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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.870922
EAN num: 9781400079933
ISBN number: 1400079934
Label: Anchor
Manufacturer: Anchor
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 336
Printing Date: January 11, 2005
Publishing house: Anchor
Release Date: January 11, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 41199
Studio: Anchor
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In 1896, a Norwegian immigrant and mother of eight children named Helga Estby was behind on taxes and the mortgage when she learned that a mysterious sponsor would pay $10,000 to a woman who walked across America.
Hoping to win the wager and save her family’s farm, Helga and her teenaged daughter Clara, armed with little more than a compass, red-pepper spray, a revolver, and Clara’s curling iron, set out on foot from Eastern Washington. Their route would pass through 14 states, but they were not allowed to carry more than five dollars each. As they visited Indian reservations, Western boomtowns, remote ranches and local civic leaders, they confronted snowstorms, hunger, thieves and mountain lions with equal aplomb.
Their treacherous and inspirational journey to New York challenged contemporary notions of femininity and captured the public imagination. But their trip had such devastating consequences that the Estby women's achievement was blanketed in silence until, nearly a century later, Linda Lawrence Hunt encountered their extraordinary story.
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Rated by buyers 
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Bittersweet: that's the very first word that comes to my mind after reading Helga Estby's story.
I disagree with other reviewers who think Linda Lawrence Hunt's writing is lackluster or that this is just half a story. Given the tiny amount of information she had to start with, I think she did a fabulous job weaving historical events into Helga's story. I stayed up late reading this--it was impossible to put down!
Helga Estby was an incredible woman by any measure. The fact that she had the COURAGE to go against her family's and the Norwegian community's concerns in an era of Victorian propriety (1896) in order to try to save her family farm/home from forclosure by walking across the country to try to win a wager, is heroic. And she DID it, with her eldest daughter, Clara. They walked from Spokane, WA to New York City. She did it in the hopes of saving her family financially, and also with the fervent wish that the family would not be separated because of financial concerns.
She had quite an adventure, being on foot with her daughter: they were only allowed $5 each, they didn't bring a change of clothes, they only had a satchel each carrying a pistol, pepper spray gun, and notebook and pen to record their journey. They weren't allowed to beg, but had to work for their room and board. They weren't allowed to take the train, but were allowed to ride "free" on someone's wagon, if offered. They were supposed to visit the capitals of the states they visited, and get signatures from mayors and governors. And in between, they were followed by wild animals, wild men, and wild weather.
They were also supposed to model the new women's fashion garment as stipulation for their journey on foot: a shorter skirt, as opposed to the floor-length Victorian dresses of the day. A woman showing her ankles in those days was running the risk of ridicule and shame from society. In short, they were supposed to show that women were NOT so fragile, physically or mentally, as society would believe!
One of the highlights of their trip was being right in the middle of a presidential election, which had echos of this year's election: one younger candidate exhorting change, and the other older candidate touting his experience. Helga and Clara were fortunate to enjoy the company of the wife of the younger (he was on the campaign trail in the east), and an hour meeting with the elder candidate.
The bitter part is that things did not turn out as she had hoped. What was more heartbreaking is that she lost two children to diptheria while she was away, and her family could not forgive her for her absence in such dire times, most notably her elder children. Because of their deep and bitter resentment, her story was silenced for many decades. That was their way of keeping family "peace." Helga originally gave birth 10 times; she had left seven children behind with her husband, who was unable to work for a time because of an injury. One child had died shortly before she headed east.
The sweet part of the story was that Helga kept her dignity throughout her trip and afterwards. She still managed to enjoy the things she liked, including becoming more active in civic affairs, after she returned from her walk across America. During her journey, she had become aware of women's issues: their rights, the ability to vote or not, and their ability to voice their concerns more freely in other parts of the nation. She also had ample opportunity to observe how far people's kindness--or cruelty, could extend.
Hunt gives a fascinating look into the factors that contribute to silencing a family story at the conclusion of the book. In that chapter she wrote: "Every country needs individuals who refuse to be silenced when breaking out of unhealthy cultural norms, despite the criticism." What a fitting tribute to the memory of Helga Estby!
Anyone who appreciates, history, culture, politics, feminism, and adventure would enjoy Helga Estby's story. Her early pioneer days raising small children in a sod house with her husband on the Minnesota prairie demanded a kind of adventuresome spirit on her part to survive. This book is engaging, clearly written, short, and has lots of pictures to stir your imagination.
Rated by buyers -
A fantastic story; we need more of these type books that remind us of what type of cloth these ancestors of our were made of. Too bad that the prejudices of the time destroyed the actual recording of this voyage, and kudos to those who recreated it from the remaining evidence.
Rated by buyers 
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I borrowed this book from the library and have since bought two copies of it for gifting. It's a great book for any feminista, budding or evolved. I especially like that I could see any of my friends liking it -- men and women. History buffs, pyschotherapists, bakers -- they're all friends of mine, and two will be getting this book. Hunt does a very nice job of filling in where documentation falls short, and I wish that was a bit more clear. (True to her academic roots, however, Hunt does use footnotes.) The thing I like best about this book is that it is easily understood as an historical account, but considers the socio-economic factors as well as social values that shaped decisions made by Helga Estby. Really fascinating.
Rated by buyers -
For anyone who loves to read and is interested in Women's history, this book is for you! Trust me; you will not be able to put the book down.
I found it in a little used bookshop and was afraid additional copies to share might be scarce. I'm pleased to find it is still available for purchase here on Amazon.
Rated by buyers 
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the more humble among us."
Aptly sums up thirty-six year old Norwegian immigrant Helen Estby's 1886 walk with her eighteen year old daughter, Clara, 3500 miles across America. The trek was attempted for financial reasons, its completion with certain stipulations and within a seven-month time span would result in a $10,000 windfall for the cash strapped family. Unfortunately, due to negative feelings about the journey, during which Mrs. Estby left the care of her eight younger children in the hands of her husband, most of the information about it was not only not saved, but was intentionally destroyed by her descendants. Surmounting obstacles like difficult terrain, inclement weather, bad guys and a lack of money (the contract did not allow them to solicit donations) and the judgmental feelings of the many at the time who felt their behavior was in appropriate, the Estbys showed their detractors that they had the right stuff. The problem with the story, frankly, is a lack of firsthand information, which would have made its telling more personal and compelling: an okay story about a fantastic feat. Good companion reads: Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fish Backus, Grand Ambition by Lisa Michaels, In a Far Country by John Taliaferro and Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 by Stephen E. Ambrose.
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