The Personal History of Rachel DuPree discussion

The ending: Should Rachel have taken the kids and gone back to Chicago?

I realize she had a seriously hard time. She lost children. She had to deal with drought. She was lonely, homesick and had financial difficulty. Was that a reason to leave her home and send her poor husband a "Dear John" letter while he was sacrificing himself working in the mines to try to earn money to save his ranch and his family? On the one hand, I feel that having heard stories from my grandparents, people of this time period more than likely would not have left their spouse. But some did. I think, she overcame a lot, she should have stayed. On the other hand, I think, was it all just too much.
What do you think?