The Memoirs of Alice Blackwood Baldwin, 1867-1877

An Army Wife on the Frontier
The Memoirs of Alice Blackwood Baldwin, 1867-1877
ROBERT C. AND ELEANOR R. CARRIKER, EDITORS
Utah, the Mormons, and the West Series
Hardback. / 118 pages. / 0-941214-32-X / $8.50

Much is known about the exploits of military officers on the frontier, but about their wives, much less is known than about any other group of women in the West. Fortunately, the Alice Blackwood Baldwin memoirs and personal correspondence (the later cited by the editors in their anotation), contribute toward rectifying this lapse in the literature. Baldwin's remembrances are vibrant, and she is as articulate as her life was interesting.

Her memoirs were written in 1917 and published in 1929, while her correspondence found its way to the Huntington Library in southern California. Brought together through the careful editing of Robert and Eleanor Carriker, these documents offer readers an incisive view of the West. The reader experiences episodes in Baldwin's life as if right alongside her. Her anecdotes sparkle; her telling of them is intelligent and spirited. She is a devoted wife, dedicated to the Old Army, and a reluctant supporter of her husband's military campaigns.

Robert C. Carriker (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is an Associate Professor of History at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He is the author of Fort Supply, Indian Territory, and The Kalispel People. Eleanor Carriker is a graduate of Saint Louis University, an experienced researcher, and an avid history buff. The current project materialized at her suggestion and by her unwavering commitment to it.