Undaunted: the Miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneers

Undaunted: the Miracle of the Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneers
By Gerald Lund
Deseret Book, 2009. 804 pgs. Historical Fiction

Lund’s saga of Utah pioneers actually starts in the coal mines of southern Yorkshire, England, and follows young David Draper and his father from 1862 to 1880 when they are part of the pioneer company building the road through the Hole-in-the-Rock. Through these and other fictional characters, Lund tells a well researched story of the pioneers who challenged the impassable Utah wilderness in what is now known as Glen Canyon. Lund carries readers through a lot of history with a thread of romance and adventure. With so much story to tell, I wish Lund had done this as a series instead of a single book.

The author has helpfully created the website Undaunted-The Novel, to show the spectacular area that caused the pioneers so much difficulty. He also provides extensive footnotes throughout the book to share facts about historical events and the real pioneers who also inhabit this novel. SH