Making something of yourself is challenging enough, let alone in 1874 on the frontier.
Sometimes it meant trying something new to achieve your dreams or bringing new perspectives together.
I’ve come to love the characters on Hope Valley: 1874 because they’re strong, opinionated, and unafraid to dream.
During Hope Valley: 1874 Season 1 Episode 3, both Rebecca and Tom shared different experiences and perspectives about the prospectors.
They’re both stuck in their ways, but that gentle nudge went a long way.
Olivia Quinn didn’t look like she fit in on the frontier, but she was the perfect person to capture its beauty and time-honored traditions. because she remembered arriving as a child.
Trying to Win Over the Prospectors
The gold rush has become such a massive part of the frontier. For some, it’s the only way that the settlers survived.
While I would have been nervous about opening a boarding house to strange men around a child, I understood that Rebecca needed the money.
I just remember reading the Little House on the Prairie books, and the Ingalls opening up their house to feed prospectors passing by. It seemed dangerous.
But Rebecca and Sarah seemed eager to get to know them and win them over.
So, when Rebecca learned that several men hit it big, she decided to open up a mess tent in the camp, thinking that the prospectors would appreciate some home cooking.
Unfortunately, Rebecca seemed stubborn, too. Most people out west have never tried gumbo and are used to simple cooking like stew or salt pork, potatoes, and beans.
No one likes to pay for food they’ve never tried before. Sarah finally offered samples of her mom’s gumbo, which most of them enjoyed.
But that still didn’t help them make any more money for their repair fund, and they’ll need to hope the prospectors like the next thing they make.
Rebecca should ask what some of their favorites are, and then she might make more money.
Can An Old Horse Learn New Tricks?
Even stubborn men can learn new tricks. Tom Moore swore he wanted nothing to do with the prospectors, but he didn’t want to lose his ranch hands, either.
It’s a rough life out there. It’s hard to fault some of them for wanting to try panning for gold, especially if they had a family.
All Tom saw initially was that his workers deserted him. He didn’t consider why or if there was a solution.
It wasn’t until he learned that several were hitting it big upstream that he began to ponder the repercussions. Did he need to hire new workers or compromise with his men?
At least Jeremiah came to Tom when he quit, revealing that he got engaged and needed fast money to provide for them.
That showed respect, even if it wasn’t what Tom wanted. It also made Tom think about Rebecca’s advice that they needed to all work together.
I never expected it, but Tom swallowed his pride, approached his men, told them their strengths, and offered them their jobs back.
While he couldn’t pay them in gold, he offered them a day off each week to pan for it.
That showcased that he had heard their needs, and his men returned in the end to finish building the fence.
Those cowboys were a family.
Daring to Dream on the Frontier
I love Olivia. Roan Curtis has grown up playing awkward Kate on Firefly Lane to an elegant dreamer on Hope Valley: 1874.
While she longed to live in the worldly city, there seemed to be something innocent about her. It’s like she couldn’t believe that two men could be interested in her or that dreams come true.
Clayton had often complimented her art, but Olivia blew it off, thinking he was being kind. I loved that he helped Olivia, even if his rival, Alexander, would spend more time with her.
For years, Olivia assumed she only doodled, but now her hobby might actually make her money. As writers, we understand that.
Making 50 cents for a drawing was a lot of money back then and something to be proud of.
It’s understandable why Hattie feared her daughter might spread her wings and fly.
Olivia’s main problem remained that she didn’t know how to capture the beauty of the frontier since she was so anxious to escape it.
This has been one of the most fun love triangles since both men care deeply about Olivia and her dreams.
They’re not out to one-up each other, but to inspire her, even though she’s doubting herself.
I loved the scene of Alexander and Olivia by the river as she remembered the adventures of living in a sod house and ice fishing.
Resilience, strength, and family were the biggest parts of frontier living, and that’s what she tried to capture in her drawings.
Too Important to Be Forgotten
Poor Sarah. She had gotten used to being her mother’s right-hand woman and hated being discarded.
While Rebecca thought Sarah would like to explore and make friends, she wanted to experience it with her mother.
The young girl felt hurt that she kept being discarded in favor of her mother’s new business venture, when the two of them used to do everything together.
She didn’t want to be forgotten, a common thread. Rebecca adored her daughter and needed her, since Sarah knew how to charm some of the prospectors better than she did.
Hattie Quinn also feared being forgotten. That’s the burden of being a mother to a dreamer, and she saw her friend, Phoebe, distance herself after her son left.
I loved how Olivia drew everyone in town, but especially her mom, Hattie, who has always been her hero.
While Hattie seems tough, she has more strength and compassion than anyone, and no one could ever forget her.
I love how the episode ended with Hattie finally getting Phoebe out of her house to help Rebecca fix her tent. That’s the way to inspire people.
Over to you, Hearties. Have Rebecca and Sarah won over the prospectors?
Has Tom learned how to compromise and respect the prospectors more? Will Olivia’s dreams come true?
Let us know in the comments.
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