As a long time journalist and 20 year resident of New Mexico, of course I am a devotee of Ms. Cather. Curiously, however, her short shorty, Neighbor Rosicky is my favorite of her works and I have read it many, may times.

And as I also have lived in the Midwest for some time, I share that with her too--although I am not the fan of the plains she was.

Your website is wonderful and I am excited that I will indeed visit Red Cloud one day. That is a tribute coming from me--who never thought she would become excited about visiting anything in Nebraska. (Smile)

I lived in New Mexico for 20 years and had to move back to Iowa after a divorce where I felt I could best bring up my son and daughter and, it turned out, take care of my  ailing father  as well.

I read Ms. Cather's short story, Neighbor Rosicky, just the other night and it touched me in a way that tears rimmed my eyes. It reminded me of "Matryona's House," a shortstory by Alexander Solzinitsky. As was the case with Matryona, I have read it now over and over and I believe a quality we overlook in writers is their ability create characters who are paradigms of compassion and every other fine human quality there is, but are quie about it and no one perhaps recognizes it until they are gone.

It is funny, I relished "The Archbishop" but was not so keenly moved. I would like, however, to find out how much of the material in that book was fiction and how much was actual folklore and history--as my 20 years there was spent as a journalist. Much of what the beautiful writer wrote was factual, particularly the geographical material, I know, but I am curious saya bout the tyrannical old priest on Acoma and a hundred other things.

What an amazing woman she was and how privileged we are to have her work with us for all time!

hi i like all the buildings that i tour

i hope i can go back this summer

Thank you Taylur Hein

HEy

Guess what? Im Willa Cather's great great niece. I've traveled all around Berryville, Virginia and still learning loads about her. I only found out a year or two ago that I was related to her. It still a little shocking but i will say i haven't been to those places in nebraska but my family has told me stories in Berryville about her and that ranch.

I'm loving this website! Aesthetically it is very strong. Of course, we always want more. My first request would be to expand on the ability to tour Red Cloud and Cather's home virtually, on-line. I'll be happy to help.

ADMINISTRATOR COMMENT: Thanks for your good suggestion. If you check the childhood home tour again, you'll see virtual image galleries in each room. You can even view the images in a slideshow.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my recent visit to Red Cloud.  I was lucky enough to be there during the fall festival and was absolutely charmed by the town of Red Cloud and its people. I found the tour that we took very interesting and informative, and everyone I met who is associated with the Foundation was extremely helpful and friendly.  The history of the bank and the Opera House is fascinating, and visiting them and the homes we toured added so much to my understanding and appreciation of the Willa Cather books I've read.  I hope to return sometime and explore Red Cloud's downtown and some of the other sites on the tour that I didn't have time for in September.

It was just in the past year that I "discovered" Willa Cather.  She has brought to life that period in history that has always interested me, the time when Nebraska was being settled.  I even have my 90-year-old father reading her books now.  What a treasure Red Cloud is, with all that history being preserved.  The prairie, too, was a special place to visit and walking through it gives a better sense of what that part of Nebraska is like and what the early settlers were dealing with.  I'd like to return to see the beautiful prairie in other seasons.