Checkered Years: A Bonanza Farm Diary 1884-88 (Borealis Books) [Paperback]

Mary D. Woodward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1989 | Series: Borealis Books

Mary Dodge Woodward, a fifty-six-year-old widow, moved from Wisconsin with her two grown sons and a daughter to a 1,500-acre bonanza wheat farm in Dakota Territory's Red River valley in 1882. For five years she recorded the yearly farm cycle of plowing and harvesting as well as the frustrations of gardening and raising chickens, the phenomenon of mirages on the plains, the awesome blizzard of 1888, her reliance on her family, and her close relationship with her daughter. She noted "blots, mistakes, joys, and sorrows" in her "olf friend." This Borealis edition brings back to print a valuable record of a frontier woman's life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A moving and very interesting human chronicle. And in the validity and quiet detail of its simple historic picture, it should have a real place among the records of our land." -- New York Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press (July 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873512375
• ISBN-13: 978-0873512374
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A true picture of life on the Plains in the 1880s, October 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Checkered Years: A Bonanza Farm Diary 1884-88 (Borealis Books) (Paperback)

A friend loaned me The Checkered Years, and after reading it, I purchased two copies, one to give away and another to lend and ultimately to keep in my library. From the day-to-day writings of Mary Dodge Woodward, the reader begins to understand the central role of weather in the life of the early Dakota settlers - the awesome cold, wind, and heat; the blizzards, drought, and flood - all matter-of-factly but beautifully described in an unpretentious diary. The diary entries give a hint of the tremendous effort it took on Mary's part and that of her family to build up a large wheat farm, and along with that, the uncertainties she faced as a widow growing old. I wish the book had more background information in its introduction and more diary entries that, even though they probably would have seemed repetitive, may have given more focus to the people mentioned in the selections.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books, September 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Checkered Years: A Bonanza Farm Diary 1884-88 (Borealis Books) (Paperback)

I first read the diary of Mary Dodge Woodward several years ago. Because I love the sound of Mary's written voice, I've reread it several times. It never fails to enchant. Reading this book is almost like time traveling back to the Bonanza Farm days. I found this story so compelling that I actually searched out the site of this old farm and visited with it's current residents. The site of the old Dodge farm is just west of Sheyenne Road, a half mile west of the Garrison Diversion substation. I stood in the remains of Mary's old cellar, and showed my children the location of the old barn that had the skull and crossbones sign painted on it. The location of the machine shop continues to hold so much old oil from Mary's time that grass does not grow on the site. This is a wonderful book for anyone that likes to read about the early days of Dakota territory.