Nothing Here But Stones: A Jewish Pioneer Story

by Nancy Oswald

At first I thought everything in America would look like New York City, with shops and crowded streets, but I have discovered, the farther west we travel, that there are long stretches of nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I only hope the place we are going to is not so empty.

A Russian Jewish family struggles to make a new start in America

To Emma, Colorado seems as barren as an unfinished house. The land is too poor to farm, so Papa must work long hours in the mines. The trials of frontier life are especially hard for these Russian Jewish immigrants, who speak no English and practice a different religion from the others in the area. With a harsh, hungry winter coming, the settlement needs some good luck. Can Emma make it happen?

Based on the real struggles of an exceptional group of pioneers who came west in 1882, this is a finely crafted portrait of a family striving to make a home out of nothing.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Jewish, Juvenile

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Nancy Oswald loves the west and writing about it. She’s a native Coloradan with a focus on Colorado-set historical fiction for young readers. She has also published non-fiction articles, a biography, and a humorous baseball, sibling rivalry story. Oswald’s books have won the Willa Literary Award, Spur Award, Evvy Award, CAL Award, and have had numerous finalist recognitions. Nancy enjoys gardening and helping on the family ranch where she lives with her husband, cows, dogs, cats, and one nearly human donkey who makes mischief at home and on the pages of the Ruby and Maude Adventures set in Cripple Creek, 1896. Her first picture book was released October 1, 2019.

Reviews

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young adult/ juvenile novel bringing to life a Russian Jewish settlement in Cotopaxi, CO that experienced the harsh environment of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The author is local to the area I live in and owns the land that this settlement was on.

[Yaqueliné · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the character, Emma, and how real she truly is. I also enjoy reading this book because I can see the struggles for the immigrants that come to the United States for a better life. The only reason on why I am not giving this book five stars is because I expected more, much more. When I read the summary I though it was going to be an adventure to die for, but all I got was the real struggles of a girl trying to live life in a different world. I know, I know. I feel that I am expecting too much when it's based on real life events.

Now the story truly becomes to life is when Emma meets Mazel, her lucky horse. When I found out it would have horses I freaked out because I adore horses with a passion - well they're my spirit animal. Again, I though that he would have a bigger role in the story, but him just being in the story is good enough. Even at times I got frighten over him, silly me.

Over all this is a good book with a real story at hand. If you're not familiar with the Jewish culture then this book will help you learn more about their colorful culture.

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my comments on Mark Kurlansky's "Story of Salt," I mentioned that one of the joys of my addiction to children's books was being able to get to easier-to-read versions of weightier "adult" volumes. You also find out about stuff you might not otherwise have known, like Jewish Russian immigrants of the late nineteenth century living in other places besides New York. Told in the voice of the spunky Emma, this is the tale of a family trying to eke out a living in the beautiful but unforgiving landscape of Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains (the humor in the name is not lost on Oswald). It's based in reality: there really was a Cotopaxi Jewish Colony. It's a book that will get kids thinking about immigration and assimilation (what you lose as well as what you gain), American history and the history of Jews in America, as well as one that's about learning to be yourself (not easy for Emma).

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOT RECOMMENDED - I suspect Debbie Reese @AICL would have a lot to see about Indigenous representation in this book. Too bad, because I found the writing engaging, the characters compelling, and overall enjoyed the book -- except the parts where the characters (Russian Jewish immigrants) interacted with the Colorado Indigenous people. For example, the protagonist (12-ish yr. old girl) was able to approach a group of Native Americans without being noticed (seems highly unlikely) except eventually by a small child who did not alert his family that this girl was taking their horse (which they had stolen from the girl's family). Supposedly this was because the boy was grateful that when he and his mother had come to the girl's cabin begging for food, she fed them. (And then when they left, they stole the girl's horse.)

This all seems set up to make these white folks heroic and the Native Americans seem helpless and lacking in morals.

Also, page 57-58: "Two bloody men stood near the trees looking at me. They were naked from the waist up and held sharp knives with bone handles. A deer hung between them, strung by a rope, dangling from its hind legs. . . . One of the men spoke. He pointed at me with his bloody knife and said words in a language that sounded like a dog growling. . . . Nearby, a boy squatted by the fire, roasting a piece of red meat on a stick. He pulled it from the fire and began to eat, tearing the meat with his teeth, chewing slowly."

The man then spoke to her in English (which she does not speak). Seems odd that he first would have spoken to her in his language (which she obviously would not have understood). Then she panics, yells in Yiddish, and the group of Natives then all laugh at her, make fun of her speech, and she runs away.

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fictional account of a family that lived in an actual colony of Russian-Jewish immigrants near Cotopaxi, Colorado (1882-1884).
This follows the story of Emma, a young girl, middle-child, who has traveled from Russia with her papa, older sister Adar, younger sister Ruth and baby brother Leb across America by train to the tiny town of Cotopaxi. I really enjoyed the innocent, first-person narrative from Emma and thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Content-wise: I think this book could be read to a child as young as 6. An 8 yr old girl would enjoy reading it on her own. Very Little House feel to it.

**Mild spoilers from here on down**
The immigrants had been promised rich farm land they would own themselves as well as houses. When they arrive at Cotopaxi, they find that the houses are not only unfinished, they are small and there are not enough.
While the men of the settlement scramble to finish the houses, they are quickly running out of money and are not allowed to stay at the hotel longer.
They move into the houses and begin planting (after they try hard to fix the rocky soil), but an early frost kills most everything and ruins the possibility of paying their debts. A late winter brings hungry bears to their camp that take all their chickens.
Eventually, most of the men of the settlement must work, first in a near-by mine, then for the railroad company. They barely make it through the first winter, though they do lose someone dear along the way.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Emma, her widowed father, her two sisters, and her baby brother have left their home in a small village in Russia to immigrate to America. In Russia, their lives were dangerous because they were Jews, and they were not allowed to own land. Emma's father dreams of building a better life for his family and being able to own a farm. Emma's family is part of a group of Russian Jewish immigrants hoping to build an agricultural colony on the Colorado frontier. But when they arrive in Colorado, they find they have been deceived. The land is poor, and their houses are unfinished. Emma must work hard to help her family, and she is desperately lonely and longs for her mother, who died in Russia shortly before the family left for America. It is only when she saves the life of an injured horse that she finally finds a friend.

I loved this unusual historical novel. I have read many historical fiction books about Jewish immigrants, but none about Jewish pioneers who settled on the frontier. I really enjoyed reading about this forgotten piece of history and I highly recommend this book to young readers who enjoy immigrant or pioneer stories.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little historical novel for a number of reasons:
1) I grew up in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo mountains so the setting is very familiar to me. Yes, I have even been to Cotopaxi.
2) I am a middle child so I really identified with Emma: "I do not like being in the middle of the family. There is never an excuse. I cannot say I am too old or too young. There is no room to wiggle. Being in the middle means being stuck like the wheel of the wagon that carried our things up the wide sandy draw of Oak Grove Creek."...and "with me it is different. No matter how hard I try, I cannot please..."
3) I liked the authentic feel of the characters and their story. I even stopped to look up the author to find out if she was Jewish. No, but she certainly did her research well.
4)The writing was superb. I did not feel like I was being beat over the head with a history lesson. It felt like I was right there with that struggling little settlement.

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russian Jewish immigrants are enticed to the little community of Cotopaxi, Colorado, by an agent who promises them good farmland and houses. They arrive to find that the mountainous land is rocky and unplowable, and the houses are little better than a roof--no windows, no doors. This book gives a fictional account of the real community's struggles to survive their first winter (the crops are late due to the work necessary to clear the land and complete the houses, and are killed before they can be harvested).
The author, Nancy Oswald, was inspired to write this book because part of the community lived on what is now her land.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born in Leadville, Colorado in 1976 and I heard from my sister in law who currently is living in Leadville told me abou this book taking place up there so I thought I would see what I thought about this book. I enjoyed this book alot. I finished it all ready. Its an easy read. Very heart warming.


More later.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This children's novel is about Jewish settlers in Colorado in the 1800s. Not knowing much about that, I found the story interesting in that regard. However, the pacing is slow and never really builds to anything. The plodding along seems to just reflect the colony the story was based on which ended up dissolving.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this to my kids, though it was sad and quiet. I felt like they learned things from this historical fiction. At one point, 4 of the 5 of us who were reading were crying. It does end upbeat and about halfway through it I could tell they were getting into it. 3.5 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think Little House on the Prairie but with Jews emigrating from Russia to Colorado. This glimpse into an unfamiliar part of our history successfully illustrates what life was like then. Be forewarned that there are some difficult parts that may be too mature for younger children.

[Laurie]

I have read a lot of pioneer stories, but I don't recall ever reading one about Jewish pioneers to the West. This sounds interesting.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another young people's book about an interesting piece of American history. I read it in a couple of hours.