Book Discussion Series – Covered Wagon Women

The Niobrara County Library will be hosting a book discussion series featuring “The Oregon Trail” beginning in February. Barb Baker, local educator, returns to facilitate discussion.

On April 28, 1846, Francis Parkman left Saint Louis on his first expedition west. “The Oregon Trail” documents his adventures in the wilderness, sheds light on America’s westward expansion, and celebrates the American spirit. This book is a classic among American frontier literature. This book will be discussed on Monday, February 1 at 6 p.m. at the library.

The women who traveled west in covered wagons during the 1840s speak through letters and dairies in “Covered Wagon Women: Dairies & Letters from the Western Trails, 1840-1949” which will be discussed on Monday, March 1 at 6 p.m. Hear the voices of Tamsen Donner, Patty Sessions and others!

Monday, April 5 Wyoming author Tom Rea’s book, “Devil’s Gate: Owning the Land, Owning the Story” will be discussed. Tom Rea traces the history of the Sweetwater River valley in central Wyoming and other sites along the Oregon Trail to show how legal ownership of a place can translate into owning its story. The discussion will be at 6 p.m.

Rounding out the series will be “The Oregon Trail: a New American Journey” by Rinker Buck. This book is based on Buck’s epic account of traveling the 2,000 mile length of the Oregon Trail the old fashioned way, in a covered wagon with a team of mules and will be discussed on Monday, May 3, 2020.

Stop by the library to pick up copies of the first book or call, 307-334.3490 to register. Library programs are free and open to the public.