author

Almira Stillwell Cole

A spirited 19th-century travel writer, she is best remembered for a lively account of riding by mule through Honduras in 1891. Her voice feels candid, funny, and adventurous, turning a difficult journey into a vivid personal story.

1 Audiobook

Six Days on the Hurricane Deck of a Mule

Six Days on the Hurricane Deck of a Mule

by Almira Stillwell Cole

About the author

Almira Stillwell Cole was an American writer remembered for Six Days on the Hurricane Deck of a Mule, a short travel narrative about a mule-back journey in Honduras in August 1891. The book was published in New York in 1893 by the Knickerbocker Press.

The work itself suggests an independent, determined personality. In its opening pages, she writes about deciding to live in the interior of Honduras despite anxious warnings from friends and relatives, and she recounts the trip with humor and resilience rather than self-pity.

Reliable biographical details about her life appear to be scarce in the sources I could confirm. One notable detail preserved with the text is that the 1893 edition was published after her death for distribution among her relatives and friends, which suggests the book also served as a memorial to her adventurous spirit.