Abstract:
This thesis explores the story of five generations of women who are westerners from
Idaho; they are independent, self- reliant, and living in a landscape that throughout the
generations remained rugged and precarious. In this family history I explore the role of
the Mormon faith, and the way it underlies the actual legacy, and attempt to clarify why
and how some choices were made that otherwise may not have been. This thesis explores
what heritage is passed on from mothers to their daughters. Essentially, there are three
fundamental questions I attempt to answer in this thesis: first, what is the legacy and who
are the participants; second, why has this legacy continued; and third, can the information
I acquire in answering the first two questions alter the course of this legacy for future
generations of women.
