No Life for a Lady by Agnes Morley Cleaveland

My understanding of westward expansion was far different when I was in fourth grade and playing Oregon Trail than it is now, and my feelings about being a person of European descent living on stolen land are, frankly, a tangled mess. There is a lengthy essay in me, which I will probably never write, about growing up in the western United States and slowly becoming aware of all its conflicts, complexities, and sordid history. I guess I'll figure that out as I write this review. Agnes, one of those unique people, earned her place in the New Mexico Museum as a historian who knew and understand a way of life was changing and would be lost if not captured. It is a beautiful landscape, which the author does not fully capture in her writing since her goal is mainly to document the details of living, which attracts a unique individual. Arriving back in New Mexico immediately after reading it and again surveying the country I am impressed by those who came and successfully settled, understanding why many did not succeed.

Reading the details one comes to understand that the wild west was anything but the Hollywood glamorization of it. It was interesting to see perception of women change from her mother's time when women needed men to take care of things to women earning respect of the men because they could ride and herd with the best of them. Through her life experiences and that of her family members she documents travel by horse and wagon, living on the frontier with Indians, more times than not friendly Indians though close by evidence existed of not so friendly times, being sent east to be educated, what a balanced diet consisted of, the availability (or not) of medical care, the arrival of the trains, cowboys wearing 6 shooters up through the 1930s, cattle and sheep ranching, the arrival of 'farmers,' and so much more. Her claim to fame is clearly documenting frontier life in New Mexico before it was lost. Agnes lived from 1875 to 1958, born and raised in the New Mexican frontier.

This is where I met Agnes Morley Cleaveland. Second, women are prominently displayed and recognized for their contributions to New Mexican history. First, it was able to take hundreds of years of history and put it together in a way that was not overwhelming with billions of factoids. This museum impressed me for two reasons. On a recent trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico we visited the New Mexico Museum of History.

No Life for a Lady by Agnes Morley Cleaveland