Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell

Welcome to a new season of The Ribbon Book Club! We're starting off on this journey with the fifth book in the Dear America series, Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell. This book features our first returning author, Kristiana Gregory who also wrote The Winter of Red Snow. Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie was published in March of 1997 and the story takes place during the year 1847.

Hattie and her family: Ma, Pa, and two younger brothers, Ben and Jake are setting off on the Oregon Trail in search of better farmland and to get away from the growing population of their hometown in Missoura. Hattie is sad to say goobye to her best friend. But she soon makes new friends: Pepper and her twin brother, Wade, on the trail. We are also introduced to Tall Joe, the wagon train leader, Mrs. Bigg, a fellow traveller who is large of body and of heart, and Mrs. Kenker, an older traveller with a secret. Throughout the journey Hattie must face her fears and her prejudices as she learns what it means to live in community.

Listen to Part 1 of our discussion below:

Part 2 coming November 23!