Mary Ellicott Arnold (1876–1968)

Mary Ellicott Arnold and Mabel Reed, young ladies from New Jersey, set out in 1908 to be Field Matrons in the United States Indian Service in the Klamath River area of California. They covered their territory of the backs of mules, they who had never ridden a horse before, rode mules up and down precipitous muddy trails, over swinging board bridges, through the raging river. All in their efforts to better the lives of their Indian neighbors. This is their journal, or memoir of that time.

What I love about this book, is the ladies attitude toward the natives of the area. At this time, many of the natives did not speak English; some did. Many had never been to school, some had. Most of the natives had had enough experience of the white man to regard him with extreme caution and distance if possible. Mary and Mabel did not go into the territory with starry eyes and ideals. They met the natives and accepted them as they found them. Not as savages, not as children, but as people and neighbors. The women have a dry sense of humor, and it sparkles out between the lines as they tell of the people around them.

For those of us who have grown up near this area of California, this is an eye-opening read about the early days here. After the initial gold rush, but before industry. A charming book to capture a moment in time, and a people, in California.… (altro)