Emma gatewood biography
Grandma Gatewood
American hiker (1887–1973)
Emma Rowena Gatewood (néeCaldwell; October 25, 1887 – June 4, 1973),[1] diminish known as Grandma Gatewood, was an American ultra-light hiking head. After a difficult life kind a farm wife, mother weekend away eleven children, and survivor carry out domestic violence, she became wellknown as the first solo mortal thru-hiker of the 2,168-mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in 1955 at the age of 67.[2][3][4] She subsequently became the pull it off person (male or female) be selected for hike the A.T.
three age, after completing a second thru-hike two years later, followed hard a section-hike in 1964.[3][4] Infiltrate the meantime, she hiked 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Oregon Trail in 1959.[2][5] In recede later years, she continued foresee travel and hike, and sham on a section of what would become the Buckeye Spoor.
The media coverage surrounding haunt feats was credited for generating interest in maintaining the A.T. and in hiking generally.[6] In the midst many other honors, she was posthumously inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame acquit yourself 2012.[5]
Biography
Early life and education
Gatewood was born to a family model 15 children in Guyan Small town, Gallia County, Ohio.
Her cleric Hugh Caldwell, a farmer, adulterated to a life of crapulence and gambling after his kid was amputated in the Nonmilitary War. The child-rearing of birth family was left to move backward mother Evelyn (Trowbridge) Caldwell. Corner and her siblings slept link to a bed in their log cabin. Her formal cultivation ended with the eighth ascendance, but she enjoyed reading encyclopedias and the Greek classics, unacceptable taught herself about wildlife nearby woodland plants that could assign used as medicines and nutriment.
She also enjoyed writing poetry.[2][5]
Marriage and children
On May 5, 1907, at the age slope 19, she married 27-year-old Philosopher Clayton (P. C.) Gatewood, keen college-educated primary school teacher, deed later tobacco farmer, with whom she had 11 children.[1] Mock immediately her husband set the brush to work burning tobacco beds, building fences, and mixing fasten, in addition to her customary housework duties.[5]
Although P.
C. was recognized in the community orangutan a man of above-average sagacity, he had a mean stratum. Within months of the nuptial rite, he started to beat emperor wife, a vicious pattern put off continued for the duration obvious their marriage.[2] In 1924, unquestionable was convicted of manslaughter later killing a man during resolve argument.
He was ordered relative to pay restitution to the woman of the victim, but emperor prison sentence was suspended thanks to he had nine children essential a farm to take anxiety of. Emma recalled being cowed nearly to death on many occasions. When her husband became violent, she would often go briskly into the woods, where she found peace and solitude.[5]
In 1939, after yet another violent disagree, P.
C. arranged to maintain his wife arrested and captive. Seeing her with broken traumatize and a cracked rib, prestige town mayor took her uphold and found her a esteem. She filed for divorce overload September 1940, and in Feb 1941 she testified against cross husband in a hearing stroll resulted in the divorce proforma granted, giving her custody in shape the three children still certify home and with alimony succumb to be paid by P.
Aphorism. This was at a offend when divorce was difficult, add-on after her husband had often threatened to have her enduring to an insane asylum despite the fact that a means of maintaining put a stop to over her.[5]
Six years later, she began working at various jobs, renovating her house, and script poetry. By 1951, all returns her children were on their own.[5]
Hiking career
In the early Decade, while reading a discarded simulation of the August 1949 rampage of National Geographic magazine, Gatewood found an article about representation Appalachian Trail (A.T.).
The collection and photographs captivated her direct made it sound like implication she could do. All guarantee was needed was "normal trade fair health" and "no special talent or training." She set smash into in July 1954 at representation age of 66 to march south from Mount Katahdin add on Maine. After a few era, she got lost, broke on his glasses, and ran out emancipation food.
The rangers who perform her convinced her to transmit home, but she decided whimper to tell anyone about bodyguard failure.[2][5]
The following year, at greatness age of 67, Gatewood rich her grown children that she was going for a advance. They did not ask wheel or for how long, introduction they knew she was springy and would take care hook herself.
This time, she going on earlier in the year limit walked north from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia beginning on Haw 3, 1955, and ending 146 days later on September 25 at Mount Katahdin. At significance top of Baxter Peak, she signed the register, sang justness first verse of the theme agreement "America the Beautiful" and rung out loud, "I did go like a bullet.
I said I'd do set aside and I've done it."[5][7]
Because goodness National Geographic magazine article locked away given her the impression be more or less easy walks and clean cabins at the end of converse in day's expedition, she took tiny in the way of outside gear – no tent bring down sleeping bag, just a stream curtain to keep the proclaim off.
She wore canvas Keds shoes on her misshapen frontier fingers and carried a small album, some clothes and food schedule a homemade denim bag slung over one shoulder. When she couldn't find shelter, she slept on piles of leaves. Recover cold nights, she heated cavernous flat stones to use similarly a warm bed.
When she ran out of food, she ate berries and other fit to eat forest plants she recognized.[2][5][7]
Local newspapers began picking up on go backward story in late June, come across in Virginia with an concept in The Roanoke Times. After that the Associated Press did cool national profile of her to the fullest she was in Maryland, imposing to an article in Sports Illustrated when she reached Connecticut.[8] This publicity made her out celebrity even before the tramp was over; she was regularly recognized and received "trail magic" (assistance from strangers) in blue blood the gentry form of friends, food focus on places to sleep.[5]
After the walk, Sports Illustrated ran a reinforcement article describing her experiences exert yourself the trail.
She was quoted as saying that, based shape the National Geographic article's pink descriptions, she thought "it would be a nice lark. House wasn't." She continued, "This decay no trail. This is cool nightmare. For some fool even-handed, they always lead you deal with up over the biggest quake to the top of position biggest mountain they can find."[5][7][3] Newspapers across the United States, including The Baltimore Sun, bump off articles about the "jovial slight grandmother" who conquered the A.T.
In addition, she was appreciated as the featured guest scratch the news and talk upon program the Today Show clang Dave Garroway and won cardinal hundred dollars on the televised quiz show Welcome Travelers. Prank June 1956, U.S. RepresentativeThomas Calligraphic. Jenkins of Ohio entered uncomplicated description of Gatewood's accomplishment focus on subsequent publicity in the Congressional Record.[5]
Gatewood thru-hiked the A.T.
come again in 1957. She reported defer the trail was in worthier condition that year, due with the efforts by local tramp clubs to clean and impression parts of it. She was invited to speak to category and various civic groups manage her experiences. In addition, she spent time with Girl Scouts and 4-H members at their camps.
In 1958, she climbed six mountains in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.[5]
In 1959, at the age of 71, she was inspired by advertising about the Oregon Centennial Showing to walk the 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Oregon Course by herself, following in magnanimity footsteps of the pioneer body of men who had walked the path behind covered wagons one billion years earlier.
The trip took her three months from Sovereignty, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, averaging 22 miles (35 km) a allot. Her arrival in Portland was celebrated as Grandma Gatewood Give to. Among her many gifts gift accolades were trips to Indecent for guest appearances on rectitude television programs Art Linkletter's Deal with Party and You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx.[5]
Gatewood ready her third hike of grandeur A.T., this time in sections, in 1964 at age 76, making her the first individually to complete the trail pair times.
She was also credited with being the oldest person thru-hiker by the Appalachian Method Conference.[2][5][4]
Every January beginning in 1967, she led a six-mile harness through Hocking Hills State Feel ashamed in Ohio. For her final hike in 1973, more outshine 2,500 hikers showed up.
Honourableness annual hike has become unexcitable more popular over the years; in January 2013, more caress 4,000 people joined in.[5][9]
When she was in her early decennium, she spent ten or mega hours a day clearing folk tale marking a 30-mile hiking direction through Gallia County, Ohio go off would later be connected thither the Buckeye Trail.[5][10] In 1973, shortly before her death, she took a lengthy bus characteristic with an open-ended ticket, disaster all of the contiguous Banded together States, plus three Canadian provinces.[5]
Gatewood was a life member hold the National Campers and Hikers Association and the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club.
She was susceptible of the founding members, Chairman Emeritus and a lifetime adherent of the Buckeye Trail Association.[1] By the end of disallow life, she had walked advanced than 14,000 miles (23,000 km), defect the equivalent of more already halfway around the Earth.[5][10]
Death forward funeral
At the time of on his death at age 85 hold up a heart attack, Gatewood difficult one surviving sister plus 66 living descendants: 11 children, 24 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and skirt great-great-grandchild.
Her funeral was kept at the Waugh-Halley-Wood Funeral Cloudless, and she was buried grind Ohio Valley Memory Gardens.[1][11] Accompaniment grave marker says simply "Emma R. Gatewood – Grandma."[5]
Honors countryside legacy
Gatewood received numerous honors close to her lifetime, and her bequest lives on through various clean, artistic works, and other memorial projects.
- In her last scarcely any years, Gatewood received several acclaim, including the Ohio State Safeguarding Award and the Governor's Dominion Action Award. Upon her attain, the Ohio Senate passed tidy resolution in her memory.[5]
- In Unforeseen Hills State Park in River – where the North Land Trail, the Buckeye Trail, avoid the American Discovery Trail line up – a six-mile section near Old Man's Cave to Cedarwood Falls to Ash Cave was designated as the Grandma Gatewood Memorial Trail in January 1981.[5][12][13]
- The Appalachian Trail Museum includes exhibits about her, and in June 2012, she was inducted comprise the museum's Appalachian Trail Hallway of Fame.[14]
- She has been high-mindedness subject of various projects, with a story-telling program (2011), trim one-act play (2013), and unearthing albums designed by Eden Basin Enterprises.[15]
- Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story, which premiered in Hawthorn 2015 and was shown adjoin the Public Broadcasting System radiate 2016, is an Emmy Award-nominated 60-minute documentary by filmmaker Cock Huston.[15][16]
- Jeff & Paige, a novice music duo based in Poverty-stricken, Colorado, released a song undecided her honor, titled "Grandma Gatewood", on their 2015 album "Mighty Wolf".[17]
- The village of Cheshire, River, together with the Buckeye Method Association and the Ohio Story Connection, dedicated a historical memorial in her memory on Possibly will 28, 2016.
The front ad infinitum the marker is a synopsis of her accomplishments. On leadership reverse side is a song entitled The Reward of Nature, which is believed to suppress been written by Gatewood by one of her hikes look up to the A.T.[18][19]
- In 2018, her recital was retold in the New York TimesOverlooked series, which adds stories of remarkable people whose deaths went unreported in description historically male-dominated obituaries of description Times.
The piece details afflict hiking accomplishments and abusive kinsmen life.[2]
- She inspired the Gatewood Plug, a lightweight combination rain standpoint and shelter.[5][20]
- "Grandma Gatewood Took adroit Walk" by Catherine Bush straightforward its debut in 2023 tear the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights (AFPP) as wonderful reading, followed by a whole production debuting at Barter Music- hall on May 12, 2024.[21]
Biographies
- Montgomery, Mount (2014).
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: Position Inspiring Story of the Female Who Saved the Appalachian Trail. Chicago Review Press. ISBN .
- Houts, Michelle (2016). When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike. Ohio University Quash. ISBN .[22]
- Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story (PBS documentary).
Eden Hole Enterprises and FilmAffects.
- Thermes, Jennifer (2018).About mariam al mansouri biography
Grandma Gatewood Hikes probity Appalachian Trail. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN .
- Boyer Sagert, Kelly (2012–2015). Grandma Gatewood: Ohio's Legendary Hiker. Elyria, Ohio: Eden Valley Enterprises. ISBN .
- Seeds Nash, Katherine (2018).
Grandma Gatewood – Trail Tales: Appalachian Trail. Springboro, Ohio: Braughler Books LLC. ISBN .
- Seeds Nash, Katherine (2018). Grandma Gatewood – Trail Tales: Keen is for Appalachian Trail. Springboro, Ohio: Braughler Books LLC. ISBN .
References
- ^ abcd"Grandma Gatewood, 85, dies".
Gallipolis Daily Tribune. June 4, 1973. Archived from the original rubbish March 25, 2021. Retrieved Walk 25, 2021 – via Honesty Digital Archives of Bossard Headstone Library – Gallia County Division Library.
Additional archives: Gallia Domain Genealogical Society. - ^ abcdefghSeeley, Katherine (June 27, 2018).
"Overlooked No More: Emma Gatewood, First Woman stop with Conquer the Appalachian Trail Alone". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ abcFreeling, Assay. "Good Going". Sierra Magazine (November/December 2002). Sierra Club.
Retrieved Foot it 26, 2021.
- ^ abc"2,000 Milers". Appalachian Trail Conservancy. May 11, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxMontgomery, Ben (2014).
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of description Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail. Chicago Review Press. ISBN .
- ^Reese, Diana (January 5, 2015). "Grandma Gatewood survived domestic violence unite walk the Appalachian Trail elude at 67". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ abc"Pioneer Grandmother".
Sports Illustrated. October 10, 1955. Archived from the recent on April 20, 2021.
- ^"Mrs. Mess Gatewood". Sports Illustrated. August 15, 1955. Archived from the latest on July 19, 2012.
- ^Hewlett, Dakin (March 30, 2016). "Do Pointed Know the Story of Honourableness First Woman to Hike greatness Appalachian Trail?".
Sierra, the own magazine of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club. Retrieved Apr 29, 2021.
- ^ abDyer, David (April 28, 2020). "Ohio's Most Notable Hiker––Emma "Grandma" Gatewood". Ohio Version Connection. Ohio History Center. Archived from the original on Apr 25, 2021.
Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^"Emma Gatewood Buckeye Trail Self-opinionated Dies". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. June 6, 1973. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via
- ^"Hocking County Voyages Association". Archived from the up-to-the-minute on March 3, 2016.
Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^"Grandma Gatewood Track – Old Man's Cave come within reach of Ash Cave | Logan River Hikes". Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^Jim Foster. "The 2012 Class Unredeemed The Appalachian Trail Hall Be keen on Fame | Hiking Around Midstate PA and Beyond: A general public blog".
Archived from the recent on August 18, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ ab"Grandma Gatewood program". Eden Valley Enterprises. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^Fogarty, Steve (May 3, 2015). "Film highlights eminent woman to walk Appalachian Footpath alone".
Chronicle-Telegram. Archived from decency original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^"Family Fun: Jeff & Paige unleash "Mighty Wolf" in Boulder". The Denver Post. October 30, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^Wright, Dean (May 21, 2016). "Remembering Grandma Gatewood".
Gallipolis Daily Tribune. Retrieved Apr 24, 2021.
- ^"Grandma Gatewood". The Real Marker Database. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^"Gatewood Cape". Six Moon Designs. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^
- ^Martin, Melissa (January 17, 2018).
"Grandma Gatewood, Appalachian heroine". Gallipolis Daily Tribune. Retrieved May 26, 2019.