Once Upon a Green Meadow

About the Book

This poignant memoir shares one woman's memories growing up between the two world wars as a member of the McMillan family, a hardworking bunch who made their living on an eastern Washington farm.

In a series of vignettes, Ernestine McMillan Hilton recalls the joys of small-town holiday celebrations, close-knit neighbors, and the events that shape the lives of the McMillans as they scratch a living from a scabland farm. With vivid detail, Hilton remembers how the sweet taste of strawberry Jell-O mingled with the wonders of Election Day in 1924 when her mother had the opportunity to vote for the first time, and she revisits how the end of the horse-and-buggy era gave rise to the Model T. She also relates the arrival of her baby brothers, the joys of going to school, and the hardships of the Great Depression.

Once Upon a Green Meadow re-creates the charm and hardship of a rural American life that has vanished forever. But more importantly, Hilton's memoir reveals how one family's love sustained them throughout the hard times.

About the Author

Ernestine McMillan Hilton was born in 1920. Her childhood was spent on a scabland ranch in Spokane County. She graduated from Eastern Washington University and taught in a country school. During her college years, Ernestine worked as a reporter for the Spokane Daily Chronicle. She raised her four children on a cattle ranch less than ten miles from where she grew up. Mrs. Hilton was a member of Washington State School Directors? Association, president of Washington State PTA, and served on the National Committee for the Support of Public Schools. She was recognized for her work on behalf of children and youth in Who?s Who in America, 1964, American Women, 1970 and Women of the World, 1972.