hese ideals can be observed in most of the womens writings. The separate spheres became less distinct, and working hard became less important in California. This was difficult for many women to consider, but some adjusted quite well. Mrs. Mary E. Ackley wrote about the fuzzy division of labor that took place in her boarding house in Sacramento. With so much to be done at the time of a flood, the men took on the chore of cooking.20 At times of crisis, necessity induced people to do work they might never have done before coming to West. Likewise, Martha Morrison recalled that,the women helped pitch the tents, helped unload, and helped yoking up the cattle. Some of the women did nearly all the yoking; many times the men were off. One time my father was away hunting cattle... and that left Mother and the children to attend to everything...21 When needed, the women took on the hard labor and responsibility they would never have been expected to shoulder at home. They were no longer tied to the home, but were expected to aid the family in many other areas.Mary Jane Megquier writes about the changing attitudes towards work in California. Her letters give a good idea of the way she thought about work and responsibility. They also show how the work ethic was changing in San Francisco society in general. The ideas about how one achieved status were different in California. Of Uncle Horace (a relative also in California), Megquier writes, Uncle Horace is without any visible means of support but looks as though he lived off the fat of the land and as full of fun as ever, Every one is pleased with him, it would only take a good suit of clothes to take him into the best society...22 The social lines are not so cleanly drawn here as they would have been in Victorian New England. It did not matter if people knew that Uncle Horace was lazy and unproductive. He was entertaining to be around, and he looked successful. San Francisca...
