Isabella Bird Bishop, Part 2

[00:00:04] Welcome to Women Worth Knowing, the radio program and podcast hosted by Cheryl Brodersen and Robin Jones Gunn

[00:00:11] Hello beautiful listeners, we are so glad you're back with us today because it's Part 2, Isabella Bird Bishop, amazing woman

[00:00:19] Cheryl has dug deep in the research and her stories are remarkable, just remarkable

[00:00:25] It is, please listen to Part 1, but you'll find out that Isabella was only 4 foot 11 inches

[00:00:31] She was a sickly child, she was born in England, but she's already been on one adventure and felt so great on that adventure

[00:00:39] Not physically feeling great, but she lost sight of herself and became so engrossed with the people she was meeting and the sight she was seeing

[00:00:49] And she would communicate these in letters back to her family who was in a place called Winton at the time

[00:00:56] And she would communicate all these things that were going on

[00:00:59] And by the time she got back, her sister had collected all those letters, shown them to a man named John

[00:01:07] Somebody

[00:01:08] John somebody, I know this really well

[00:01:11] Well what we know is that the letters were made into a book

[00:01:15] So here's Isabella in her mid-twenties and she's a published author

[00:01:19] John Murray

[00:01:20] John Murray it is

[00:01:22] Yes, John Murray

[00:01:23] And it met with success, this book was An English Woman in America

[00:01:27] That's right

[00:01:27] Which she had described everything on her travels and it was just the beginning

[00:01:33] Right, so she came back from England, we talked about her father dying, which was really hard for her because she had so, so loved her father

[00:01:41] So her mother had moved the family up to Scotland because they owned a little terrace house in Scotland

[00:01:50] And Isabella took this time to go up to the Highlands, to the Hebrides and to explore

[00:01:56] And while she was there, she discovered these crofters

[00:02:00] Now I don't know how many of you know what a crofter was

[00:02:03] I did not until I started reading these Scottish mysteries and I learned all about what a crofter was

[00:02:09] So a crofter is a farmer who farms rented land

[00:02:14] Aha

[00:02:15] So he doesn't own the land, he is renting the land and he farms it

[00:02:20] So when she's going up there, she realizes that the landowners are gouging these poor men who are trying to farm the land, trying to support their families

[00:02:30] And they're not making it

[00:02:32] So she takes up the cause and she begins to write articles on these crofters and what their plight was

[00:02:39] And she sends them to John Murray

[00:02:41] John Murray begins to publish these

[00:02:43] And all of a sudden the plight of these crofters becomes known

[00:02:48] She also, she had a knack for organization

[00:02:50] So she begins to organize with those she met in America and Canada

[00:02:55] To allow these crofters to move to the U.S. and to Canada to buy their own farms

[00:03:03] Really?

[00:03:04] And to become farmers

[00:03:05] Wow

[00:03:05] She's just amazing

[00:03:07] And this is all in Scotland

[00:03:08] All in Scotland

[00:03:09] For centuries, the plight of Scotland

[00:03:11] Right

[00:03:12] Trying to eke out a living and

[00:03:14] Right

[00:03:14] Just being so difficult

[00:03:16] So in 1866, Isabella and Henrietta's mother died

[00:03:21] Now, Henrietta is called Henny in all the letters

[00:03:24] So if I call her Henny, you understand

[00:03:26] But Henny spent her time continually convalescing in Scotland and sketching and painting watercolors and studying Greek

[00:03:36] She came in third in her Greek class that she took

[00:03:39] But she loved Greek

[00:03:40] But Isabella took another voyage to America

[00:03:43] And on this voyage, again, she went to the same places that she had been before, but she didn't write about it

[00:03:49] Now, she probably did write letters to Henny, but maybe because they were so akin to the other ones

[00:03:58] And there was not enough to make a book out of

[00:04:00] In 1872, at the age of 41

[00:04:05] She left for Australia

[00:04:07] Because doctors said, oh, if you go to Australia, it will improve your health

[00:04:11] So she got to Australia

[00:04:13] She hated Australia

[00:04:14] What kind of doctor would think that a journey like that is?

[00:04:18] I know, I know, I know

[00:04:18] Such a long cruise

[00:04:19] Well, she did well when she was on the water

[00:04:21] As long as she was sailing

[00:04:23] Up in the Highlands in Scotland

[00:04:25] Yeah, that was her healthy place

[00:04:28] Right

[00:04:28] But

[00:04:29] It's interesting

[00:04:30] And she did well on voyages

[00:04:32] And maybe they thought, you need a really long, long, long voyage

[00:04:36] And that's what she had

[00:04:37] A very long, long voyage

[00:04:40] So she wrote descriptive and very unflattering letters about the sites and the people in Australia

[00:04:45] And in Australia, she said her symptoms worsened

[00:04:50] From neuralgia, excruciating nervousness, exhaustion, inflamed eyes, sore throat, swollen glands

[00:04:57] And she wrote this

[00:04:58] I am such a miserable being

[00:05:00] My back is better, but my head remains so bad

[00:05:03] And I always feel so tired that I never wish to speak

[00:05:08] I wish I cared more for people and did not feel used up by them

[00:05:13] For people, one can always have

[00:05:15] I like toil with occasional spurts of recreation

[00:05:19] This is such an aimless life

[00:05:22] Oh, my

[00:05:23] So she also described Australia as prosaic or lacking poetry

[00:05:29] And a hideous country with hideous leafage

[00:05:32] Like she didn't enjoy any of the plants, the botany of Australia at all

[00:05:39] So she sailed from Australia to New Zealand

[00:05:42] Now you would think she would like New Zealand

[00:05:44] No, it was summer for them, which would be our winter

[00:05:48] Quite warm

[00:05:49] And she was so hot

[00:05:51] And she did not like it

[00:05:52] So she boarded a boat in Auckland called the Nevada that was bound for California

[00:05:57] And she described the voyage

[00:05:59] Now listen to this voyage

[00:06:02] Because what I'm going to tell you about this voyage

[00:06:04] And her reaction to it is astounding to me

[00:06:07] The cabins were alive with rats

[00:06:10] The food squirmed with ants and weevils

[00:06:14] And was served in a dining room

[00:06:16] Usually awash with spray from leaking decks above

[00:06:21] Oh

[00:06:22] And yet Isabella said she became alive

[00:06:25] This woman

[00:06:26] On the voyage

[00:06:27] Wow

[00:06:27] It was almost like you needed these hardships and these difficulties

[00:06:31] So she wasn't aware of herself

[00:06:33] She loved the sea

[00:06:35] And she said she was able to sleep through the night and sleep peacefully

[00:06:40] This is a woman with insomnia

[00:06:41] But in these conditions, she could sleep

[00:06:44] The boat docked on its way to California

[00:06:48] On what was called the Sandwich Islands

[00:06:50] Which is actually

[00:06:51] Hawaii

[00:06:52] Hawaii

[00:06:54] And she docked there in January 1873

[00:06:57] It was love at first sight

[00:06:58] When they came into the harbor at Oahu

[00:07:01] All these natives came out on their boats

[00:07:04] And she describes in detail their size

[00:07:07] Their color

[00:07:08] Their foliage that they were wearing

[00:07:11] Their nakedness

[00:07:12] Their lack of clothing

[00:07:13] Right

[00:07:14] She did not leave out anything

[00:07:16] She describes their boats

[00:07:19] And everything about these people

[00:07:22] And she loved them

[00:07:24] She referred to Hawaii as the nearest approach to paradise

[00:07:29] Well it is

[00:07:30] Yes, there you go

[00:07:33] No argument with that

[00:07:34] Right

[00:07:35] So she would spend the next seven months there

[00:07:38] She didn't want to leave

[00:07:39] Now at first she stayed in the only hotel in Honolulu

[00:07:42] But she said it was more like a spa

[00:07:45] Like they would serve just these incredible breakfasts

[00:07:48] With strawberries and pineapple and bananas and all these fruit

[00:07:53] And she was like

[00:07:53] Do they grow these here?

[00:07:55] Are these natural?

[00:07:56] Are these imported?

[00:07:57] She wanted to live like the Hawaiians

[00:07:59] Oh

[00:08:00] And the people who lived in Hawaii

[00:08:02] Right

[00:08:02] Come on

[00:08:03] Let me pound the poi like everybody else

[00:08:04] Exactly

[00:08:05] Oh she describes poi in her book

[00:08:07] You'll get that when you

[00:08:08] Robin's actually

[00:08:09] I did

[00:08:09] I finally got a copy of the book

[00:08:11] And it's on its way coming to me

[00:08:12] I keep a list of all the books of old Hawaii

[00:08:14] Nay I want to read

[00:08:15] And this was one I couldn't find for a reasonable price

[00:08:19] But as Cheryl started doing this

[00:08:21] I found one and ordered it

[00:08:23] And I can't wait to read it

[00:08:24] Right

[00:08:24] But she describes poi

[00:08:26] And eating poi

[00:08:27] And she calls it

[00:08:27] I can't remember

[00:08:28] Something mush

[00:08:29] Like white tasteless mush

[00:08:32] I can't remember exactly if that was

[00:08:34] It's a better description than that of course

[00:08:36] Because she was really good at this

[00:08:38] So she moved from the extravagance of the hotel

[00:08:43] And she stayed with different missionaries in Oahu

[00:08:48] Love that

[00:08:49] And from that time on

[00:08:52] Wherever she went

[00:08:54] She always tried to stay with families

[00:08:56] And people who actually lived there

[00:08:58] And she preferred later on in her travels

[00:09:02] To stay with people who were not necessarily from England

[00:09:06] Or from America

[00:09:07] But people from the

[00:09:08] Who were native to that land

[00:09:11] So she went from there to Hilo

[00:09:14] And I'm going really quickly

[00:09:15] Because again she's like over a month in Oahu

[00:09:18] But then she goes to Hilo

[00:09:20] And she goes by a little boat to Hilo

[00:09:23] Not one of the big boats

[00:09:24] But by canoe

[00:09:24] She goes to Hilo

[00:09:26] And there she's introduced to these pantaloons trousers

[00:09:29] Because they offer her to go horseback riding

[00:09:31] She's like I can't

[00:09:32] It hurts too much

[00:09:33] If I ride side saddle

[00:09:34] Which was very conventional at that time

[00:09:36] They said oh you don't have to

[00:09:37] Here's these pantaloons that you can wear

[00:09:41] And you know in Hawaii we all wear them

[00:09:43] So she puts these pantaloons under her skirts

[00:09:46] And then they introduced her to a Mexican saddle

[00:09:48] Which was much more comfortable than an English saddle

[00:09:52] This allowed her to ride without excruciating pain

[00:09:57] Because at 18 she had a tumor removed from her spine

[00:10:00] That's right

[00:10:01] That's right

[00:10:01] Wow

[00:10:02] So she begins to ride all over Hawaii

[00:10:06] She meets a man who agrees to take her to camp at the volcanoes

[00:10:12] Now it's just her and him

[00:10:14] But she didn't consider herself anything to look at

[00:10:16] She's you know 4 foot 11

[00:10:17] She's plump

[00:10:18] And so she goes camping with this man

[00:10:21] And they travel all the way up to Mauna Loa

[00:10:24] And they camp on the edge of the volcano

[00:10:29] She said it's because she wanted to look inside of the crater

[00:10:32] It was 23 degrees

[00:10:35] So it was cold

[00:10:36] 23 degrees Fahrenheit

[00:10:38] And she could only write a few lines because of the height

[00:10:42] It was 13,650 feet above sea level

[00:10:46] Because of the cold and the vertigo that she was experiencing

[00:10:50] So she couldn't write that much there

[00:10:52] But when she got down she did

[00:10:53] She was the first white woman to ever visit Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa

[00:11:00] Wow

[00:11:01] Both

[00:11:01] Wow

[00:11:02] So while in Hawaii

[00:11:04] Isabella rode horses

[00:11:06] She camped

[00:11:07] She hiked

[00:11:07] She interviewed

[00:11:08] And she observed everything

[00:11:11] From the natives to the seafarers

[00:11:14] The ill effects of alcohol

[00:11:16] And how there were exploiters

[00:11:19] Who were coming

[00:11:20] The sailors

[00:11:20] And giving alcohol to the women

[00:11:23] In order to seduce them

[00:11:24] Giving alcohol to the men

[00:11:26] To take their lands

[00:11:28] She also

[00:11:29] Watched the missionaries

[00:11:30] She liked some

[00:11:31] Others she didn't care for

[00:11:33] As well as the growth and industry

[00:11:35] Of sugar cane

[00:11:36] And she wrote about

[00:11:37] How the sugar cane was produced

[00:11:39] She ate what the natives

[00:11:41] And the missionaries ate

[00:11:42] And she wrote prolifically

[00:11:44] And descriptively

[00:11:45] Of it all

[00:11:46] While she's in Hawaii

[00:11:48] There was a man named Mr. Wilson

[00:11:50] Who pursued her

[00:11:52] And pursued her

[00:11:53] In fact she found herself

[00:11:55] Trying to get away

[00:11:56] From Mr. Wilson

[00:11:58] Even going to the island of Kauai

[00:12:00] Just to get away from Mr. Wilson

[00:12:02] I mean let's remember

[00:12:03] She's in her 40s

[00:12:04] She's probably

[00:12:04] What is going on?

[00:12:06] That's right

[00:12:06] This is new and different

[00:12:07] Right

[00:12:07] She's 42

[00:12:08] And it's her first marriage proposal

[00:12:10] By Mr. Wilson

[00:12:12] Oh Isabella

[00:12:12] But with grace and kindness

[00:12:14] She was able to put him off

[00:12:16] So she loved her freedom

[00:12:18] In Hawaii

[00:12:19] And later she would write

[00:12:20] About her adventure

[00:12:21] In her book

[00:12:22] Which you just bought

[00:12:23] Six months

[00:12:24] In the Sandwich Islands

[00:12:25] Which is interesting

[00:12:26] Because she was actually

[00:12:27] There seven months

[00:12:28] But she probably felt like

[00:12:30] Only six months

[00:12:31] Worth telling about

[00:12:32] Worth telling

[00:12:33] Because she didn't want

[00:12:34] To describe the hotel

[00:12:35] And the spa like

[00:12:36] That's right

[00:12:37] She wanted to describe

[00:12:38] Anybody can do that

[00:12:40] But here's what

[00:12:40] Nobody else does

[00:12:41] Here's what life

[00:12:42] Is really like

[00:12:43] Right

[00:12:43] So she sailed

[00:12:44] From Hawaii

[00:12:45] To California

[00:12:45] Aboard

[00:12:46] One of the Pacific

[00:12:48] Mail steamers

[00:12:49] Called the Costa Rica

[00:12:50] And she got off

[00:12:52] In San Francisco

[00:12:53] She did describe

[00:12:54] San Francisco

[00:12:54] In detail

[00:12:55] But it wasn't

[00:12:56] Important to me

[00:12:57] Because she was

[00:12:58] On her way

[00:12:58] To Colorado

[00:12:59] And Colorado

[00:13:00] And Colorado

[00:13:00] At that time

[00:13:01] Like Hawaii

[00:13:02] Was not yet

[00:13:03] One of the states

[00:13:04] Right

[00:13:04] Of the United States

[00:13:06] Of America

[00:13:07] She had heard

[00:13:08] That the air

[00:13:09] Was so fresh

[00:13:10] And so pure

[00:13:10] That people were

[00:13:12] Recovering from

[00:13:13] Whatever ailment

[00:13:14] They had

[00:13:14] In the Rockies

[00:13:16] Of Colorado

[00:13:16] So that's what

[00:13:17] She wanted to see

[00:13:18] The Rockies

[00:13:18] And she's a highland girl

[00:13:19] So she wants to get

[00:13:20] Up to those altitudes

[00:13:22] That's right

[00:13:22] And she had already

[00:13:23] Clined Mauna Loa

[00:13:24] And Mauna Kea

[00:13:25] So she began

[00:13:26] Her adventure

[00:13:27] In Greeley, Colorado

[00:13:29] She traveled there

[00:13:30] From San Francisco

[00:13:31] By train

[00:13:32] Later she would

[00:13:33] Describe the

[00:13:34] Calistoga wagons

[00:13:35] And the prairie dogs

[00:13:36] That she saw

[00:13:37] In Colorado

[00:13:38] In detail

[00:13:38] She also met

[00:13:40] The acquaintance

[00:13:40] Of a famous outlaw

[00:13:42] Named Comanche Bill

[00:13:44] Yep

[00:13:45] And she traveled

[00:13:47] With him

[00:13:47] For a while

[00:13:48] And his bandits

[00:13:48] Of course she did

[00:13:49] And she baked bread

[00:13:51] From outdoor kilns

[00:13:52] Which she learned

[00:13:53] To do

[00:13:53] She cleaned houses

[00:13:55] And barns

[00:13:56] She hauled pails

[00:13:56] Of water

[00:13:57] For livestock

[00:13:57] And families

[00:13:58] While living

[00:13:59] On the ranches

[00:14:00] With the families

[00:14:01] She even helped

[00:14:02] Round up

[00:14:03] You know

[00:14:03] Cattle

[00:14:04] While she was there

[00:14:05] She

[00:14:06] I mean

[00:14:07] Here's this

[00:14:08] Four foot

[00:14:08] Eleven woman

[00:14:09] Who suffers

[00:14:11] From all sorts

[00:14:12] Of ailments

[00:14:13] Yes

[00:14:13] But when she's

[00:14:14] In Colorado

[00:14:15] No obstacles

[00:14:16] She's free

[00:14:17] Yeah

[00:14:17] She's riding

[00:14:18] A stride the horse

[00:14:20] With her pantaloons

[00:14:21] Which she took

[00:14:21] Everywhere she went

[00:14:23] After they were

[00:14:24] Introduced to her

[00:14:25] In Hawaii

[00:14:25] And she doesn't

[00:14:27] Have to follow

[00:14:28] All the conventions

[00:14:29] That she learned

[00:14:29] In England

[00:14:31] It was also

[00:14:32] In Colorado

[00:14:34] That she had

[00:14:35] What she described

[00:14:35] The great romance

[00:14:36] Of her life

[00:14:37] And you're not

[00:14:39] Going to believe

[00:14:39] This man

[00:14:39] He's an Irish man

[00:14:41] He's an alcoholic

[00:14:42] And his name

[00:14:44] Is Jim Nugent

[00:14:46] But he's called

[00:14:47] Rocky Mountain Jim

[00:14:49] He was extremely

[00:14:52] Handsome

[00:14:53] On one side

[00:14:55] Of his face

[00:14:55] What happened

[00:14:56] To the other side

[00:14:57] Of his face

[00:14:58] Well let me

[00:14:58] Describe the good

[00:14:59] Side

[00:14:59] The good side

[00:15:00] Had blonde curls

[00:15:02] And one blue eye

[00:15:04] Sure

[00:15:06] Okay

[00:15:06] And perfect skin

[00:15:08] But the other

[00:15:10] Side of his face

[00:15:11] Was completely

[00:15:12] Malled

[00:15:12] With no eye

[00:15:13] Oh

[00:15:14] Completely mauled

[00:15:16] And some said

[00:15:17] It was a bear attack

[00:15:18] Some said

[00:15:19] It was a brawl

[00:15:20] And nobody

[00:15:21] Knows

[00:15:23] Because he never

[00:15:24] Said

[00:15:24] How he got

[00:15:26] That injury

[00:15:27] Or lost his eye

[00:15:28] But when he

[00:15:29] Came near

[00:15:30] Everyone knew

[00:15:31] Oh yeah

[00:15:31] That's Rocky

[00:15:32] Mountain Jim

[00:15:33] Rocky Mountain Jim

[00:15:34] He was huge

[00:15:34] They said he was

[00:15:35] A huge man

[00:15:36] Very muscular

[00:15:37] Very taut

[00:15:38] And he was also

[00:15:40] Very charming

[00:15:42] Extremely charming

[00:15:44] And was known

[00:15:45] For all of his

[00:15:46] Dalliances

[00:15:47] With many

[00:15:49] Many

[00:15:50] Women

[00:15:52] Isabella

[00:15:53] Hired him

[00:15:54] To take her

[00:15:55] To the

[00:15:56] The peaks

[00:15:57] Of a place

[00:15:58] Called Downer

[00:15:59] And Rogers

[00:16:00] Which would

[00:16:02] Mean going up

[00:16:02] This place

[00:16:03] Called Long Peak

[00:16:04] And she wanted

[00:16:04] To see all of

[00:16:05] These places

[00:16:06] In the Rockies

[00:16:07] As well as a place

[00:16:08] Called I think

[00:16:08] It was called

[00:16:09] Estes Canyon

[00:16:10] And she wanted

[00:16:11] To see all

[00:16:12] These places

[00:16:12] Breathe in the air

[00:16:13] And just

[00:16:14] Take the view

[00:16:16] In

[00:16:16] And nobody

[00:16:18] Knew the Rockies

[00:16:19] Like Jim

[00:16:21] And so

[00:16:22] He was hired

[00:16:26] By Isabella

[00:16:27] He could also

[00:16:28] Be very surly

[00:16:29] And very disagreeable

[00:16:31] But

[00:16:32] For Isabella

[00:16:33] He was all charm

[00:16:34] All charm

[00:16:35] She saw the other

[00:16:36] Side a couple times

[00:16:37] It showed

[00:16:37] It showed

[00:16:38] Its true color

[00:16:39] In his interactions

[00:16:41] With others

[00:16:41] He even

[00:16:42] Pulled a gun

[00:16:43] On somebody

[00:16:43] In one of their

[00:16:46] Hikes

[00:16:47] And she saw

[00:16:48] That other side

[00:16:48] The two sides

[00:16:49] Of his face

[00:16:50] And two sides

[00:16:51] Of his personality

[00:16:52] That's right

[00:16:52] And that she wanted

[00:16:53] To get out

[00:16:54] And climb

[00:16:54] Those mountains

[00:16:55] My husband

[00:16:56] And I

[00:16:56] Took the train

[00:16:57] From San Francisco

[00:16:57] To Denver

[00:16:58] It's just

[00:16:59] The same tracks

[00:17:00] I'm sure

[00:17:01] Wow

[00:17:01] Yes

[00:17:02] It's a fantastic

[00:17:04] Train ride

[00:17:05] And the beauty

[00:17:06] You just sit

[00:17:06] By the window

[00:17:07] I loved it

[00:17:07] Because I was

[00:17:08] Warm and cozy

[00:17:09] And I had a cup

[00:17:09] Of tea

[00:17:10] And I'm looking

[00:17:10] Out the windows

[00:17:11] At the Rockies

[00:17:11] Not those days

[00:17:13] Not the trains

[00:17:14] In those days

[00:17:15] She wanted to get out

[00:17:15] And climb those mountains

[00:17:17] But think about

[00:17:17] The trains in those days

[00:17:18] I mean they were rickety

[00:17:20] Yes

[00:17:20] Oh can you imagine

[00:17:22] But she was not settled

[00:17:23] With just the view

[00:17:24] Nope

[00:17:24] She had to get out

[00:17:25] And smell the air

[00:17:27] And yes

[00:17:28] So Jim kept trying

[00:17:31] To win her over

[00:17:32] Kept trying to charm her

[00:17:33] And he was taken

[00:17:35] Not with her looks

[00:17:36] Because it was said

[00:17:37] That she was a very

[00:17:38] Plain looking woman

[00:17:38] Again overweight

[00:17:39] And short

[00:17:41] But with her sense

[00:17:43] Of adventure

[00:17:44] She shared that

[00:17:45] With him

[00:17:46] She was every much

[00:17:48] The adventure

[00:17:48] That he was

[00:17:49] She was also fearless

[00:17:50] She wasn't afraid

[00:17:51] Of snakes

[00:17:51] She wasn't afraid

[00:17:52] Of climbs

[00:17:53] Or slippery places

[00:17:54] At times

[00:17:55] When they were hiking

[00:17:56] He had to tether her

[00:17:58] To him

[00:17:58] Because the rocks

[00:18:00] Were so slippery

[00:18:00] And the passes

[00:18:02] That they were climbing

[00:18:03] Were so dangerous

[00:18:04] But she was right there

[00:18:06] With him

[00:18:06] And not afraid

[00:18:07] Not afraid at all

[00:18:09] And this made him

[00:18:11] Fall deeply

[00:18:12] And desperately

[00:18:12] In love with her

[00:18:15] She said she was

[00:18:16] Strongly attracted to him

[00:18:17] And again

[00:18:18] It's just the two of them

[00:18:19] Alone in the Rockies

[00:18:20] But she restrained herself

[00:18:22] With a vengeance

[00:18:24] Jim even asked her

[00:18:25] To marry him

[00:18:26] And he promised

[00:18:27] That he would

[00:18:28] Reform his ways

[00:18:29] But she suggested

[00:18:32] They be lifelong friends

[00:18:33] Instead

[00:18:34] And when she made

[00:18:35] The suggestion

[00:18:36] To Jim

[00:18:36] She said

[00:18:37] It looked like

[00:18:38] A wave of relief

[00:18:40] Kind of passed over

[00:18:42] Him

[00:18:42] Like oh good

[00:18:43] I don't have to

[00:18:44] Reform myself

[00:18:45] After all

[00:18:45] But he said

[00:18:46] That he loved her

[00:18:48] And never ever

[00:18:49] In all of his adventures

[00:18:50] And all of his dalliances

[00:18:52] Ever loved a woman

[00:18:53] Like he loved Isabella

[00:18:56] She wrote this about him

[00:19:00] A man any woman

[00:19:02] Might love

[00:19:03] But no sane woman

[00:19:05] Would ever marry

[00:19:08] I love that quote

[00:19:10] He gave her the gift

[00:19:11] Of a revolver

[00:19:12] And taught her to shoot

[00:19:14] And that revolver

[00:19:15] Would be her constant

[00:19:16] Companion on every

[00:19:18] Adventure she would take

[00:19:20] From that time forward

[00:19:21] While with Jim

[00:19:23] She traveled on foot

[00:19:24] On donkey

[00:19:25] And on horse

[00:19:26] Over 800 miles

[00:19:28] Through the Rockies

[00:19:29] Her letters to Henny

[00:19:31] About Colorado

[00:19:32] Were first published

[00:19:34] In a magazine

[00:19:34] Called The Leisure Hour

[00:19:36] Which was a magazine

[00:19:38] That Mr. Murray

[00:19:39] Was involved in

[00:19:40] Then compiled

[00:19:41] In what became

[00:19:42] Her most famous book

[00:19:44] A Lady's Life

[00:19:45] In the Rocky Mountains

[00:19:46] And she actually

[00:19:47] Included quite a bit

[00:19:50] About Jim

[00:19:52] Yeah I have read

[00:19:53] Just some parts

[00:19:54] Of that book

[00:19:55] And again

[00:19:56] Her descriptions

[00:19:57] She just absorbed

[00:19:59] It all

[00:19:59] She absorbed it all

[00:20:00] Trying to explain it

[00:20:01] The best she could

[00:20:02] Yeah she would talk

[00:20:03] About the Native Americans

[00:20:04] In detail

[00:20:05] And about the way

[00:20:06] They lived

[00:20:07] As well as

[00:20:08] Their blankets

[00:20:09] You know

[00:20:09] The houses

[00:20:12] That they had

[00:20:13] As well as

[00:20:13] How the bandits lived

[00:20:15] I mean

[00:20:16] Can you imagine

[00:20:17] It was so full

[00:20:18] Of adventure

[00:20:18] And people

[00:20:19] In England

[00:20:19] Were curious

[00:20:20] About what a cowboy

[00:20:21] Was

[00:20:21] And what

[00:20:22] You know

[00:20:24] Native Americans

[00:20:24] Were like

[00:20:25] But that she could

[00:20:26] Capture that time

[00:20:27] In history

[00:20:28] Right

[00:20:28] In such a remarkable

[00:20:29] Way

[00:20:30] Yes

[00:20:30] And captured

[00:20:32] Jim Nugent too

[00:20:33] Yes

[00:20:33] So back

[00:20:35] She would always

[00:20:36] Refer to him

[00:20:37] As her dear

[00:20:38] Desperado

[00:20:39] After returning

[00:20:40] To Scotland

[00:20:41] She found out

[00:20:42] That he had been

[00:20:42] Shot in the head

[00:20:43] In a barroom brawl

[00:20:44] But he lived

[00:20:46] He lived

[00:20:47] Of course he did

[00:20:47] For quite a few months

[00:20:49] And then one day

[00:20:50] He was doing something

[00:20:51] And I guess

[00:20:51] The bullet shifted

[00:20:52] Because they couldn't

[00:20:53] Get the bullet

[00:20:53] Out of his head

[00:20:54] He just walked around

[00:20:55] With this bullet

[00:20:55] In his head

[00:20:56] Some said it was

[00:20:57] Two bullets

[00:20:57] Some said it was one

[00:20:58] And one day

[00:20:59] It shifted

[00:20:59] And he died

[00:21:00] Okay

[00:21:00] Why has there not

[00:21:02] Been a movie made

[00:21:03] Of this story

[00:21:04] Well you know

[00:21:05] The mauled face

[00:21:06] You know

[00:21:06] Yeah which side

[00:21:07] Was he shot on

[00:21:08] Is what we wanted

[00:21:08] I think Brad Pitt

[00:21:09] Should play it

[00:21:10] Well just maul one part

[00:21:11] You just have to wear

[00:21:12] Like one of those

[00:21:13] Masks on one side

[00:21:14] Wow

[00:21:15] Back in Scotland

[00:21:16] Isabella received

[00:21:17] Her third

[00:21:18] Marriage proposal

[00:21:19] This time it was

[00:21:20] By a Dr. John Bishop

[00:21:22] And this was

[00:21:23] A doctor

[00:21:23] Who was

[00:21:25] Renowned

[00:21:26] As a surgeon

[00:21:27] He had the

[00:21:29] Opposite

[00:21:30] Temperament

[00:21:31] Of Jim Nugent

[00:21:32] He was reliable

[00:21:33] He was well educated

[00:21:36] He was godly

[00:21:37] He was altruistic

[00:21:38] Always thinking of others

[00:21:40] He was stable

[00:21:41] And he was kind

[00:21:42] He was also

[00:21:43] Quite a bit younger

[00:21:44] Than Henrietta

[00:21:45] Who is approaching

[00:21:47] Her 50s

[00:21:48] She's in her 40s

[00:21:49] He's in his 30s

[00:21:50] Henrietta

[00:21:50] You mean

[00:21:51] Oh sorry

[00:21:51] Isabella

[00:21:52] Isabella

[00:21:53] Absolutely

[00:21:53] He switched sisters

[00:21:54] No no no

[00:21:55] He was a surgeon

[00:21:56] And he was in his 30s

[00:21:58] But Henrietta

[00:21:59] And Isabella

[00:22:00] Are both in their 40s

[00:22:01] By now

[00:22:01] But he hadn't

[00:22:02] He had taken care

[00:22:03] Of Henrietta

[00:22:04] Because he was a surgeon

[00:22:05] Yes

[00:22:05] He had been her caretaker

[00:22:07] And that was part of

[00:22:08] How Isabella

[00:22:09] Met him

[00:22:10] And he became

[00:22:10] Isabella's doctor

[00:22:11] Also because Isabella

[00:22:13] And Henrietta

[00:22:14] Had some of the same

[00:22:15] Symptoms

[00:22:15] From the neurology

[00:22:17] And the insomnia

[00:22:18] And the back pain

[00:22:20] So she had told him

[00:22:22] I'm not quite ready

[00:22:23] To settle down

[00:22:24] And she had set

[00:22:25] Her heart and mind

[00:22:26] On an adventure

[00:22:27] To Japan

[00:22:27] So when she was

[00:22:28] 47 years old

[00:22:29] She took

[00:22:30] A boat

[00:22:32] To Japan

[00:22:34] And what's interesting

[00:22:35] About Japan

[00:22:35] Is at this point

[00:22:37] It had not

[00:22:37] Fully been opened

[00:22:38] Up to the west

[00:22:39] I was just

[00:22:40] What I was going

[00:22:40] To say

[00:22:41] That wonder

[00:22:42] Why that was

[00:22:43] Such a call

[00:22:43] To her

[00:22:44] Of all the other

[00:22:45] Places in the world

[00:22:45] And I was thinking

[00:22:46] That family connection

[00:22:49] To India

[00:22:50] Why wasn't that

[00:22:51] Part of her

[00:22:51] Earlier draw

[00:22:53] Right

[00:22:53] Because she'd heard

[00:22:54] Stories

[00:22:54] From the time

[00:22:55] She was very young

[00:22:56] And you know

[00:22:57] They did say

[00:22:57] That part of her

[00:22:58] Draw to these places

[00:22:59] Was the fact

[00:23:00] That missionaries

[00:23:01] Hadn't penetrated Japan

[00:23:03] Oh interesting

[00:23:04] So she wanted

[00:23:05] To go to Japan

[00:23:05] And some of these places

[00:23:07] So she wanted

[00:23:07] To open it up

[00:23:08] To see

[00:23:10] And to be able

[00:23:10] To tell

[00:23:11] Not only those

[00:23:12] Who hadn't gone

[00:23:14] But those who

[00:23:16] Were considering

[00:23:16] What to see

[00:23:17] And her books

[00:23:19] Actually became

[00:23:19] Kind of travel guides

[00:23:21] Well and also

[00:23:21] Here's a woman

[00:23:22] Going on her own

[00:23:23] To this place

[00:23:24] That was considered

[00:23:25] Closed

[00:23:25] Who else is

[00:23:26] Going to come now

[00:23:26] Come on

[00:23:27] And that's another

[00:23:28] Interesting point

[00:23:30] Because she went

[00:23:32] To Australia

[00:23:32] By herself

[00:23:33] She went to

[00:23:36] The Sandwich Islands

[00:23:37] It was just her

[00:23:38] Nobody else

[00:23:39] And she was meeting

[00:23:40] All these people

[00:23:41] And making them

[00:23:42] Her guides

[00:23:42] When she went

[00:23:43] To the Rocky Mountains

[00:23:44] She went by herself

[00:23:46] You know

[00:23:47] When she was

[00:23:47] With the bandits

[00:23:48] It was just

[00:23:48] Isabella

[00:23:49] When she was

[00:23:50] With the Native Americans

[00:23:51] It was just Isabella

[00:23:52] When she was

[00:23:53] With Jim Nugent

[00:23:53] It was just Isabella

[00:23:55] She wasn't one

[00:23:56] For crowds of people

[00:23:57] Or lots of people

[00:23:58] She liked more

[00:23:59] Like the one-on-one

[00:24:01] Adventures

[00:24:02] Just you know

[00:24:02] By herself

[00:24:03] To see it

[00:24:04] To talk to people

[00:24:05] So in Tokyo

[00:24:08] She gets to Tokyo

[00:24:09] And again

[00:24:10] She is forbidden

[00:24:12] From going

[00:24:13] Into the interior

[00:24:14] Which she really

[00:24:15] Wants to do

[00:24:15] And again

[00:24:16] Tokyo and Japan

[00:24:17] Had just opened up

[00:24:18] Some of those ports

[00:24:19] So she made an appointment

[00:24:20] With the governor

[00:24:21] Of Japan

[00:24:22] And went to him

[00:24:23] Personally

[00:24:23] To get a license

[00:24:25] Or a permission slip

[00:24:27] So to speak

[00:24:27] So she could go

[00:24:29] Into the interior

[00:24:30] Of Japan

[00:24:31] So I'm going to

[00:24:33] Have to stop there

[00:24:34] But there is

[00:24:35] So much more

[00:24:37] No obstacles

[00:24:38] For Isabella girl

[00:24:40] She is

[00:24:41] She's on her way

[00:24:42] Yeah

[00:24:43] She is on her way

[00:24:44] So hopefully

[00:24:45] This next time

[00:24:47] We'll be able

[00:24:47] To finish up

[00:24:48] The story of Isabella

[00:24:49] And her adventures

[00:24:50] But she is just

[00:24:52] Such a wonderful character

[00:24:54] And so worth knowing

[00:24:56] So captivating

[00:24:57] Absolutely

[00:24:58] Thank you for listening

[00:25:04] To Women Worth Knowing

[00:25:05] With Cheryl Broderson

[00:25:07] And Robin Jones Gunn

[00:25:08] For more information

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[00:25:10] Visit CherylBroderson.com

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[00:25:13] Or Facebook

[00:25:14] For more information

[00:25:15] On Robin

[00:25:16] Visit RobinGunn.com

[00:25:17] Or follow her

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[00:25:21] For a lively conversation

[00:25:22] As we explore

[00:25:23] The lives of

[00:25:24] Well-known

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[00:25:27] Christian women

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