Overview

If one were to be asked which states played the most prominent role in our nation's history in the middle of the 19th century most people would reply California or Utah or Texas, or states involved in the conflict over slavery. Few would probably suggest including Minnesota on such a list, but an argument can be made for its inclusion. For starters, the Dread Scott decision which helped lead to the Civil War came about when an enslaved man sued for his freedom based upon his having been moved from a slave state to Minnesota which being part of the Louisiana Purchase slavery was banned there. The Panic of 1857, which plunged the nation into a depression had much to do with land speculation in Minnesota. When the Civil War broke out, Minnesota was the first state to pledge volunteers to President Lincoln, and its regiments played a prominent role throughout the war in such battles and campaigns as Shilo, Gettysburg, and Sherman's March to the Sea. These events, as well as the Sioux Uprising of 1862, in which over 800 Minnesota settlers were slaughtered sets the backdrop for this tale of one family of pioneers who migrated into the state at this time. In addition to these challenges, the family had to deal with the more personal issues of adultery, incest, insanity, murder, deception, treachery, and intrigue. The cast of characters include a girl forced into marriage against her will at age 13, a Mississippi riverboat gambler, the founders of one of the world's most prestigious medical clinics, a secret bigamist, a mariticide, soldiers fighting in the Civil War, as well as the victims and perpetrators of the Sioux Uprising. Among those making cameos in this drama are Laura Ingles Wilder, Ulyssis S. Grant, the Drs. Mayo, founders of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, and Richard Sears, founder of Mercantile giant Sears Roebuck.

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John D. Russell is a retired school teacher living in Southern California. Though primarily a short story writer, he has written this work of historical fiction based on stories told to him of his pioneer Minnesota ancestors when he was young. Once he grew up, he began to research into these stories to test their veracity. Not only did he find that most of the stories were true, but he uncovered many more fascinating details about the lives of these pioneer ancestors that made their stories even more compelling, making American history come alive and more personal in the telling.

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