After the West Was Won: Homesteaders and Town-Builders in Western South Dakota, 1900-1917 [Paperback]

Paula M. Nelson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

After the frontier settlement line disappeared in the 1890s, there were still areas of the Great Plains that had not been settled. Nelson examines one of these areas: South Dakota west of the Missouri River. With great style, she details the life of the homesteader trying to establish a farm in dry country and of the towns attempting to build a sound economic foundation. Her readable narrative is soundly based on memoirs, newspaper accounts, and county histories. The story of the self-reliance and determination needed to settle the Plains is one that needs to be told, and Nelson has made an important contribution by examining a typical area. Essential for collections on the West; an important acquisition for others.Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: University Of Iowa Press; First Paperback edition (December 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877452504
• ISBN-13: 978-0877452508
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,928,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting South Dakota read, July 28, 2011

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Twilliam - See all my reviews

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This review is from: After the West was won: Homesteaders and town-builders in western South Dakota, 1900-1917 (Paperback)

If you're interested in South Dakota history or Plains history in general, this book is a good compilation of history about living 'West River'. Most of the most interesting stories are from old newspaper accounts at the beginning of the 20th Century. There are suprising stories in the book that show a darker side of West River folks 'back in the day'. I'll leave it to you to read some of the accounts like dabbling in the KKK and such. Even growing up for a while 'West River', I never heard many of the things that are mentioned from grandparents and great uncles/aunts that grew up during that time frame. I will say that the author also seems to want to convey the feeling that West River South Dakota is like a foreign planet that was colonized, and the result was a total failure. The author doesn't connect too well with the people still living there in that they seem to be portrayed as stubborn folks hanging on and blind to their own plight.