Oregon Books

What makes this book unique is that it is the diary of Martha Gay Masterson from the 1850's until her death at age 79 in 1916. Even more unique is editor Lois Barton's diligence in adding explanatory comments that help explain gaps and deliberate oversights in the narrative. The editor also steps in to define terms no longer in our vocabulary.

Martha's father dragged the family from Missouri to Oregon in the 1850's, and her life was one of almost constant movement. She followed either her parents or her husband from place to place--frequently several times a year--while trying to adjust to each new location.

We are privy to the day to day life in a time when weather, death, disease, and turmoil were commonplace amidst a background of a wilderness being opened up by railroads. The wildness of the country, the hardships of travel, and the challenge of keeping children alive are abundantly illustrated in this book.

"...gritty, marvelous portrait of life in mid-19th century America. I like the mix of the detail of everyday life and the tense and hair-raising moments."loisb@efn.org

The intriguing story of a woman who came to Oregon in a covered wagon in 1851 and lived long enough to see hundreds of automobiles passing by her home in the last year of her life. Here we have the West as it truly was, from the primitive era of the Oregon Trail to modern times of World War I. Dr. Richard M. Brown, History Dept. University of Oregon

Ms. Bittner tells a great story about love, hate, and revenge. This book is about a woman named Marybeth who travels unwillingly to Oregon with her hated in-laws. On the way she faces friendship, danger, sickness, and true love. A truly great and realistic story! Don't miss it!!

This book combines all the elements, a wagon train to Oregon, young widow with a child traveling with her really, really mean loutish in-laws (the men), down trodden mother in law and of course the handsome hero. I really enjoyed this book and have read it several times.

In a land of raw winds and merciless sun, Marybeth MacKinder was a quiet, raven-haired young widow traveling westward with her former husband's family and the memories of a loveless marriage. Here she was losing the batle to protect herself and her infant son from the brutish brother-in-law who was trying to claim her as his own. Then Joshua Rivers stood before her offering her a tenderness she had never felt. He was a man of the frontier, a man both tough and gentle, whose very touch gave her a thrill she had never known. As the wagon train pushed across a continent, Marybeth would see new horizons opening up before her and feel a passion-bred crouage to face both danger and a new destiny. But the joy she felt in Joshua's arms would be threatened by savage jealousy--and a bullet...for the journey of her heart had just begun.

Oregon Descents is the best guide to the area for skiers and boarders. All the classic peak descents are here and a few great stashes too. The aerial photos offer excellent perspective while the route descriptions hold all the info you need to know. This book inspires confidnece - It is obvious the author has actually skied the routes!

The book is extreamly well writen and inspires confidance. I've used the book more than once to organize a backcoutry tele trip with friends and they are always impressed with the routes we take. And the pictures are wonderful.

A useful guide with great pictures. I recommend it to anyone skiing the backcountry in the norhtwest.

This book from Amato publications is truly outstanding. It mixes great maps for over 30 Oregon Rivers, with current and historical information (returns, catch rates, etc.). It lets you know what the best seasons are, shows you the best methods to use, what species to target, boat launches, knots, fly's, hatches, guide contacts, public parks, etc. There is information for both the gear angler and the fly fisherman alike.

This is a good primer on most of the MAJOR (read crowded) rivers in Oregon. It does not mention any of the hundreds of smaller great fishing rivers, any river tributaries or the Snake River (the second largest river in Oregon). This is a good general guide but most information in this guide is available from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service in much more detail - and for free.

Large scale maps. Very easy to follow. Shows all launching sites along most rivers and creeks. Even tells you what baits work best (Ha Ha)and where to use them. Also info on fly's and lures. Very interesting and helpful. Another "must have" if you fish in Oregon!

The people who undertook the journey across the great American prairie from points in Iowa and Missouri to the shining light of Oregon were a hardy and determined lot. Unfortunately, many were not hardy enough. The elements, diseases, lack of clean food and water, hostile natives and sometimes even buffalo stampedes all created hardship and death. This book is a collection of very short stories about people who made the trek.
While the stories are interesting, all are at most one page in length so there is no depth to any of the tales. This lack of depth turns what could have been a complete explanation of an event into a compressed vignette. The stories are good, but could have been much better with the expenditure of a little more ink on paper.

Although geared for a younger audience, I believe adults will enjoy reading this short, little book too. Each page of this 58 page booklet is a story in itself, describing the many perils and more blissful moments which the pioneers encountered along the Oregon Trail. A brief but entertaining and educational read for all ages.

Rugged outdoorsman Rick Steber has compiled 50 of his newspaper columns into a tidy collection for history buffs, simply entitled THE OREGON TRAIL. Just 58 pages, this little gem about westward migration contains facts gleaned from letters, journals and interviews of Oregon emigrants and their descendants.

Enchanced by excellent pen and ink sketches by Don Gray, this slim volume is crammed with historical data and real life anecdotes about dozens of brave pioneers, who took the northernmost route to the Pacifc between 1843 until after the Civil War. Such a wide time span provides a variety of Trail experiences.

This book is a must-read for elementary children studying westward migration, as well as for anyone contemplating a fictionalized tale about the Oregon Trail. This first volume in Steber's Wild West Series reads as swiftly as an Indian arrow; it includes highjinks and massacres, births and death, courtship and sacrifice. Steber presents it in an easy-to-digest format, as we delve into our past. This was a time of ego and intitiative; these tales emphasize the Human element. I would like to read others in the series, whose titles are: Pacific Coast, Indians, Cowboys, Women of the West, Children's Stories, and Loggers. This series provides handy reference for students of the West, a time in our American history which fascinates people from all over the world.

Its a wonderful book to add to a library of other Oregon Trail books. Recommended as such, because its a wonderful reference point, but its doesn't read like a story so much as more reference material.

This is a great book to read. Its hard to keep my attention, but this book had my interest. Lots of good imformation.

I always enjoy reading personal accounts of the Oregon/California Trail. Taken from actual diaries, letters, memoirs and reminisces, these are true to life experiences from the pioneers themselves. A few to mention, without being overly exhaustive would be:
Catherine Sager Pringle and her six siblings becoming orphans of the trail when in the course of twenty six days both parents died. They were then taken to and raised at the Whitman Mission in Washington.
Lucy Jane Hall Burnett's account of taking the disastrous Stephen Meek Cutoff.
The insightful David Campbell reminisces traveling to California. After burying their dead, they would have the cattle trample over the ground to deter any Indian tendencies of digging them up for clothing. Also, numerous brief battles in California for statehood are well described.
Patrick Breen's day to day experiences of being stranded for months in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with the Donner Party are harrowing.
James Longmire's memoirs of traveling over the continent are both entertaining and perceptive.
Excellent.

This is a very good book for those having an interest in The Oregon Trail and its history. It bridges the gap between the history of the trail and a current travel guide to trace its history.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the trail or the general history of the area.

This is an excellent introductory overview of the Oregon Trail, geared mainly for the modern-day traveler. Hill breaks the book down into four sections:

1) Historical overview: summary of trail highlights, listed by years (1803-1859);

2) A copy of the Fremont-Preuss maps of 1846 (a little hard to read); an excerpt from Lansford Hastings's EMMIGRANT GUIDE (1846) and Clayton's GUIDE (1847); and some excerpts from a few trail diaries;

3) The longest section, a pictorial "see it then, see it now" chapter, compiling phtos and pictures of scenes along the trail taken or drawn by early travelers and the same scene as viewed today (photos taken by Hill on his own travels);

4) a listing of museums and displays in cities and towns that the trail went through (there are a lot of them, more than I expected), and an annotated bibliography.

Anyone just getting interested in the Oregon Trail will find this book beneficial. It touches on a number of aspects regarding the trail without getting into too much detail - and pushes the reader in the right direction to find out more. Well done!

My wife and I are planning to travel some of the trail this coming summer - I think this book will help us feel a part of the past as it not only shows great pictures, but tells the stories about these places as you follow it!

Very practical and well written
The book displays a passion which seeks to inform without predjudice.

While there is information in this collection of articles that is specific to Oregon viticulture, there is also a good bit of information that is useful for any viticultural area. The sections on financial planning, site preparation, trellising, and labor were very useful. The diagrams on climate for Oregon are easy to read and done in color with a nice glossy finish. There is a good section on organic methods, but it mostly deals with certification, and not with actual organic methods. Oregon is probably one of the most promising areas for organic viticulture, and it is a little bit of a disappointment that this topic was not covered in more detail.

And although I am in the Northeast, I find this book to be a useful reference, and my copy is starting to show some wear and tear.

Very helpful for anyone thinking about growing grapes for revenue in the Oregon grape growing region.

Interesting, a great read for anyone interested in feminist psychology and/or how women are attracted to cults. I respect the author's careful discussion of her methods and her openess. Highly recommended.

A fascinating look at one of the least studied phenomenoms about religious movements and cults - why do they often draw women from privileged backgrounds. Is it guilt? Is there something about the priveliged lifestyle that makes these women crave something spiritual? Goldman shows that the answers aren't the ones that automatically come to mind, affected by early family experiences, vulnerability and a lack of solid identity - and even such subtle factors as where they live. I read this one in a single day, as I found it that compelling and helped me to understand why people I knew had joined cults.

Marion Goldman's Passionate Journeys is a great surprise! A friend gave it to me raving and I started reading it as a favor. It is a knockout! It captures an era and a phenomenon that has been a mystery to many of us and described a dynamic that could happen to many women tomorrow. It's a totally involving read and left me wondering if I was susceptible to joining a cult, even one which took a dramatic and bizarre and utterly fascinating turn as did the Rajneeshi cult. Don't miss this one.

My 8 year old daughter and I have shared reading this book and enjoyed talking about the chapters after we've read them. It's nice that not only is she reading a story about cats (which she loves), but she is also reading about pioneer life which is a nice bonus. This book keeps her interest every night as we read another chapter. It is easy, yet appropriately challenging for her as she grows in her reading ability. I will look for more of William Hook's books for children.

My 7 yr. old advanced reader found this book not only reasonable to read, but it held her excitement at wanting to know what would happen to each of the characters as the wagon train progressed on its journey and met real dangers. It was not too scary, but filled with the concerns of real life in the pioneer days. The story developed the unfolding of a girlhood friendship in such a way as to show a young reader ways to ease into a relationship. It was a delight to read with a child and educational in many ways.

I really enjoyed this story. I really liked it when her family felt sorry for her and let her have that cat. It's about a little girl on her way to Missouri with her family, Ma, Pa, Kate, Benjy, Duffy, and Doris.