Book Description
It was on the vast American prairie that people from around the world seized the opportunity for personal and economic freedom promised by free land. Traveling across oceans and continents, these hard-nosed, pragmatic people began arriving in the 1860s with shovels and plows, convinced they were part of something important. They were. Putting hand to plow and breaking the sod for their first crude homes, these hardy settlers left an indelible thumbprint on American history and on the country’s character. Though many of their ventures ended in failure, their risks permanently enhanced the nation’s diversity and its sense of independence and resourcefulness.
900 Miles from Nowhere is the heartfelt chronicle of the daily lives and personal struggles of Great Plains homesteaders, told in their own voices through many never-before-published letters, diaries, and photographs. Believing absolutely that they could control their own destiny, they bet everything they owned, even in the face of insurmountable obstacles. This is the remarkable and ever-inspiring story of life on the grasslands that stretch from Canada to Mexico.
Customer Reviews:
Greater Respect for American Pioneers.......2007-01-31
After reading "900 Miles from Nowhere" I am amazed at the pioneer spirit, and their toughness and tenacity. Settlers of the Great Plains suffered hardship upon misfortune living in crude huts and sod houses and breaking ground in an often inhospitable land. Their prize was 160 acres of free or inexpensive land given by the United States government to help populate the drier lands of the middle west. "All" they had to do was improve their land for several years, during which time they experienced some or a combination of the following natural disasters: drought, tornadoes and high winds, extreme heat, plagues of locusts, and blizzards, as well as personal torments in the form of isolation, scarcity of food and funds, unsanitary and uncomfortable living conditions, disease, and death. That anyone managed to hang on, let alone prosper, in these conditions boggles my "modern day" mindset.
The letters and diary entries in this book showcase the actual thoughts, experiences and emotions of many pioneers between 1860 and 1910. Their stoicism is inspiring and their work ethic is astounding. The optimism and sometimes the bleakness of some excerpts really tugs at your heart. The photographs are amazing, collected from many historical museums in the midwest. You see formally dressed families proudly posing in front of their sod huts, and in the background the flat prairie seems to stretch to infinity, looking more like Mars than somewhere on Earth. It's fascinating to study the faces of these people, and know that you are looking at some of the builders of America who gave it their all.
Several of my ancestors lived on claims in Montana during that same period. Now I know what they must have experienced in trying to get their share of the American dream.
Great history lesson.......2007-01-10
If you're one of those people who think hardships mean your computer is down or you've lost a cell phone call or maybe your morning coffee isn't just the blend you prefer, this book should be a wake up call. Steven R. Kinsella 's "900 Miles From Nowhere," is a compilation of letters, journal entries and other documents in which the settlers of the Great Plains describe in their own words the immense hardships they faced as they established homes, farms and towns on the vast American prairie.
Kinsella, a former press secretary to U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, now lives in St. Paul, Minn. He is a great-grandson of Great Plains homesteaders. Kinsella did hours of research for this fascinating book which offers insight into the courage and determination our ancestors faced as they struggled to make new lives for themselves in the frontier.
The book's title comes from a letter written by a new bride whose husband had taken her to a sod house in western South Dakota. Still, the 23-year-old woman was cheerily optimistic as she wrote about the construction of her "other house," a two-story frame structure that she was more than anxious to occupy. Her determination to succeed despite being "900 miles from nowhere" is a common theme among the writings, and is a pretty good indication of just how this a large part of this country was settled - by people who refused to be defeated.
History buff or not, most readers will find this a very good read. I received it as a gift and ordered a copy to give as a gift.
Book Description
Joining her husband in the fight to create a home out of a rugged stretch of sagebrush, rattlesnakes, and sand in eastern Oregon, Jane Kirkpatrick uneasily relinquishes the security of a professional career; the convenience of electricity, running water, and a phone line; and, perhaps most daunting, the pleasures of sporting a professional manicure. But the pull of the land is irresistible, and they dream of gathering their first harvest from a yet-to-be-planted vineyard.
Rather than the simple life they had envisioned, Jane and Jerry find themselves confronting flood and fire, government bureaucracies, and runaway calves, among other disheartening setbacks. Jane frequently questions the sanity of pioneering in this remote area, known as Starvation Point, and she fights against panic with each trip down the seven-mile, boulder-strewn, rut-carved “driveway” she calls “the reptile road,” which threatens to spill them into the ravine with every lurch of the truck.
But as she learns to navigate her new life, this novice rancher discovers that disappointment, isolation, and danger can’t compete with the generosity of their rural community, the strength of family bonds, and the faithfulness of the God who planted in their hearts the dream of carving a refuge out of an inhospitable land.
Customer Reviews:
a true story of pursuing dreams.......2007-05-02
Jane Kirkpatrick does not abandon her characteristic figures of speech and writing that touches the soul for this nonfiction book. She tells the story of homesteading on Starvation Point, a remote area along the John Day River in Oregon, where life acquires new significance and she realizes her dream of becoming a writer. This book gives evidence that a person's writing comes from his or her life, the experiences and people encountered on the journey of life. Throughout this book one can find the origin of many events and characters in Jane's novels. Her memoir is a well-written story that gives insight into the pursuit of dreams.
Homestead.......2007-03-28
This was an excellent book! very good reading and would be appropriate for anyone. Good story and I loving knowing it is all something that happened!
Five star book and writer...Homestead.......2006-10-02
This was the first book By Jane that I read. I was so impressed with her story and her writing that I immediately went out and bought her next trilogy. Upon reading the first of those books which I found as interesting, entertaining and historically accurate that I immediately went and bought every book she has ever written and am waiting for the next one.
This from a reader that doesn't read frilly stuff. It has to have substance and thought and be presented in a way that can keep you awake after a hard day of overtime.
Judy Burnett
Salt Lake City
From the Dry, Hard Soil.......2006-06-13
Jane Kirkpatrick's writing carries with it the spirit of the pioneers. "Homestead" chronicles the Kirkpatricks' effort as a married couple to carve out a living from the dry, hard soil of eastern Oregon. They rough it as they go along, working toward a suitable well, a home with an actual foundation, and a road that doesn't rattle their teeth from their jaws.
A fitting testimony to the stubborn stamina and ingenuity of modern pioneers--and a bracing reminder of what our forbears went through--this book is also a heartwarming look into the meaning of family, faith, and friendship. Jane's love of life shines through every chapter, and yet there is no glossing over the troubles, large or small. This is an honest account of the price one pays to pave his or her own way.
While straightforward and economical, "Homestead" is a book that breathes with the fires of imagination and good humor. Jane's writing qualifies this story as a modern masterpiece. My wife and I read some of the chapters aloud to one another, and at a few points we were laughing to the point of tears; at others, we were moved to prayers of thankfulness for our creature comforts and to quiet hugs of love. This is a book for all to enjoy, and one that'll be read for years to come.
Grasp every day.......2006-03-29
Not many people would have the courage to take on what Jane and Jerry do, as chronicled in Homestead by Jane Kirkpatrick. Whether it's shooting rattlesnakes or handling dog seizures, surviving a plane crash or navigating a treacherous road, chasing down run away calves or protecting watermelons from the onslaught of deer, the Kirkpatrick's seem to have faced and conquered it all. Such stories usually make for great fiction. The most startling realization, however, is that this story is real.
Jane recalls everything from the beginning, in this memoir of personal struggle and ultimate triumph. To move to an unbroken land and settle into its rhythms, to find a home among the wilds was a dream that she and her husband shared. More often than not, however, it seemed that this dream was as unmanageable as the road they had to travel just to get there. Everything kept going wrong. From broken machinery to tragedies of a larger scale, the Kirkpatricks found that these events kept drawing them closer to one another. For Jane, the call was to "go to the land and write." And write she did; not only this memoir, but nine novels as well. Settling the land was an adventure and a risk neither of them now regret making.
The book was well written with enough action and personal perspective to keep a reader interested. One can not help but feel Jane's concerns as she watches her husband's vehicle slip desperately close to a cliff edge, as she tries to reach out in the best way she knows how while feeling so inadequate. It isn't within herself or her husband that Mrs. Kirkpatrick finds the strength to carry on. That's the kind of strength she only finds in Christ.
Broken into four parts, the book reads quickly and leaves the reader feeling rejuvenated and wondering, "How on earth did these two manage to do this?" Homestead is a book that challenges while it encourages. It challenges the reader to grasp every day and turn it into something memorable; it encourages to keep eyes focused on the dream, whatever it may be, even when getting to it is tough. This is a good and memorable book for all ages. - Lauren Steigerwald, Christian Book Previews.com
Book Description
In 1973, Norma Cobb, her husband Lester, and the their five children, the oldest of whom was nine-years-old and the youngest, twins, barely one, pulled up stakes in the Lower Forty-eight and headed north to Alaska to follow a pioneer dream of claiming land under the Homestead Act. The only land available lay north of Fairbanks near the Arctic Circle where grizzlies outnumbered humans twenty to one. In addition to fierce winters and predatory animals, the Alaskan frontier drew the more unsavory elements of society's fringes. From the beginning, the Cobbs found themselves pitted in a life or death feud with unscrupulous neighbors who would rob from new settlers, attempt to burn them out, shoot them, and jump their claim.The Cobbs were chechakos, tenderfeet, in a lost land that consumed even toughened settlers. Everything, including their 'civilized' past, conspired to defeat them. They constructed a cabin and the first snow collapsed the roof. They built too close to the creek and spring breakup threatened to flood them out. Bears prowled the nearby woods, stalking the children, and Lester Cobb would leave for months at a time in search of work.But through it all, they survived on the strength of Norma Cobb---a woman whose love for her family knew no bounds and whose courage in the face of mortal danger is an inspiration to us all. This is her story.
Download Description
MINOOK is an adventure memoir and survival tale; this is the personal narrarive of Norma Cobb, who in 1973 became the last woman to homestead in the Alaskan wilderness.
Customer Reviews:
I was very disappointed in this book.......2007-08-02
I was very disappointed in this book. While the first half is entertaining and interesting, it eventually became offensive to me for a number of reasons. The author, Norma Cobb, refers to herself (in the section about working on the pipeline) as "not unattractive" but then later goes on to categorize Susan Butcher as being not much to look at. Well, from looking at the pictures, I might agree with Norma's appraisal of herself, (though it does sound boastful for someone living in Athapaskan country, where the Natives do not boast about themselves), but to denigrate Susan's looks is simply tacky. Many believe that Susan Butcher was a very attractive, natural and wholesome looking woman. Further, when Norma comments on the passes made towards her by another musher, Rick Swenson, well - that is equally tacky, particularly with a well known individual. Unfortunately, these things, along with other things such as poor grammar and incorrect usage of the English language point to someone who appears to be both rather full of herself and disdainful of people with more education. It is a shame that what was essentially a good story had these elements that detracted from it. I was also bothered by the characterization of others in this book as they did not, somehow, "ring true." This assessment was solidified for me when I read Ken Nelson's review of the book. I normally do not cull books from my personal library but this book won't be kept.
Great READ!.......2007-07-06
This was a great book that was easy to read and hard to put down.
The Artic Homestead.......2007-05-13
If you are looking for a book about homesteading in alaska, this is the book. Of all the books that I have read about alaska so far this is the best. If you are an alaskan enthusist like myself you should love this book. Lee from Georgia
Great Book.......2007-04-25
If you're looking for a well-written captivating book - look no further. This book will only last you a couple days or less. The flow of the book allows the reader to quickly get amerced in the personal voyage of the writer and when you come up for air, the book is over.
Arctic Homestead.......2007-03-30
Great book! If you like to read about the outdoors and tough living conditions, you will love this. You can't put it down.
Average customer rating:
|
The homestead doctor
Joseph E Hoadley
Manufacturer: Dr. Joseph E. Hoadley]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Physicians
| Physician & Patient
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Wyoming
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0964910632 |
Average customer rating:
- A Great Book from a Great Geographer
- Informative synopsis of farmers of marginal land in Nevada
|
Utah People in the Nevada Desert: Homestead and Community on a Twentieth-Century Farmers' Frontier
Marshall E. Bowen
Manufacturer: Utah State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Nevada
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Pacific Northwest
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0874211689 |
Customer Reviews:
A Great Book from a Great Geographer.......1999-07-25
Never in a million years would I expect to find a book about Mormon settlers in the Utah desert interesting. Yet this book was extremely interesting and informative. But, this should be no surprise because that has always been Dr. Bowen's gift. I had the pleasure of taking 3 Geography courses with him at Mary Washington College and he was as interesting in person as he is on print. Dr. Bowen could turn the most dry Geography course into the most interesting class on campus. In a country where most people do not know a thing about Geography, just watch Jay Leno, we need people like Dr. Bowen who can teach and entertain at the same time. He is the Patch Adams of Geography! Read this book and even better...go to MWC and take his class.
Informative synopsis of farmers of marginal land in Nevada.......1997-01-04
Marshall Bowen, a distinguished professor of geography at Mary Washington college, describes in great detail the farming settlement occuring around Wells, NV in the early 20th century. He describes factors that caused people to come to this marginal land, what led to their eventual failure and the aftermath. In particular, the author looks at people from Utah who settled here. If you have any interest in frontier settlement or the Utah/Nevada region, this book is an excellent read
Average customer rating:
|
Daniel Boone Homestead: Pennsylvania Trail of History Guide
Sharon Hernes Silverman , and
Kyle R. Weaver
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Northeast
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Mid Atlantic
| Northeast
| Regions
| United States
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Travel Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0811727327 |
Book Description
47 color photos 8 b/w photos 4 color maps 6 x 9 A brief biography of Daniel Boone, with details on his youth in the Oley Valley of Pennsylvania, and the history of the Homestead's later occupants, who reflect the diversity of European settlers in Colonial Pennsylvania. Concludes with a tour of the Boone House and other buildings on the grounds. Sharon Hernes Silverman is a journalist and expert on Pennsylvania's historical sites. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Pennsylvania Heritage and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Average customer rating:
|
The Homestead Act (True Books)
Elaine Landau
Manufacturer: Children's Press (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
1800s
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
1800s
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0516279025 |
Average customer rating:
|
Life on a Pioneer Homestead (Picture the Past)
Sally Senzell Isaacs
Manufacturer: Heinemann Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Audiobooks
| Australia & Oceania
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
General
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Customs, Traditions, Anthropology
| Social Science
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Social Science
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Customs, Traditions, Anthropology
| Social Science
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Social Science
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Life on the Oregon Trail (Picture the Past)
-
The Oregon Trail (True Books)
-
Pioneer Life from A to Z (Kalman, Bobbie, Alphabasics.)
-
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
-
Wagon Train (All Aboard Reading)
ASIN: 1588103005 |
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!.......2007-02-19
I read this book about a year ago, and still think about it. The struggles and determination to make this piece of barren land into a homestead was amazing! I find myself wishing there was a Homestead II just so I could know what is going on out there on the John Day River!
Like an old friend..........2006-07-01
I have read 9 of Jane's books and after reading Homestead, I realized that Jane puts a lot of herself into each of her female characters. This was such an intimate look into her feelings and experiences, I felt like we were old friends.
Inspirational and FUN!.......2006-01-23
After reading Jane's Kinship and Courage series, which I stumbled upon accidentally, and fell in love with, I found her web site and found her autobiographical book Homestead, the updated version just published, which I immediately ordered. What a joy! Her life is an inspiration to all, and it explains her wonderful ability to empathize with the pioneer women who preceded us all into these great western horizons.
If you read Homstead, you will feel that you are a personal friend of Jane's, having shared so intimately in her life. Her faith and courage are very contagious and uplifting. You will finish this book with a longing to see and experience this vast land for yourself .. at least, that's the effect it had on me.
AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!.......2004-02-11
I can't say enuf about this book--grab it and see for yourself--I can't hardly put it down--what a struggle, but thru it all, she gives God all the glory. What faith they had/have!!!! Theo Davis
Great book.......2003-03-03
This was the first book of Jane's that I read. It amazed me how much she did and survived to tell about it, sometimes in a funny way. It is a great way to get to know Jane personally.
Books:
- A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials
- A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620 (Dear America Series)
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- A Picnic in October
- Aztec
- Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West
- Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Totem Rituals and the American Flag (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies)
- Castle: Medieval Days and Knights (A Sabuda & Reinhart Pop-up Book)
- Castle: Medieval Days and Knights (A Sabuda & Reinhart Pop-up Book)
- Cities of the Dead
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Microeconomics Study Guide
- History: Fiction or Science
- Electricity Economics: Regulation and Deregulation
- Creative Campaigning
- History: Fiction or Science
- Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption Into the Catholic Church
- Global Offshore Investment And Business Guide
- Mastering the ISDA Master Agreements
- Econometric Modeling in Economic Education Research
- Hungry for Home: A Wolf Odyssey
Norwegians on the Prairie: Ethnicity and the Development of the Country Town
The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere: a Memoir
Grass of The Earth: Immigrant Life in the Dakota Country (Borealis Books)
In Their Own Words: Letters from Norwegian Immigrants
Twin Cities by Trolley: The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul
