In the summer of 1916, Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood, bored by society luncheons, charity work, and the effete men who courted them, left their families in Auburn, New York, to teach school in the wilds of northwestern Colorado. They lived with a family of homesteaders in the Elkhead Mountains and rode to school on horseback, often in blinding blizzards. Their students walked or skied, in tattered clothes and shoes tied together with string. The young cattle rancher who had lured them west, Ferry Carpenter, had promised them the adventure of a lifetime. He hadn’t let on that they would be considered dazzling prospective brides for the locals.
Written by Dorothy’s granddaughter, Nothing Daunted reconstructs the events that led Dorothy and Rosamond to travel West and explores what they experienced in Colorado. Educated at Smith but not trained as teachers, this was a step outside of their comfortable lives into an entirely different world. In their late 20s and still unmarried, they were casting around for a direction in life. Their time in Colorado would leave a lasting impact on both the women and the community they served.
Nothing Daunted is a glimpse at real life adventures which I think would be of particular interest to teachers and Coloradans.
