November 9th, 2011 
Why would two society girls from the East in 1916 decide to go to the remote edge of the western frontier to teach? Adventure of course! Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden is based on the letters and research that she did on her ancestor Dorothy Woodruff and her dear friend Rosamond Underwood. The book focuses on the life-changing year they spent as schoolteachers in a remote mountain top schoolhouse in northwestern Colorado.
Photo Credit: blogspot.com
They were destined to marry someone from their social class, but at the ages of 29 they were still single and already considered old maids. They were ladies of the leisure, graduates of Smith College who shocked their families by accepting jobs at the same remote mountain top schoolhouse in northwestern Colorado. Despite rugged conditions they took everything with grace and spirit. These two plucky women were the best of friends and the year they spent teaching together impacted the rest of their lives.
I found it interesting to read excerpts from their letters capturing vivid descriptions and diction from almost a hundred years ago. Rosamond described the school at first sight: “The schoolhouse stands high on a mountain or hill between the two districts… It is the Parthenon of Elkhead!”
Need some adventure from your cozy armchair? Follow Dorothy and Rosamond as they travel from Auburn, New York to the mountains of Colorado. You will enjoy the trip.
