Lyra and Silas Garber: A First Couple in Frontier History and in Willa Cather's A Lost Lady

Dunbier, Lonnie Pierson

ISBN 10: 1889921165 / ISBN 13: 9781889921167

Published by Western Edge Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A., 2002

About this Item

208 Pages Indexed. Very minor front cover edge wear. Interior text pages with several black and white photographs are flawless. Lyra and Silas Garber were well-known persons in their part of the Midwest, which was Lincoln, the capital city of - Nebraska, where he served as governor, and their hometown of Red Cloud, along the Republican River in Webster County. Like so many post-Civil War settlers who led the way into wilderness areas, the Garbers were people who received special attention for their constructive roles in pioneering history. But not only have the Garbers remained in the collective memory of their region. They have had their names catapulted far beyond Red Cloud, Nebraska. This ongoing posthumous fame is a result of their association with American writer Willa Cather, whose novel, A Lost Lady, was about the Garbers. Even though the book was labeled fiction, it closely followed the realities of their lives, and anyone familiar with Cather knew that Captain and Mrs. Forrester of Sweetwater were patterned almost exactly from Lyra and Silas Garber of Red Cloud. Their story, removed from fiction, is an intriguing exploration of American history. It is a story that includes their relationship with a young girl, who would become one of America's leading novelists, as well as pioneering settlement in the East, Far West, and Midwest, the Civil War, the California Gold Rush, the building of western railroads, the founding of frontier communities and governments, and the financial crises that undermined the security of many lives.

Seller Inventory # 15024

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lyra and Silas Garber: A First Couple in Frontier History and in Willa Cather's A Lost Lady
• Publisher: Western Edge Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1889921165
• ISBN 13: 9781889921167
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Edition: Frst Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

In the late 19th century, Lyra and Silas Garber were well known in Nebraska. Silas Garber was the founder of Red Cloud, Nebraska, and the state's fourth governor. When Lyra came to Nebraska in 1875 as Silas' much younger bride, she was known for her beauty, fashionable dress, and social grace. The Garbers are not only significant in the history of Nebraska, but also gained national fame due to their association with American writer Willa Cather, whose controversial novel, _A Lost Lady_, was patterned after the Garbers' lives. The Garbers' personal story is told against the backdrop of American history from the Civil War through the California Gold Rush, frontier settlement, the building of the railroads, and a wildly fluctuating economy. Sure to interest readers of both history and literature, this biography sheds new light on the question of fiction versus fact in the painful and fascinating saga of a high-profile couple in early Nebraska.