As is typical of many pioneer diaries, Mary notes much about the landscape, the weather, and everyday happenings on the journey. Yet the diary is more than an account of her migration. It expresses real fears and emotions that were part of the pioneer woman's journey to the west. It is these fears that form the subtext. The diary communicates the immediacy of Mary Riddle's self, her reactions, her moods, her dreams, and her fears. It does not communicate much of what we today think of as an individualized personality. Mrs. Riddle is even tempered, moderately optimistic, and steadfast. But her individualized personality is not brought out as in fictionalized characters.