Sara Robinson was born Sara Tappan Doolitle in 1827 in New England and came to Kansas in April of 1855. She was the young bride of Dr. Charles Robinson, who had helped found Lawrence the previous year. Her husband had also squatted a claim for their home on the side of Mt. Oread. To this site Sara came, and took on the challanges of creating a home.

The young Mrs. Robinson kept a journal of the pioneer life. It was the basis for a book titled "Kansas, Its Interior and Exterior Life" she published in 1856. From her we learn much about their crude cabin, the landscape of the small village of Lawrence, plants and animals, her neighbors, and travelers on the Oregon Trail, which crossed Mt. Oread.

Sara's diaries also document the trials and tribulations of Dr. Robinson and other leaders in the Free State movement. This included the arrest (by pro-slavery factions)of Dr. Robinson for using the title "Governor" of a free territory, burning of their home and much of Lawrence by "Sheriff" Jones, and being held prisoners for most of a year, starting in 1856. Sara Robinson died in 1911 at the age of 84. She lived in a "beautiful old-fashioned home" about four miles northeast of Lawrence. Her journals provide a glimpse of Sara's wit, sensitivity, and optimism during trying times.