This move was partly motivated by Kansas' incorporation into the federal union, as her father opposed slavery, and by the fact that the land he purchased was likely to be near the new route of the Santa Fé railway.
Here, Orpen, her father, and her guardian, Adelia Sarah Gates, fully engaged in the frontier lifestyle, building a simple frame house, and managing horses and cattle.
This childhood spent in isolation, with much required of her to survive on the frontier, is seen as having a strong influence on her life, and made her relationship with her father very close.
[5] Her most notable works are non-fiction and are biographical and autobiographical: The chronicles of the Sid; or, The life and travels of Adelia Gates in 1893, and Memories of the old emigrant days in Kansas, 1862–1865 in 1926.
[1] [6] Her writing career ended at its pinnacle in 1900, when her father transferred the Monksgrange estate to Orpen and she decided to devote herself to its management completely.
[1] In 1923, the house at Monksgrange was raided by republicans during the Irish Civil War, apparently Orpen avoiding being shot on one occasion with a quick verbal rejoinder.