Get a free QuickTime Player here.

Bess Streeter Aldrich was born in 1881 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The last of eight children, she grew up in a household where stories of the great trek westward often dominated dinner table discussions. Bess started writing as a young child. In her early teens, she submitted short stories to various newspapers, often winning prize money for her efforts.

After college, Bess taught school, but resigned in 1906 to marry Charles Sweetzer Aldrich, a veteran of the Spanish American War. They purchased the American Exchange Bank of Elmwood, Nebraska, and moved to this small town where Bess launched her writing career.

In 1925, Charles suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage, leaving Bess and four children. Initially, Bess was unable to write, but she had no alternative. Her writing, once a hobby, became the primary means of support for her and her children. Despite the demands of her growing family, she launched her most prolific period, producing 160 short stories and seven novels of exceedingly popular fiction. Her work commemorates small town values and morality through vividly detailed portrayals of pioneer life. The imprint of her midwestern background and life in Nebraska is evident.

In many ways Aldrich was an historian. She wanted the young people who read her books to gain a sense of their history. She placed a great deal of emphasis on research, and her work is filled with historical fact. Her books have been used in social studies and history classes because of their accurate content.

The women in Aldrich's work are noteworthy. They portray the strength of pioneer women and the role they played in settling the west. Although she respected men, the primary characters in her books are strong women. She wrote from the woman's point of view. For example, The Lieutenant's Lady is the story of a woman who traveled a very long distance up the Missouri River to the Yellowstone Territory. One learns about the women in the army bases along the way. A Lantern in Her Hand, Aldrich's most famous novel, is a tribute to her mother and other pioneer women. Aldrich's love for the courage and fortitude of the Nebraska pioneer is clear in her writing. A single mother in the early 1900s, Bess Streeter Aldrich left a remarkable legacy.