Carol Crawford McManus
2 books in the catalogue, published 1999 to 2004.
Carol Crawford McManus writes about pioneer women in western Colorado. We carry two of her books, Ida: Her Labor of Love and Bess: A Woman's Life in the Early 1900s.
About Carol Crawford McManus
We know Carol Crawford McManus through her books. Goodreads lists three books under her name and says her first, Ida, was award-winning and best-selling, which matches the line in our description of Bess. A reader review there says Ida is a tribute to her own grandmother. We could not find a biography with birth details or career history, so we haven't written one.
What the books share
Both books center on women who made lives in Colorado. Ida follows one woman from Nebraska through Kansas to Colorado, with fourteen children along the way. Bess is a novel about an orphan who wants an education and then raises sheep with her husband through hard winters and droughts. The author says Bess grew from her close observation of pioneer women in western Colorado in the early twentieth century.
The subjects this author is catalogued under. Open Library record.
Next steps for readers of this author
Mapping Ida's route
Lay out Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado on a map and read the two history pages in order. They show what claiming land asked of a family, which is useful when you read about one woman's long journey.
Choosing Ida or Bess first
Ida is a biography and Bess a novel. Start with Ida for the family story, or with Bess if you prefer fiction. Either way, her author page lists both so you can compare.
Go deeper
Her books follow women who moved west, and Ida's journey runs from Nebraska through Kansas to Colorado. These pages give background on the homesteading system that shaped that route.
Homesteading in Nebraska, National Park Service
A page from Homestead National Historical Park saying 104,260 homesteads were proved up in Nebraska, covering 45 percent of the state, the highest share of any state.
Homestead Act, Kansapedia
The Kansas Historical Society explains how the 1862 law let settlers claim 160 acres and also notes the drought, scarce resources and hard winters that Kansas families faced.
Museum of the Mountain West
A Montrose, Colorado museum that preserves historic buildings and artifacts of the American West, and says it is known for its tours.
Good to know
What does Carol Crawford McManus write about?
Which of her books do you carry?
Is Ida based on her family?
Writers like this one are how the list was built
We have published Colorado and Western writers since 1996, and every submission is still read by a person. Send yours, finished or half written.