Homesteading: Settling America's Heartland

by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, William Muñoz (Illustrator)

Chronicles the activities of the homesteaders who settled the vast American prairies during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

Genres: History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

As a child, my favorite activity was exploring nature, especially finding animals like frogs, toads, and lizards. I kept tropical fish, had a dog, and loved riding horses. My love of animals led to a Ph.D. degree from U.C. Berkley in Zoology. In grad school I met and married fellow student Greg Patent. Our two sons, David and Jason, were born before we finished school. I wanted to use my training and my knowledge, but I also wanted to raise my sons and be there for them when they needed me. I decided that writing the kind of books I'd always loved reading was a good solution to my dilemma, and that turned out to be true. One of my favorite things is learning new "stuff," and every time I tackle a new book project I get to indulge myself in that passion. I'm a lucky gal!

Fast forward to the present. Our sons are grown and have their own families. We live in Missoula, MT, where Greg is now a food writer (http://www.thebakingwizard.com) and a radio personality (httpp://www.mtpr.org--look for Food Guys). My writing has expanded to other nonfiction topics, especially ones dealing with the Westward Expansion period of U.S. history. I've taught writing classes in many venues, visited schools in most U.S. states, attended many conferences for teachers and librarians, won a number of awards, and had great travel adventures in pursuit of my subject matter.

Reviews

[Mike Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

Indigenous population is dismissed in three short paragraphs, clearing the land for "brave pioneers". If that's adequate history, then I'm the King of Wessex.

[Lexy Nuesch]

This book was another that aided me with my History Day project. It told that Abraham Lincoln said “This will do something for the little fellow.” Galusha Grow, was the Pennsylvania representative who authored the Homestead Act, and he called it “Free land for free man.” The first pioneers that went west ignored the land settled by homesteaders later. They thought of it as a Great American Desert. Getting an education was difficult during the homestead era. Homestead claims were still being filed one hundred years after Abraham Lincoln sighed the Act. More then 270 million acres had been transferred to private ownership.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

"With the Homestead Act, the prairie became the new land of opportunity, where a hardworking family could make a life, even if they had few resources other than strong backs and strong wills. "Uncle Sam is rich enough to give everyone a farm!", the people declared." Page 9
Aaaannd, Page 18 "After the first few years of homesteading, the popular saying became, "The government bet you 160 acres of land against $18 that you will starve to death before you live on the land for five years.""

(Deadpan face)