The Margaret A, Frink Diary
Covered Wagon Women: 1850
Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails
By Beverly Benson Van Horn
Beverly's Ltd. - 1999
ISBN: 096718850-4 - Audio Book (also available in paperback)
Nonfiction / Memoir

Reviewed by: Jo Rogers, MyShelf.Com
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In 1850, Margaret Frink and her husband set out on a journey from their home in Indiana to the gold fields of California. Both of them were of an adventurous nature, and were intrigued by the stories of being able to scoop up gold dust by the barrel. So, they outfitted a covered wagon and bought a team of horses to pull it. They set out for Independence, Missouri, stopping to stay in hotels and farmhouses along the way.

They left in April, thinking to make the journey before the heat of August found them in the desert. They were traveling alone, save for the company of the son of one of Frink's friends. But when they arrived in Independence, they learned that the grass on the prairie that would feed their stock would not be growing until May. So, they spent a profitable month learning what they would need and what they should leave behind. In early May, they set out for California, still traveling alone, for there was no migration setting out at that time.

Margaret Frink tells a fascinating tale of danger, discomfort and deprivation as she recounts their journey to Sacramento and the businesses they built when they got there. She tells of finding people starving, sharing what little they had with one man, and how he survived with the Frink's help. She also tells of the powerful faith of Mrs. Foshe, and how it got her through to California and a comfortable living from nothing. She tells of finding the bodies of people who didn't make it, and the dead animals who perished from lack of food or water. It is a grand tale of a great adventure and is well worth hearing.