One Trip Wonders is the story of three ordinary women in the 1890s who took on extraordinary challenges for the promise of a prize. Annie Edson Taylor, a sixty-three-year-old widow, became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Helga Estby walked across the United States to win a wager that could save her family’s farm. And Annie Londonderry bicycled around the world (sort of) to prove that a woman could do anything a man could, and collect the reward. Their true stories are funny, fearless, and sometimes heartbreaking, reminders that courage often begins with desperation and a dash of audacity.
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PREFACE
Before you dive in, take a good look at the three women on the cover of this book. At first glance, they seem like typical Victorian ladies with long skirts, serious faces, maybe a little stiff for the camera. But look closer. There are hints of something more, of women ready to step outside the rules of corsets and convention, women determined to make a better life for themselves.
At the top left are Helga and Clara Estby, mother and daughter, wearing the new “bloomers” or split skirts that made walking easier and symbolized a kind of quiet rebellion. At the top right stands Annie Edson Taylor, beside the barrel she rode over Niagara Falls in a daring bid for fame and fortune. And in the bottom center is Annie Londonderry, who pedaled her way around the world, though definitely not in that long dress she’s wearing in the photo.
These are the One-Trip Wonders: three women who took incredible risks for one big chance. And these are their stories.
Print Length: 30 pages
Publisher: Emence Enterprises LLC
Copyright © 2025 by Jean Wilson Murray
