AMERICAN FEVER: A Biography of Ole Ruud Pioneer of the Washington Territory - Softcover

Stradling, Esther

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1418430056 ISBN 13: 9781418430054

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2004

Synopsis

As a translator of many of the letters Ole Ruud sent back to his family in Norway, I got to know this remarkable man quite well. Unlike so many letters of 100 or more years ago, letters having little information about anything outside of the writer's immediate surroundings and the physical and spiritual health of the family, Mr. Ruud's letters paint a much broader picture. You learn that his was an unusually fertile, forward-looking mind, teeming with ideas and plans for the future. At times, it feels as if his life was an embodiment of the development of the state itself. Still, in spite of his abundance of vitality, he never loses sight of reality. Everything he gets involved in is carefully evaluated before he makes a commitment. His feet are always planted on solid ground.It has been a joy to read, as well as to translate the letters of this fascinating man.Bjarne Breilid, Translator AMERICAN FEVER is a welcome addition to the history of Eastern Washington. Esther Ruud Stradling has drawn heavily from family correspondence to produce this readable and engrossing biography of her pioneer ancestors. The use of extensive quotes from family letters conveys a deep and personal sense of the hard work and dreams that many European immigrants brought with them when they settled the American West. As an archivist, I am pleased to see the effective use made of this collection of family papers. AMERICAN FEVER is a valuable contribution to the history of the Waterville, Washington area, and the history of Norwegian immigration to the United States.Charles V. Mutschler, Archivist and Historian

About this title

About the Author:

Esther Ruud Stradling was raised in Waterville, Washington, on the same farm homesteaded in 1883 by her grandfather, Ole Ruud. Much of her childhood was spent beside her father, Oliver, walking over the surrounding hills on their land in the dry Big Bend country located in the central part of the state. Like a sponge, she absorbed the many interesting stories he told of pioneer times, the economic hardships, the personal tragedies, the changing politics, as well as the local gossip. A retired oncology R.N., Ms. Stradling currently resides in Cheney, Washington, and continues to pursue her writing interests to preserve family and local history.

About this edition

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1418430056
• ISBN 13: 9781418430054
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208