Book Description

The brave women who risked it all, endured untold hardships and struggled to the very end of their lives, are the unsung heroines of the settling of the west. This book records the stories of five such women. Letters, diaries, photographs, souvenir programs, carefully preserved over the years, provides research as the author reaches into a family heirloom trunk to bring you the sequel to Forever Friends. Dr. Amelia Martin gives birth to her son while living in the shelter of a minor's shack. Homesteaders lay claim to the land and the water. Women become overnight widows as violence erupts over mining claims. A town rises up as if by magic among the prickly pear cactus, sage brush and wild animals. Businessmen, miners, teachers, cowboy, ministers, soiled doves and families all share a common bond: survival of the fittest.Five years pass quickly. Amelia, wanting the best education for her son, returns to Virginia. Soon those years of separation stretch to twenty-five years. A reunion enlightens the families of how that time was spent. Contrasts between lifestyles are illuminated. Joseph meets cousins, works as a field hand, learns to milk a cow, and discovers the daily routine of hard work for homesteaders and ranchers. Will Joseph want to return to his Virginia life or will he decide to return to his birthplace?