Pioneers

Notes from the Frontier author's new novel coming soon!

For sound, please click the note icon in the bottom right of the video.

Special thanks to Oscar-Winning Dances with Wolves co-composer Peter Buffett for use of his spectacular music from 500 Nations.

Pioneer Survival Guides in the 1800s

The mortality rate of westering pioneers was very high. Perhaps the greatest cause of death was pioneers not knowing the basics of survival.

How Log Cabins Were Built

The log cabin is an American icon. The rough-hewn, squat and humble house has long been lionized in our lore.

Daniel Boone, Frontier Icon

Baby boomers grew up on the 1964 Daniel Boone tv series and the theme song. Some of you may even be able to sing along.

The Legend of Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman in 1774 in Massachusetts. His father was a Minuteman under George Washington.

Parting of the Ways

By far the most traveled frontier route West was a common trail shared by Oregon-bound and California-bound settlers.

In Praise of Oxen

If patience is a virtue, oxen are saints.

What Pioneers Packed to Go West

Packing could mean the difference between life and death on the trail and varied wildly depending upon sensibilities.

Death on the Trail

The Oregon Trail has been called a 2,000-mile-long graveyard.

My Pioneer Mother

Both my mother and my mother-in-law grew up on Iowa farms and attended one-room country schools.