"on the solstice, June 21, 1912, a wagon deposits her, her trunk, her shaggy brown dog, a tent, 90 nascent chicks, and an incubator on a barren half-section of land, 320 acres, in Crook County. As the wagon rumbles away, she is left four miles from the nearest town and its general store. No horse, no cow, although she will acquire those later."
"Alice Day Pratt is not just a hero, a homesteader, a single woman of uncommon strength and perseverance, she is also a great writer. Oregon State University Press has published a new edition of her memoir of homesteading in Eastern Oregon as A Homesteader's Portfolio, with an introduction by novelist Molly Gloss."
"There is zero whining in these accounts, no self-pity, though there is plenty of reason to complain. Her neighbors are ready to help - when it's convenient for them. The snow is threatening to fall, ice is forming, and the tent is 'more that a little cool' before she finally gets a delivery of lumber to convert her tent into a tent house."
In 1912, 38-year-old Alice Day Pratt began homesteading on 320 acres in Crook County, Oregon, arriving alone with only her dog, tent, chicks, and incubator. Deposited four miles from the nearest town, she established herself through teaching during winters and farming during other seasons. Pratt demonstrated uncommon strength and resourcefulness, hauling supplies, managing livestock, and building shelter despite harsh conditions and limited neighbor assistance. Her memoir, recently republished as A Homesteader's Portfolio by Oregon State University Press, reveals a woman of her era forging an independent path. Her writing is characterized by honesty and absence of complaint, despite legitimate hardships including delayed lumber deliveries and challenging weather conditions.
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