When Fact Meets Fiction

When I was wandering the aisles of the library a few months ago, I came across an interesting novel: The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick. The premise of the story is that a mother and daughter walk from Seattle to New York City in the 1890s. Their motivation is multi-fold: to prove the endurance of women, to model the new modern "short" skirts, and to earn $10,000 to keep their farm from foreclosing.
After the walk, the story follows the daughter, Clare, as she sets out on her life using the lessons learned from walking across the country. Sounds like an amazing story, huh? How in the world did the author come up with such a unique plot? She didn't come up with all of it on her own. The walk actually happened! The main part the author fictionalized is Clare's story. We really don't know much of what happened to her after the walk. But the part about two women walking across the country in seven months: fact!! When I was wandering a different aisle in the library several weeks after finishing the above novel, I found this book completely on accident:

Bold Spirit was written by Linda Lawrence Hunt who searched across the country for bits and pieces of this incredible history. This little book was a fascinating read, especially after reading the novel. Besides covering the walk of Helga and Clare Estby, Bold Spirit gives details into American life and thought at the turn of the century. I wouldn't agree with all the feminist assumptions Hunt infers but, even in today's world, walking 3500 miles in seven months is an amazing accomplishment. I don't want to give away the drama so I won't say more. But I hope you read at least one of these books and marvel at the history you didn't even know had been made.