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Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

Instead of talking about the rights of women, these frontier women grabbed the opportunity to become landowners by homesteading in the still wild west of the early 1900s. Here they tell their stories in their own words-through letters and articles of the time-of adventure, independence, foolhardiness, failure, and freedom.
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Editorial Reviews

Review

Staking Her Claim is doubly rewarding for its wealth of data about women who stepped outside the picture-frame of myth on the Western homestead frontier, and for the pure pleasure of hearing the stories of these women in their own words. ----Mary Clearman Blew, author of Jackalope Dreams: A Novel

Reading these accounts by women homesteaders is like discovering a dusty trunk in the attic of a beloved grandmother, where you sift through stacks of letters bound by faded ribbons, open brittle pages of a diary, or leaf through yellowing magazines. Time will suspend as you are transported to another era, and you may not want to return. --Susanne George Bloomfield, author of The Adventures of The Woman Homesteader

This book is an invaluable gift. Marcia Meredith Hensley achieves here what no other writer or historian has done in gathering and explaining the important writings of dozens of single women homesteaders in the interior northern West. Hensley stakes her own claim as a new authority in this rewarding collection. --Richard W. Etulain, author of Beyond the Missouri: The Story of the American West

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DLK6QN6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ High Plains Press (September 23, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 23, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10307 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

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Marcia Meredith Hensley
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
51 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book an engaging read with a well-written narrative and informative content. They appreciate the well-researched and interesting research on women's homesteading history. Readers also enjoy the true stories of strong women featured in the book. Overall, customers find the book informative and interesting, with great historical context.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and recommend it for everyone. They say the stories are worth reading and a must-read for young women and older generations.

"...Great read!" Read more

"...Their stories are worth reading." Read more

"This was a book that kept me reading... these women were amazingly strong, if not physically, both mentally and spiritually to endure the hardships..." Read more

"...A must read for our young women and for our older generations that know what it takes to be a successful female...." Read more

4 customers mention "Narrative quality"3 positive1 negative

Customers find the narrative informative and well-written.

"This book is excellently written, and sheds light on an important part of the road to egalitarianism...." Read more

"Very informative as well as being well written." Read more

"...some research on some of the women in this book, there are inaccuracies in the narratives. I would rather have just read their letters." Read more

"Great writing!..." Read more

4 customers mention "Research quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched, informative, and interesting. They also mention that the letters are interesting.

"...The book is very well researched and photos are fascinating!," Read more

"Very well researched...." Read more

"The letters in this book are very interesting. However, the author provides too much narrative. Her narratives are tedious...." Read more

"Very informative as well as being well written." Read more

4 customers mention "Strength"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's strong women characters. They appreciate the true stories of women who homesteaded in the early 20th century.

"...I was just fascinated with the individual stories of women who homesteaded at the beginning of the 20th century. They had a lot of grit...." Read more

"This was a book that kept me reading... these women were amazingly strong, if not physically, both mentally and spiritually to endure the hardships..." Read more

"...These women were strong willed, strong spirited and many were physically strong. No evidence of these women being the "weaker sex"...." Read more

"I love true stories of strong women--and here they are...." Read more

3 customers mention "Interest in history"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history and endnotes. They find the history interesting, but wish the book was longer.

"The author had an interesting history perspective, telli g the story of female homesteaders in Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Montana, I did..." Read more

"...Even the endnotes were historically interesting reading. I wish the book was twice the size...." Read more

"Great history book and came just as described. Will donate to the library after i am finished with it. My dad got it first." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2023
    I love history, and after visiting MT last summer, this made me realize what the women went through. Great read!
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2017
    This book is excellently written, and sheds light on an important part of the road to egalitarianism. The ability of women to legally own property, unencumbered by male relatives set the stage for the Women's Suffrage Movement. This book brings the individual stories of those women to life.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2015
    The author had an interesting history perspective, telli g the story of female homesteaders in Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Montana, I did not know how late the Homesteading opportunity lasted. The women worked hard, and were quite brave to set up a little cabin on the prairie and set about to improve the land. My Great Grandmother Green set up a homestead in Nebraska and built a sod house there. She also was a schoolteacher, and that paid for some of the improvements to the land. The book is very well researched and photos are fascinating!,
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2013
    I had to force myself to put this book down to do daily chores. I was just fascinated with the individual stories of women who homesteaded at the beginning of the 20th century. They had a lot of grit. The story of the woman who had TB but homesteaded despite her declining health so she could leave her children a legacy was inspiring. Even the endnotes were historically interesting reading. I wish the book was twice the size. I am so grateful that Ms. Hensley took the time to write this book.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2017
    does not get the stories to much of nothing
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2019
    This is an excellent look at women who homesteaded in western USA. Most homesteading stories are about men and families at the most, but there really were women who homesteaded alone and made it work. Their stories are worth reading.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2014
    Most people don't realize that many women homesteaded the West. This was an opportunity for independence. Ms Hensley's book shares the stories of some of these women. What a hard life they had, but perhaps better than the one they left.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2010
    This was a book that kept me reading... these women were amazingly strong, if not physically, both mentally and spiritually to endure the hardships of pioneer times in the West and hold fast the dream of owning their own land. Told in their own words in letters to their relatives back east, it gave glimpse into what made these women tick. You began to admire their ability to devise ingenious ways to get tasks accomplished, or that they pooled resources with other single women to lighten the load and try to assuage the loneliness they all experienced so fully. Accounts of homesteaders many times do not give accolade to the single women who chose to make the endeavor, who sought the adventure, and who accomplished what others never believed they could as independent landowners. I would recommend as a good read to anyone.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Elinor Florence
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, little-known history
    Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2020
    This is an interesting compilation of letters, newspaper articles and personal interviews with women who homesteaded alone in the United States -- some of them made it, others didn't. I wish their entire life stories were on record, because these tidbits were so tantalizing. They were an adventuresome bunch whose courage hasn't been given enough recognition. Kudos to the author for doing the hard work of digging up some of these wonderful stories.

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