Author - Death

Helen Hunt Jackson died of cancer on August 8, 1885 in California. Even as she lay on her deathbed her thoughts were still focused on the plight of Native Americans, as evidenced by the note she wrote below (Odell, p 219, 1939):

August 8, 1885

To Grover Cleveland, President of the United States

Dear Sir:

From my deathbed I send you a message of heartfelt thanks for what you have already done for the Indians. I ask you to read my "Century of Dishonor." I am dying happier for the belief I have that it is your hand that is destined to strike the first steady blow toward lifting this burden of infamy from our country and righting the wrongs of the Indian race.

With respect and gratitude,

Helen Jackson

Her husband brought her remains back to her home in Colorado and she was buried at Cheyenne Mountain (see photo above), her favorite view in Colorado Springs. However, later on she was re-buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

California

It was to California that Helen traveled to further recuperate from some health problems. On her trips to the state she traveled all around the state including Yosemite, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Cruz. One of the stops she made was to the Normal School in San Jose (it eventually became San Jose State University). The natural beauty in the state is what most appealed to her. Part of her stay was at a ranch (seen in the photo above) in Southern California. While visiting here, she was inspired to write her most famous book Ramona (her handwritten manuscript is shown in the photo above). Her goal was to provide the same impetus that Uncle Tom's Cabin had provided for the anti-slavery movement. This was the culmination of her fight to improve the situation for Native Americans.

In addition to her fiction and her historical books, Jackson also was famous for her travel books and articles. Some of the travel books that Jackson wrote about California include the following: Father Junipero Serra and the Mission Indians of California, Glimpses of California and the Missions, My Day in the Wilderness, and Ah-Wah-Ne Days: A Visit to the Yosemite Valley in 1872. She even preferred to use the Native name of Ah-Wah-Ne instead of Yosemite.

Colorado

In order to recover her health Helen moved from back East to Colorado. It was there she was to meet her second husband. William Sharpless Jackson was a wealthy Colorado Springs businessman who was five years younger than Helen. A Quaker from Pennsylvania, he was described as being distinguished looking with a beard and deep-set eyes. Their home was extensively remodeled in order to provide Helen with her favorite view of Cheyenne Mountain. The original home no longer exists, but several rooms of the home have been reproduced in a local museum.

The final resting place for Helen is in Colorado Springs. Additionally, the largest collection of her papers are in a special collection at Colorado College. It is a private liberal arts college located in Colorado Springs and founded in 1874. Some of the notable alumni include Lynne Cheney (wife of the former Vice President) and David Axelrod (advisor to President Obama).

Albany, New York

The summer in Albany turned out to not be the disappointment she had thought. It was to be a special time for Helen. She was a lively, attractive young woman with a voluptuous figure that was very much the fashion in the Victorian era. In coloring, she had blue-green eyes and ash blond hair.

Albany, as the state capitol, had quite a social life and she was to be an active part of it. It was at the governor's ball on August 9, 1851 that she was to meet her future husband. Lieutenant Edward Bissel Hunt was a serious young West Point graduate (graduating second in his class) and he would not have normally gone to a ball, except his brother happened to be governor.

Helen noticed the handsome young officer in his dashing uniform. Edward, in turn, noticed the attractive young woman. The rest of the ball they spent dancing together. For the rest of the summer, every opportunity he had away from his duties was spent visiting Helen. She was hoping to get a marriage proposal, but nothing was forthcoming. A travel opportunity came up to travel out West with her co-guardians. They were relatives of Reverend Palmer (her host for the summer and fall). It was with these Palmers that she was to travel for two months to St. Louis. At the first part of the journey they stopped in Washington, DC and she re-united with Edward. Shortly after this he proposed to her. When she returned from her trip she began plans for her wedding. Their marriage took place on October 28, 1852 in Boston. Their married life was to start in Washington.

References

Banning, E. I. Helen Hunt Jackson. 1973. New York: The Vanguard Press.

Casper, S. E., Chaison, J. D., & Groves, J. D. (edit.). Perspectives on American Book History Artifacts and Commentary. . 2002. Massachusetts:The University of Massachusetts Press.

Habegger, A. My Wars are Laid Away in Book The Life of Emily Dickinson. 2001. New York:Random House.

Jackson, H.H. A Century of Dishonor. 1888. Boston:Roberts Brothers.

Jackson, H.H. A Century of Dishonor. 1964. Minneapolis:Ross & Haines.

Jackson, H.H. Nelly's Silver Mine A Story of Colorado Life. 1878. Boston:Roberts Brothers.

Katz, B. Dahl's History of the Book (3rd edition). 1995. New Jersey:The Scarecrow Press.

May, A. Helen Hunt Jackson: A Lonely Voice of Conscience. 1987. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Odell,R. Helen Hunt Jackson. 1939. New York: D. Appleton-Century Company.

Phillips, K. Helen Hunt Jackson A Literary Life. 2003. Berkeley:University of California Press

Ramona Pageant, 2010. Retrieved from website www.ramonabowl.com on March 18, 2010.

Collation Paper

There are no watermarks on the collation paper. Compared to the outside binding, which is more decorative, the inside pages are quite plain and simple appearing. Given the fragility of the book it was difficult to determine the book's structure.

Page layout

The page layout in this edition is very simple. There is no blank page separating chapters. At the top of every page on the left side is the book title A Century of Dishonor and on the right page is the chapter or section title. The beginning of each chapter has the chapter number (i.e. CHAPTER I) in larger font and all capitals. Directly beneath this is the chapter name in the same size font as the chapter text itself and all in capitals as well.

Since this is a printed book there is none of the beautiful artwork found in many Medieval manuscripts or even in some printed books. No illustrations, drawings, rubrication or color printing are included in the book. Page numbers are on every page and are at the top outside corners of the pages. This book was meant to be taken seriously, almost like a report, with no embellishments to distract the reader. The font is similar looking to modern day Times Roman font.

Printer/Publisher

The publisher for this edition of A Century of Dishonor was a respectable Boston firm named Roberts Brothers. They were actually bookbinders from 1857 to 1862 and their original location was on Church Street in Boston. However, at the time this book was published in 1888 they were located on Somerset Street.

With the publication of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott in 1868, their reputation was established. This volume even included illustrations by the author's sister May (the character Amy in the book is based on her sister). Many British and European authors were also published by them, in addition to American authors including Jackson of course.

Thomas Niles, chief editor at Roberts Brothers, was Jackson's literary sponsor during her most important writing period. Dating from 1873 they were her main book publisher. Their relationship was such that she even used the firm's address as one of her forwarding addresses. In addition to being supportive of Jackson, Niles was also supportive of other women authors. He was known for his skill in obtaining and promoting the work of women: under his guidance Roberts Brothers successfully published the children's books of Louisa May Alcott and Jackson's friend Sarah Woolsey, the first American additions of George Sand's novels, and poetry collections by Christina Rossetti, Jean Ingelow, and, after her death, Emily Dickinson (Phillips, p 200, 2003). Niles had started with the firm in 1863 and several years later became a partner in the firm. He was to remain with them until his death in 1894.

The company was bought in 1898 by Little, Brown. Little, Brown and Company remain in business to this day. It has been a part of the Time Warner Group since 1968. One interesting fact is that Little, Brown are the publishers of the enormously popular Young Adult Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

This edition was printed by the University Press (John Wilson & Son) in Cambridge. No further information was found for this printer.

Emily Dickinson

The famous poet, Emily Dickinson had grown up in Amherst, like Helen. Both of them attended Amherst Academy when they were children. After the death of Helen's parents, and her move from Amherst, they lost touch with each other. They reconnected through their mutual friend, Higginson. As adults, they corresponded for many years and she encouraged Dickinson to publish her poetry (she even went as far as submitting the poem for Dickinson). Although Dickinson never left Amherst, through Helen's letters she traveled vicariously.

William Jackson received an unexpected message from Dickinson at the time of his wife's death:

Helen of Troy will die, but Helen of Colorado, never. 'Dear friend, can you walk' were the last words I wrote her--'Dear friend, I can fly'--her immortal reply. (Banning, p 225, 1973).

Ramona

In her tireless efforts on behalf of Native Americans Jackson wrote a work of fiction about their plight. She was hoping that this book, Ramona, would have a similar impact on Americans as Uncle Tom's Cabin for the issue of slavery. It is a tragic love story set in early California between the heroine, Ramona, and her Native American lover Alessandro. Based on the true life murder of a Cahuilla Indian named Juan Diego. Published in 1884, this book has never been out of print. Even before her death there were 15,000 copies of the book sold. Ramona also expresses an opposition to American imperialism, and a hope for a more equitable, multicultural America, that was advanced for its time (Phillips, p 261, 2003).

Several popular Hollywood films were made about the story and there is even a Ramona Pageant held yearly in the Southern California town of Hemet (a photo of the Pageant is shown above). This event has been held almost continuously since 1923 and is the longest running outdoor drama in the U.S. A state resolution designated this as the official California State Outdoor play. In further tribute to the popularity of the book, many cities in Southern California use the name Ramona in street names and even freeway names.

Author - Amherst

Helen Maria Fiske was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on October 14, 1830. Both of her parents, Nathan and Deborah Fiske, were from New England. Her father was a professor of philosophy and language at Amherst College, in addition to being a Congregational clergyman.

The Fiskes had a difficult time understanding their lively and adventurous daughter. Helen's younger sister, Ann, was a much more docile, obedient child and easier for her parents to deal with. A couple of comments made by her mother reinforce this, "I cannot play with Helen so well as with Ann" and "Ann does not require the vigilance Helen does" (May, p 4, 1987). One memorable anecdote illustrating this further is when she wandered off as a six year old with a friend. Her frantic parents finally located her over four miles from home. Instead of being sorry about wandering off she told her parents what a wonderful adventure it was. Her father's response was to give her a whipping.

Even though she loved her mother lesson time could be difficult. She was the opposite of her sister when it came to learning as well. As Deborah wrote, "Helen learns very well, but I do not drive her very much to make her very literary--she is quite inclined to question the author of everything: the Bible, she says, does not feel as if it were true"(May, p 7, 1987). This must have been quite a challenge for the religious Deborah.

A somber mood was to come to the house though when her mother became unwell. She had developed tuberculosis and died when Helen was just twelve years old. As a result, the sisters became separated. The younger Ann would live with relatives and Helen went off to boarding school. Nathan had to give up his teaching career because he suffered from tuberculosis too. Two years after the death of his wife his final wish was to visit the Holy Land. He died while there, his burial was on Mount Zion.

The last school she attended was in New York. It was called Abbott Institute. She loved living in New York and did well at the school, becoming quite the scholar. After her graduation she even received an invitation to teach there. However, her plans of remaining in the city were changed when her maternal grandfather, who was her financial guardian, made plans for her to stay over the summer with a family friend in Albany. She was to stay with Reverend Palmer and his family, not something she was looking forward to. Her visit there was to be a turning point in her life, with her first romance.