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Title details for Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart - Available

Letters of a Woman Homesteader

by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Kate Fleming
Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
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1 of 2 copies available
After losing her husband, Elinore Pruitt washed clothes in Denver to support herself and her daughter. In 1909 she took a job working for a rancher near Burnt Fork, Wyoming. Subsequently she filed her own claim and married the rancher. The letters she wrote to her former employer over several years are packed with delightful stories and fascinating observations about her new life.

In this audiobook, Kate Fleming, a gifted, award-winning, narrator, gives a marvelous performance, taking us back to Burnt Fork and a very rich slice of America's past.

Elinore Pruitt Stewart was born at Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1876. She spent most of her childhood in Oklahoma (Indian Territory). Her schooling came to an end when her teacher was lynched by a group of local men. At the age of fourteen both her parents died. She now had the task of raising her eight younger brothers and sisters. The three youngest were taken to live with their grandmother whereas Elinore and the five older children went to work for the local railroad company.

Elinore eventually married a man much older than her. He was killed in an accident and despite having a young child, she trained to become a nurse. Elinore worked at a hospital in Burnt Fork but in her spare time wrote articles for the Kansas City Star. Later she moved with her daughter, Jerrine, to Denver, where she found work as a cook.

In 1909 Elinore went to work for Clyde Stewart, at his isolated ranch in Denver. Six weeks later she married the 41 year old widower. Over the next few years the couple had four children. The first one died but the three boys survived childhood.

Elinore wrote regular letters to Mrs. Coney, a former employer. Coney was impressed with the standard of Elinore's writing and arranged for them to be published in the Atlantic Monthly. They also appeared in two books, Letters of a Woman Homesteader (1914), and Letters on an Elk Hunt (1915).
Elinore Pruitt Stewart died in 1933.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 1, 2003

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781467610841
      • File size: 124348 KB
      • Duration: 04:19:03

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 9-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Publisher InAudio seems to go from strength to strength in the Our America series. Elinore Stewart, a homesteader, left us a wonderful legacy when she recorded her experiences, reactions, and, best of all, her emotions as she encountered a life that would daunt most people. She wrote wonderfully descriptive letters to a former employer/friend in which she regales her with stories about the usual pioneer tasks, including looking after young children, along with preparing for a wedding, meeting some pleasant-- and very unpleasant--characters, and simply existing in harsh conditions. Narrator Kate Fleming perfectly projects Stewart's humor, warmth, and wisdom. Commendably, Fleming quotes each character in the exact manner in which he or she would have addressed Stewart. This title offers pure pleasure. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 1, 1990
      George provides biographical insight into the author of the 1914 pioneer classic Letters of a Woman Homesteader , giving a detailed presentation of Stewart's previously uncollected letters. Photos.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      These 26 letters were written by Stewart to a former employer between 1909 and 1913. Her articulate letters are a vivid recollection of life in southwestern Wyoming, with its grand, magnificent scenery and colorful inhabitants. Burns's reading expresses the warmth and humanity of these letters to the listener. Her style of reading has a staccato quality that conveys Stewart's wonder and excitement. The many immigrants' accents (Scottish, German, Irish) are done well and enhance these lively accounts. When finished, the listener will have heard the remarkable reminiscences of a woman who struggled, suffered, overcame and delighted in the varied experiences of everyday life. M.T.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:9-12

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