Western Expansion and "The Parting of the Ways" - Friendship Quilts A Gift of Remembrance

By Kimberly Grist


With the passing of The Homestead Act of 1862, the Federal Government offered 270 million acres of land in thirty states for homesteading and the birth of what would be known as the Western Movement and one of the largest migrations of people in our nation’s history.

Covered wagon and settlers crossing the West c.1850 (Apic/Getty Images)

Preparation for the Trip

Much preparation was necessary to make a trip West. Pioneers often spent months gathering supplies, wagons, animals, weapons, equipment, tools, household supplies, and food, purchasing coffee, beans, sugar, and flour.


Illustration from: Story of the Great American West. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc, 1977

Pioneer women prepared salted meats, dried fruit, sweet corn, packed dishes, clothing, and utensils, and spent considerable time sewing to prepare for the trip. Travel guides suggested that each family should bring two to three blankets or quilts for each family member. As a result, as Western Expansion continued, friends and family members often created friendship quilts as tributes for those who left to go West.


A wagon loaded with supplies for the trek west is on display at the Trail Center. https://oregontrailcenter.org/supplies

The first 1000 Miles

Since the first 1000 miles heading to California and Oregon followed the same trail, women had a thousand miles to create friendship quilts for friends they made before reaching a point near the Continental Divide at South Pass called “The Parting of the Ways.”


These parting gifts often had visual patterns reminiscent of the journey, such as Wagon Wheel, Wandering Foot, Snail’s Trail, Wild Rose, Indian Trail, Evening Star, Road to California, and Friendship.


A Wagon Wheel Design - Artist Unknown


An example of the Evening Star Pattern https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_642532

The Pin Wheel design reflected the power of the constant prairie wind that blew against the cloth-covered wagons.


https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_642508

In my upcoming novel, Christmas Quilt Brides Book 15, Clementine grew up in an orphanage and was taught by a skilled seamstress to use her creativity to repurpose what was available. Clemmie created a crazy quilt design, a patchwork quilt made from assorted pieces of fabric in irregular sizes, shapes, and colors. Her angel design was inspired by a stained glass window.



https://www.pinterest.com/pin/521713938076845379/

Coming Soon

Available for Pre-Order

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CKNWWG92

Clementine has nothing to her name but a quilt and some second-hand clothing. She's aged out of the orphanage and can't afford to be choosey. But she is determined to make the best of things. "If it's true that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, surely any minor flaws like my sassiness will fade away with the aroma of fresh bread."

Disappointed in love, Caleb Ellis is content to live a reclusive lifestyle on the outskirts of his family's ranch. But his father had other ideas and left a condition that he must marry to obtain his inheritance. Time is not on his side, so he has arranged to marry a woman he's never met by proxy. "Anyone growing up in an orphanage, desperate enough to apply as a mail-order bride, is bound to be practical, biddable, and self-sufficient. I'll leave her to her own resources, and she should leave me to mine."

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Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th -century will enjoy stories combining, History, Humor, and Romance, emphasizing Faith, Friends, and Good, Clean Fun.
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