Wenonah's Stories: May 2023

Wenonah's Story - the book

If you like my blog, read the book.

Wenonah's Story was a joint effort by my mother, James Wenonah Paul Gunning, and by me, to tell her story. Although I wrote the book, the stories are hers, so I wrote them in her voice and when I could I used her own words. She read most of what I wrote before her death in 2010,

Wenonah takes us from the days of the Wild West, when her parents were married, through the last days of the Chickasaw Nation, the coming of statehood, through the dustbowl and the Great Depression.

She tells of her childhood, about fighting with her brother Bob, about almost drowning in Rush Creek, about gathering kindling for her mother's wood burning stove, and exchanging pecans at the produce house to make 5 cents to go to a silent movie, about raising a calf, racing the horses, and hunting for rabbits.

She tells about her experiences at Bloomfield, a school for Chickasaw girls, and her struggles going to college during the depression.

Wenonah's Story is about an ornery kid who grew into a strong, responsible woman, and about a family which overcame hardship and tragedy by working together and helping each other.

To order a book, go to ChickasawPress.com or call them at 580-436-7282. Wenonah's Story is also available on Amazon.

Wenonah's Stories

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Finian's Rainbow