Martha Summerhayes was a respectable Victorian lady when she left civilized society behind, in 1874, to follow her cavalry-officer husband West, to the Wyoming Territory and then to unknown and inaccessible Arizona. Written "at the urgent and ceaseless request" of her children and first published in 1908, this compulsively readable account of her life on the frontier is a unique document of the American exploration and settling of the West, offering a little-heard woman's perspective on an historical era that continues to echo in contemporary American society. From the deprivations of her kitchen-where she has no choice but to make do with army pots and pans designed for cooking for dozens-to terrifying encounters with wildlife, attacks by Indians, and the challenge of giving birth alone, Summerhayes' indomitable spirit and sense of adventure shines through.

A lady, the desert, the army and the Apaches
This is the account of the life of a young army wife who followed her husband-a second lieutenant of infantry-after the turbulent years of the American Civil War, in which he had served, to what was considered the wildest and most remote of frontier outposts in the American south west. Life within the Army in Arizona came as something of a cultural shock to this gentle lady of New England who knew nothing of housekeeping-indeed she did not even know how to pack. This absorbing book takes us together with its author on a rights of passage experience as she lived, travelled, camped and came to have affection for the untamed land. Her husband was constantly engaged in campaigns against the Apache and Martha Summerhayes experience of them in peace and war also adds flavour to this unforgettable life of a woman in frontier days. Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket for collectors.

"Vanished Arizona: Recollections of My Army Life" is the story of Martha Summerhayes, a Nantucket woman who married a cavalry officer and moved with him to various Army forts in the late 19th century. It is a very personal story of Army life in Indian country, raising children under trying conditions, a travelog and adventure all wrapped up into one. The tales of getting back and forth between Nantucket and Arizona are worth the reading alone. "Vanished Arizona: Recollections of My Army Life" is a collection of Martha's memories of life in various Army forts, and particularly in Arizona-which at that time was still considered a "dreaded and unknown land." Along the way, the reader meets a variety of characters such as a nearly-naked Indian cook and a "dentist" who accidentally extracts the wrong tooth. There is also the incident where Martha feels more in danger from her husband than the hostile Indians nearby. First printed in 1908, "Vanished Arizona: Recollections of My Army Life" was extremely well-received, becoming one of the essential primary records of the frontier-military West. Martha Summerhayes' narrative skill and her delight in life make her book a joy to read. Summerhayes offers not only a woman's perspective, but the views and memories of an army wife. The only comparable books are the trilogy of cavalry life by Libbie Custer, which were filtered by Libbie's desire to glorify her husband, General George Custer. Summerhayes' description of the Arizona landscape and conditions of Army life are memorable, adding much to the history of the Southwest. Justifiably considered a classic, "Vanished Arizona: Recollections of My Army Life" features guileless storytelling, unvarnished truth, and an honest appraisal of the rather brutal trials of an army wife in that era. Great reading for anyone interested in frontier America and the brave people who settled the land.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

A lady, the desert, the army and the Apaches
This is the account of the life of a young army wife who followed her husband-a second lieutenant of infantry-after the turbulent years of the American Civil War, in which he had served, to what was considered the wildest and most remote of frontier outposts in the American south west. Life within the Army in Arizona came as something of a cultural shock to this gentle lady of New England who knew nothing of housekeeping-indeed she did not even know how to pack. This absorbing book takes us together with its author on a rights of passage experience as she lived, travelled, camped and came to have affection for the untamed land. Her husband was constantly engaged in campaigns against the Apache and Martha Summerhayes experience of them in peace and war also adds flavour to this unforgettable life of a woman in frontier days. Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket for collectors.

The seventh day after the birth of the baby, a delegation of several squaws, wives of chiefs, came to pay me a formal visit. They brought me some finely woven baskets, and a beautiful papoose-basket or cradle, such as they carry their own babies in.... I]t was their best work. I admired it, and tried to express to them my thanks...-from "Chapter 13: A New Recruit"Martha Summerhayes was a respectable Victorian lady when she left civilized society behind, in 1874, to follow her cavalry-officer husband West, to the Wyoming Territory and then to unknown and inaccessible Arizona. Written "at the urgent and ceaseless request" of her children and first published in 1908, this compulsively readable account of her life on the frontier is a unique document of the American exploration and settling of the West, offering a little-heard woman's perspective on an historical era that continues to echo in contemporary American society. From the deprivations of her kitchen-where she has no choice but to make do with army pots and pans designed for cooking for dozens-to terrifying encounters with wildlife, attacks by Indians, and the challenge of giving birth alone, Summerhayes' indomitable spirit and sense of adventure shines through.American writer MARTHA SUMMERHAYES (1846-1911) was born in Massachusetts and spent two years studying in Germany before her life on the American frontier.

When Martha Summerhayes (1844–1926) came as a bride to Fort Russell in Wyoming Territory in 1874, she “saw not much in those first few days besides bright buttons, blue uniforms, and shining swords,� but soon enough the hard facts of army life began to intrude. Remonstrating with her husband, Jack Wyder Summerhayes, that she had only three rooms and a kitchen instead of “a whole house,� she was informed that “women are not reckoned in at all in the War Department.�   Although Martha Summerhayes’s recollections span a quarter of a century and recount life at a dozen army posts, the heart of this book concerns her experiences during the 1870s in Arizona, where the harsh climate, rattlesnakes, cactus thorns, white desperadoes, and other inconveniences all made for a less-than-desirable posting for the Summerhayeses.  First printed in 1908, Vanished Arizona is Summerhayes’s memoir of her years as a military wife as her husband’s Eighth Regiment conducted Gen. George Crook’s expedition against the Apaches. It was so well received that she became an instant celebrity and the book a timeless classic. The book retains its place securely among the essential primary records of the frontier-military West because of the narrative skill of the author and her delight in life.