Strength of Stone - The Pioneer Journal of Electra Bryan Plumer, 1862-1864 (Paperback, illustrated edition)

As the Civil War rages on, the gold fields and open valleys of the frontier Rocky Mountains fill with treasure seekers, fugitives, and missionaries. Twenty-year-old schoolteacher and adventurer Electa Bryan finds her way to the Sun River Government Farm to "civilize" the Blackfeet and help her married sister with family life. She also finds herself becoming entangled with the notorious Bannack, Montana, sheriff William Henry Handy Plumer, whose true character and how he meets his fate are but two of the mysteries unraveled in this beautifully imagined, meticulously researched historical novel.
Based on real-life Montana characters, Strength of Stone is a love story told through journal entries and letters that bring vividly to life Electa's experience of adventure, love, and loss.