King’s story diverges from the established tales of pioneering in southern Utah when the Waltons and five other families move to the newly established community of North Montezuma, now called Monticello. His book ends with Jane’s murder and a few after thoughts about who did it.

The book is clearly and plainly written, and provides several nice examples of what can be learned of our ancestors when we take time to examine archival holdings. I would have enjoyed the book more, however, if King had focused on Jane’s time at Monticello. That is a story not so stereotyped by other authors and, hence, King’s family materials could have made a strong contribution to local history.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane McKechnie Walton was an amazing woman and her story is gripping. Unfortunately, the writer of her story needed a better editor in order for this book to be a truly wonderful read. I love that her mother is my great-great grandmother from the second marriage in Utah, so there's a connection to her.

[Jim Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of my g-g-grandmother, Jane McKetchnie, a Mormon convert from Edinburgh, Scotland, who crossed the ocean and plains in the 1850s to Utah, only to be murdered by a drunken cowboy.

[Maureen Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I like reading about really people. Something I did not know before I read the book is that Jane's stepfather is my husband's 3rd great grandfather.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the details of this story but did not feel like it flowed well.