A walk across America

In 1896, when Clara Estby was seventeen, her mother decided to resort to drastic measures to save the family home from foreclosure. She set out to walk with Clara across America, from their home in Mica Creek, Washington to New York City, a distance of 4,600 miles. If they could make the journey in seven months, a publisher promised to pay them10,000 dollars. The Year We Were Famous, by Carole Estby Dagg, tells the true story of that walk through Clara’s eyes, the author’s great aunt. Clara and her mother faced countless hardships, almost from the first day they set out from Mica Creek. They battled fierce storms, intense hunger, dangerous robbers, and more than a few pairs of worn out boots. Eventually, shy Clara and her assertive mother, Helga, learn to depend on each other.

Did the two ever make it to New York in time, and were they paid the money to save their home? What happened to these women after that? Find out in this fast-moving, true adventure story!