Book one of Tracie Peterson’s Heart of the Frontier series, Treasured Grace, takes us westward in the 1840s. We follow the difficult journey of Grace Martindale and her two younger sisters as they seek a fresh start in Oregon.
The reality of frontier life was harsh. I’m reminded that people faced illness and obstacles and even death as they settled a country I now take for granted. Cholera outbreaks plagued the settlements of both missionaries and natives. Animosity and fear, loneliness and isolation were daily realities. There was nothing easy or glamorous about it.
Thankfully, the story has some light through the healing gifts of Grace and her friendship with fur trapper Alex Armistead. But the Whitman mission and the natives face growing tensions that cannot be dismissed. There is, again, a reality to the harshness of mid-1800s life in what we now call Oregon.
Treasured Grace is not an easy read and it’s not a feel-good read. But it is a worthy read. Because we all need to be reminded that the America we enjoy today came with great sacrifice and a steep price. And maybe, just maybe, that will make our days a little more grateful and our hearts a bit more merciful with the people around us.