The Westward Journey - be quick, though

BBC Radio Four Extra, the digital sister station to Radio Four, yesterday broadcast a 90 minute drama that will be of interest to readers of the Archive. The Westward Journey by Ellen Dryden was first broadcast in 2009 and recounts the experiences of a group of families crossing America in the late 1840s, focusing particularly on the women. For the most part they followed their husbands' bidding, even if it meant exposing themselves to various forms of privation. They endured their plight with a mixture of stoicism and cheerfulness.

The play is all about the search for a promised land out West and the hardship endured by the pioneers who made their home in the untamed wilderness. By largely being told from the point of view of the female members  it shows the men as being driven by the idea of  great adventure and ill equipped for the hardships faced on the trail.

 "When we get to Oregon those pigs will be running around ready cooked with knives and forks hanging out of their backs."

The play will be available to listen to online for the next seven days and you can find it HERE - do check it out - settle down, dim the lights and allow the voices to carry you back to a time of tremendous courage and exploration.