"In the mid 19th Century, 300 emigrants crossed the North American continent on the Oregon Trail, some to settle, others branching off on the California Trail. In 1846, a party of emigrants left the safety of the Oregon Trail, taking what they were promised was a short cut to the West Coast. Instead of reaching the green fields of California, the now-named Donner Party found themselves trapped behind the snow and ice-capped Sierra Nevada. In 1858, the world heard the news of "Gold!" on the Fraser River. Thousands of miners and entrepreneurs sailed north to find their fortunes. They came from Oregon and California to Victoria and into the BC interior. The American militia, intent on taking over the Fraser River from the tribes, encountered Chief Spitlum, who chose peace over war and saved his people from a massacre. In this saga, Robert, a thirteen-year-old boy leaves his impoverished Iowa family to seek his fortune. He joins the 1846 Wagon Train where he meets the beautiful young Annabelle. A lovely young widow, Alice, forced into a marriage with a man she despised takes the 2000-mile trek following a husband whose hastily made decisions dramatically alter Alice's view of life. In preparing to write this narrative, the author traveled the Oregon Trail, climbed the Donner Pass and researched the Fraser River gold sites and the history of the First Nations of the area. She spent several months at the British Columbia archives and visited many Oregon and Donner Pass museums. These historical events inspired Redemption."--