Questa is a beautiful, independent widow who was forced to bury her dead husband, alone under the blazing desert sun.
Chase Gunner is a chivalrous cowboy who's also heading west for a better life.
Romance sparks when they meet in a caravan of covered, ox-drawn wagons.
They're venturing along The Applegate Trail, which was supposed to be safer than the Oregon Trail.
Yet Questa, Chase, and dozens of families must brave wild animals... mountains... and the threat of deadly illness, starvation, and unrelenting elements.
These grueling conditions haunted real-life travelers in 1846 as they made a treacherous trek in a wagon train of covered, ox-drawn wagons, while courageously venturing into the Northwest to claim land and begin new lives.
Then, 150 years later, their saga inspired history enthusiast Linda Lochard to join 31 days of a re-enactment of a 51-day trek along The Applegate Trail.
Along the way, she experienced the grueling realities of travel by wagon train-while learning the tragic fates of men, women, and children who lost their lives 150 years beforehand on that same trail.
This inspired Linda to pen Life Along the Applegate Trail: A Story of Grit and Determination to showcase the dangerous, brave, and adventurous realities for the families who made the original trip and settled in the Pacific Northwest.
This novel based on the true story highlights the travelers' hardships, especially those of women who gave birth along the way.
Romance, humor, and kindness balance the danger and suffering, as this beautifully written story provides a peek back at history.
