At the End of the Santa Fe Trail

By: Sister Blandina Segale

Narrated by: Kera O'Bryon

At the End of the Santa Fe Trail is a book by Sister Blandina Segale about her fascinating experiences as a young Catholic nun in the southwestern United States from 1872 to 1892. At a time when lawlessness and brutality were the norm, Sister Blandina displayed courage, tough-mindedness, and a deep religious faith in service to the less fortunate. She not only doctored sick and injured individuals but also established hospitals and orphanages and reconstructed a convent.

Sister Blandina's well-written account tells of working with immigrants, Hispanics, and Native Americans who were losing their land to swindlers. A member of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Sister Blandina was hard-working, courageous, charitable - and fearless. She is said to have twice faced up to Billy the Kid.

First published in 1932, her book is based on her journals and letters written to her sister Justina in her home state of Ohio.

The process of canonizing Sister Blandina to sainthood has been submitted to the Vatican by the New Mexico Archdiocese.

©1932 Originally published, renewed 1948 (P) by John Shepphird (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Breathtaking

This was my review for my friends:

I just finished listening to a breathtaking story that came straight from the journal of the Catholic nun, Sister Blandina. In her journal she kept track of the on goings of her time on the Santa Fe trail from 1872- 1892. She was a hero who put her faith in God and made waves through the area. In the journal she talks about her travels through Colorado, Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Mexico as well as all the people she met and helped, including Billy the Kid!
I listened to it on audible and it was honestly one of the most relaxing books I have ever listed to and will forever be on the top of my list. You don’t have to be catholic or a history buff to be able to enjoy this book.

Very Enjoyable!

A very enjoyable story. Having spent much time in the region it was very interesting to hear about the beginnings of places that still serve today.

Fascinating and Well Read

Sister Blandina is on the path to sainthood. She tells her adventures as our history was being written. We can't expect it to develop like a novel! For any non-Catholics interested mainly in the history, I don't think this woman's piety takes the story to sappy or nauseating ends. No, she is down to earth, practical, with strong understanding of the principles which guide her. Sister Blandina's family emigrated from Italy when she was 4. She writes in English and seems to know a lot about "guy" things. She should have gone to law school! Brilliant lady! But I want to praise Kera O'Bryon for her wonderful reading, bringing all the different voices to life. I know Spanish and was not bothered by any mispronunciations. I was too happy with the story to notice.

She believed in God's sufficient provision.

What a woman! When face to face with evil, she stood her ground. Sister Blandina's adherence to Christian principles of love, righteousness, and mercy accomplished much good for the glory of God.

Surprised to learn she met with Billy the Kid

I knew nothing of Sister Blandina when I downloaded this book but wanted to learn about an aspect of history I didn’t know much about. I loved that this book is comprised of her diary entries while communicating with her sister over a couple of decades. The language is beautiful; the narrator is very talented; and the challenges Sr. Blandina faced with steady faith is inspiring.

Good story

This is a great story. And well read except for one thing.
There are many Spanish names of people that had tamed that area. All of them were miss pronounced as the reader spoke in English . I wish she had learned correct pronunciation of the Spanish names and words.
As a Santa Fe is, it irritated me. Other than that it was good

Enjoyable listen

I enjoyed this book, it seemed to start a bit slow but it had some interesting stories in it.

Anazing true character, but not page-turner story

Amazing individual. I just found myself starting to be bored with the story the second half.

Not bad, BUT...

...the good sister was probably a better nun than a historian. As a native Santa Fean, many of the names and places resonated, yet I am virtually certain certain editorial details - perhaps recorded, embellished or 'misremembered' over the course of her full life - do not accord with the historical record. Things like Billy the Kids 'gang' terrorizing southern Colorado when he was known to be a callow and unknown (delinquent?) 15 year old in Arizona. She speaks as if she might gave known Kit Carson in the 1870s - or he was around - when in fact he was dead by 1868. Again, these recollections can be, on the whole, disregarded in light of the passage of time and the book's publication in...what? The 1930s? Particularly since many other first person details are clearly contemporaneous with the time of recordation and shed much light on her work and devotion. Still, written in a journalistic/diary style this is neither Lewis and Clark nor Samuel Pepys and must be endured as much as appreciated.

At The End Of The Santa Fe Trail

This story was so bland and boring. I listened to the audio book version. I wanted to enjoy the story, but it seemed to be more of a list than a story. it seemed also to be more braggard than anything else.