Ramblings from the Trail

Ramblings from the Trail: Wet Feet, Soiled Dress, and Defining Historical Truth brings to life the audacious spirit of those who explored the Midwest and how they were connected not only with nature but with each other in surprising, complex ways. At the heart of the work is Elizabeth Fries Ellet, for whom the Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail along the Minnesota River is named. Ellet was considered a significant writer and well-known for The Women of the Revolutionary War. But it is her writing about the natural world and her discoveries during her sojourn throughout the Minnesota River valley that set her within the ranks of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and others. At the vanguard of what is now referred to as "the walking text," Ellet embraced the American landscape and its exploration. This book invites us to step out and see what she experienced.