Afoot and alone from Washington, D. C., to San Francisco

By Minnie Hill Wood

Subjects: railroads, walking, mining, 1915, Description and travel

Description: In 1915, Minnie Hill, apparently just to prove "A woman ... can safely walk every step of the way across the United States," set out from Washington, D.C., for San Francisco. She carried suitcases and USGS maps. She had done some rough planning, but altered her route as she went, for various reasons, including whim. She made it in 7 weeks less than she had guessed. The book is compiled from letters Hill sent (the recipient is not identified) along the way. She also collected signed postmarks from every place she stayed that had an open Post Office, and several of these are reproduced in the book. The journal/letter entries are said to be edited only for the protection of people "criticized." Hill stopped for 5 days in Pittsburgh to investigate coal mining and accepted an invitation to inspect gold mines in Colorado. Whether she was a journalist or what remains to be investigated. She returned for a few days in the middle of the trip, apparently to Boston, to deal with a personal emergency. There's also some interesting information about the railroads in the early 20th century, since Hill walked several stretches on railbeds.