At the End of the Santa Fe Trail

At the End of the Santa Fe Trail, first published in 1932 (and reprinted in 1948), is Sister Blandina Segale’s account of her life in the southwestern U.S. from 1872 to 1892. Sister Blandina (1850-1941), born in Italy and emigrating with her family to Cincinnati when she was a child, worked with the poor, the sick, immigrants, prisoners, and Native Americans while in Trinidad, Colorado, and in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico (and later in Ohio). The book is based in large part on her journal and on the letters she exchanged with her sister Justina, who was also a religious sister in Ohio. 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. Recent efforts have been made by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to have Sister Blandina made a saint, and in November 2015, the Archdiocese closed its inquiry and will present its findings to the Vatican for review and verification. Included in this new edition are the original Author’s Note and Foreword from the 1932 book, and Chapter Notes and Bibliography from the 1948 edition.