As a young widow with a small child, Elinore Pruitt left Denver in 1909 and set out for Wyoming, where she hoped to buy a ranch. Determined to prove that a lone woman could survive the hardships of homesteading, she initially worked as a housekeeper and hired hand for a neighbor - a kind but taciturn Scottish bachelor whom she eventually married. Spring and summers were hard, she concedes, and were taken up with branding, farming, doctoring cattle, and other chores. But with the arrival of fall, Pruitt found time to take ...
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As a young widow with a small child, Elinore Pruitt left Denver in 1909 and set out for Wyoming, where she hoped to buy a ranch. Determined to prove that a lone woman could survive the hardships of homesteading, she initially worked as a housekeeper and hired hand for a neighbor - a kind but taciturn Scottish bachelor whom she eventually married. Spring and summers were hard, she concedes, and were taken up with branding, farming, doctoring cattle, and other chores. But with the arrival of fall, Pruitt found time to take her young daughter on camping trips and serve her neighbors as midwife, doctor, teacher, Santa Claus, and friend. She provides a candid portrait of these and other experiences in twenty-six letters written to a friend back in Denver.
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The letters were the basis for the movie Heartland, one of the best dramas on film. It is unfortunate that the film is so ignored. It is a wonderful story of life in the US west around 1910.
Barbara J W
Jun 1, 2012
An interesting look into the life of a tough woman!
Loretta C
Aug 26, 2010
Wonderful woman!
I really enjoyed this book, what an awesome optimist this woman is! She is an honest writer, telling her story in a most positive way, and making the best of everything that happened in her life. She is delightful to read.
