She Rode the Rails

by Beverly Adam

"She has gained a very flattering reputation as one of the finest artists in the county and her business is increasing to such an extent that the car is insufficient for her extensive work."--March 1, 1887, Nebraska Nugget She Rode The Rails is based on the true life of traveling photographer, Mrs. Mary Jane Wyatt. A contemporary of J. B Silvis of the Union Pacific Railroad and pioneer photographer, Solomon Butcher, she was the only woman to own and operate a traveling photograph car on a Nebraska railroad in the late 1800s. She ran studios in Roseville, IL, and in Nebraska towns for over three decades. Mary Jane took many portraits of early pioneers and western landscapes, some of which are included in this book and published for the first time. The story unfolds as her son, Charles Sears, remembers her life. He recalls how Mary Jane began as an unwed mother working as a lowly housemaid in Ohio to become a successful traveling photographer in Nebraska. With the support of her husband, sheriff and Burlington Missouri River RR engineer, Andrew A. Wyatt, she operated several galleries in a time when women were expected to stay home.

Genres: Biography

205 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2005

About the author

Beverly Adam writes engaging stories that feature feisty heroines and endearing heroes. She is the author of the Regency Historical romance series Gentlemen of Honor, and biographical novels Two Lovers: the love story of Carole Lombard and Russ Columbo and She Rode The Rails: the life of traveling railroad photographer Mary Jane Wyatt. She revisits history on a regular basis as a romance and biographical novelist. She holds degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of California Irvine and another in photojournalism from Pasadena City College.

Reviews

[Beverly Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has received an Editor's Choice award. A quote from one of the independent reviews, Midwest Review:

"The author seems to have done meticulous research about Mary Jane and the time period in which she lived. The information about photography and trains is quite interesting, as is the background on real hardships Union soldiers experienced during the Civil War. This book will find its place in our national memory."