On August 13, 2021 Lynn Roper visited Lincoln South Rotary Club and shared the story of Mari Sandoz.
Mari was born in Sheridan County just south of Hay Springs Nebraska. The oldest child, she bore most of the responsibility for taking care of the other children. She dreamed of writing but was not supported by her family but she pursued and became successful against all odds.
She spoke only German until she went to school at age 9. Her father had a violent temper and was enraged at her reading and writing. At age 12 she submitted a story to the Omaha Daily News and it was printed. Her father, enraged, beat her and put her in the cellar with the mice and the snakes.He regularly forced her to do hard labor on the farm. She suffered snow blindness after working in the snow for too long - permanent blind in her right eye from that.
She listened to stories and experienced a great deal that all went into her memories and later into her writing. She was married for 5 years but, after divorce she never spoke of him again.
She moved to Lincoln in 1919 - she wanted to be away from her family and be independent. She held a number of jobs with little pay and also enrolled in college. She earned about $35 per month and paid $8 per week for rent. Most of the rest went for stamps as she wrote stories and articles and mailed to numerous papers and magazines around the United States. With no money for food she would go to a free cafeteria where she could get crackers and sugar and tea was available.
The publishers often mentioned that her writing was too gloomy. Another drawback was that the stories were based in the Sandhills of Nebraska. They did not feel people could relate as it was not a familiar location.
It was 12 years, after thousands of rejection letters, before her first book would be published. She was surprised when her father asked, on his death bed, to write the story of his life. Old Jules was her first published book in 1935. She was paid $5,000 for that manuscript.
She became a full time writer and was able to make a good living. Her books were generally well received though not as well in Nebraska. They were brutally honest and told stories of life in the Sandhills.
Her second book was a fictional story that was considered too sultry and was banned in Omaha. Her third book Capital City was supposed to be fictional written about the parasites in government as they climb for money and power.
She moved to Colorado as she wanted to learn about Crazy Horse. She walked the battlefields and stayed at Indian camps. Her notes filled 5000 note cards. She published the biography of Crazy Horse in 1942. She told the story from the Indian perspective. She uses Indian dialogue which makes it difficult to understand in the first pages but readers catch on.
Wanting to be closer to the publishers and to see them in person rather than communicating by mail and telegram, she moved to New York. Her plan was to stay for 2-3 years but she ended there for the final 23 days of her life. Her final book, The Battle of Little Big Horn, was finished on her deathbed.
She published nearly 20 books. She was a teacher, spoke at writers conferences including an 8-week teaching and writers workshop at the University of Wisconsin. Established as a regional writer and historian, she was often asked to speak at colleges, book fairs and historical societies.
Louise Pound nominated her and she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nebraska in 1950.
Marie Sandoz Heritage Society - https://www.marisandoz.org/
BIO
Lynn Roper recently retired after a 42-year career with Merrill Lynch where she was a financial advisor and managed the Lincoln, NE office. In addition to numerous business awards recognizing her professional success, Lynn has been an active volunteer serving many of Nebraska’s nonprofit groups and foundations in a leadership role.
She has served on the board of directors of the University of Nebraska Foundation, the Woods Charitable Fund, Lincoln Library Foundation, Nebraska Environmental Trust and numerous charities. She currently serves on the board of the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital and is president of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and president of the Center for People in Need, treasurer of the Western History Association and treasurer of the Nebraska Community Foundation.