A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains

A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains is a travel book, by Isabella Bird, describing her 1873 trip to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The book is a compilation of letters, that Isabella Bird wrote to her sister, Henrietta.

A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains
AuthorIsabella Bird
Original titleA Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains
CountryUnited States of America
LanguageEnglish
GenreTravel novel
PublisherJohn Murray
Publication date
1879
Media typePrint
An illustration in her book: Lava beds, Longs Peak, Rocky Mountains, Colorado

The book was printed, in October, 1879,[1][2] by the publisher John Murray [3]

Plot

In 1872, Isabella left Britain, going first to Australia, then to Hawaii, which she refers to as the Sandwich Islands. In 1873 she traveled to Colorado, then the Colorado Territory.[4]

After living a time in Hawaii, she takes a boat, to San Francisco. She passed the area of Lake Tahoe, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, to ultimate Estes Park, Colorado, also elsewhere in and near the Rocky Mountains of the Colorado Territory.

An illustration in her book: My home in the Rocky Mountains, namely, Estes Park

Early in Colorado, she met Rocky Mountain Jim, described as a desperado, but with whom she got along quite well. She described him as, "He is a man whom any woman might love but no sane woman would marry." She was the first white woman to stand atop Longs Peak, Colorado, pointing out that Jim "dragged me up, like a bale of goods, by sheer force of muscle." Rocky Mountain Jim treated her quite well, and it is sad to note, he was shot to death, seven months later.[5]

After many other adventures, Isabella Bird ultimately took a train, east.

Reception of her book

A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains was an "instant bestseller," sold quite well.[5]

After her trip to the Rocky Mountains

Isabella Bird is distinguished by being the first woman to become a member of the Royal Geographical Society, in 1892.[6]

References
  1. "Joel Estes". NPS.gov. December 11, 2004.
  2. Bird, Isabella. "by Isabella L. Bird". rmconservancy.org.
  3. Bird, Isabella (1879). "A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains by Bird, Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy), 1831-1904". archive.org.
  4. Bird, Isabella (September 2, 1873). "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird". ebooks.adelaide.edu.au.
  5. "Searching for the Song of the Winds". nps.gov. December 26, 2006.
  6. "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, by Isabella L. Bird". archive.org.


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