The Legacy of Ida Lillbroanda

The West didn¿t close in 1893 contrary to that which American historian Frederick Jackson Turner proclaimed. There were opportunities for adventurous Nordic women who became part of America¿s westward expansion. The Legacy of Ida Lillbroända: Finnish Emigrant to America 1893 provides an insightful analysis of the immigrant experience. The compelling story follows a young Finnish peasant girl¿s trek across North America after her bleak arrival in Quebec in 1893 where she is quarantined because of diphtheria aboard the steamship. In Telluride, Colorado she marries an ore miner and runs their boarding house. Returning to Finland for a visit, she reaffirms her decision: ¿Till Amerika vi gå.¿ Her husband does not have appropriate papers, so she enacts her stealth plan to get him aboard the steamship departing Finland. Determined in her goals of individuality and education for her children, Ida fulfills her ¿American Dream¿ in Washington¿s fertile Skagit Valley. Within this immigrant story, another quest unfolds ¿ the historical and genealogical detective work of the author striving to bridge the gap of generations.… (more)