Through most of 2017, wildlife biologist Sara Dykman followed migrating monarch butterflies on her bicycle, lodging with and befriending people along the way.

Total strangers along her route – which Wilkins figured out as she went along – were eager to offer food and shelter to the woman the press dubbed the “Widow Wilkins. Their household also includes Bertie’s 6 year old nephew Harold John Wilkins and Florence’s parents, Charles and Harriet Stubbings. While chronicling each leg of Wilkins’ journey, Letts provides ample, if occasionally distracting historical context, bringing the people she met and the places she visited to life on the page. We acknowledge the financial support of the Canadian Museum of History through the Online Works of Reference Program funded by the Government of Canada. F W Horner, Records of the Surveyors to Commissioners for Inclosure in Parishes in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Annie Wilkins was an American original, and The Ride of Her Life gives her the tribute she deserves. Soon after her arrival in Hamilton she began an association with the Spectator and Journal of Commerce which was to last 30 years: she regularly submitted poems to the “Poet’s Corner” and all but one of her five books of poetry (issued as by “Harriett Annie”) were printed in the Spectator office. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. As a horse owner can really relate to the relationships annie has with her horses and dogs as best friends and that urge to keep moving along fully content with each other's company.

A woman who liked to wear pants and speak her mind, she wasn’t well regarded by local folks at the time.Even when sought out as a contestant on Art Linkletter’s long-running TV show, People Are Funny, Annie took celebrity in stride. We welcome new players throughout the year so do get in touch if you would like to find out more about Otley Brass Band.

Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways.With William is his 26 year old youngest daughter, Ann Maria, and his 9 year old granddaughter Ellen Amelia Wilkins.