Publisher's Synopsis
In "Land of the Burnt Thigh," Edith Kohl provides a first-hand account of the grueling, harrowing experiences she encountered as one of the first people to settle the area around the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota in the early 1900s. As background, the Homestead Acts offered free ownership of 270 million acres of public land (10% of America) to people who settle the undeveloped lands west of the Mississippi River. 1.6 million homesteaders responded!When Edith and her sister, Ida Mary, first arrived, they had no idea of the hardships they were to endure as they gazed out upon endless miles of vast, flat, undeveloped, open prairie. All that greeted them that first day was a single, 10 X 12 wooden shack located right in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no one in sight. Then as the sun began to quickly set, powerful winds swirled about them while their ears were filled with the frightful howlings of wild coyotes and wolves!Edith Kohl writes of the harsh realities involved including, in part, finding food and water, dealing with inch-long worms crawling everywhere - even on her bed, being buried in a blinding snow storm, and much more. Ultimately, other settlers arrive as she and her sister meet Sioux Indians living nearby, start a newspaper, trading post, school and post office - all while homesteading themselves.Edith Kohl recorded these historic events from personal experience because she was part of it - she lived it! Her craft of words paints vivid images of what she experienced as she describes the sights, sounds, people and events. She does this so well, it allows readers - generations later - to more fully understand and appreciate the harsh realities of how America's West was settled."Land of the Burnt Thigh" followed by "The Sodbreakers" and then "Woman of the Cavalcade" completes Edith Kohl's trilogy entitled, "Conquering the Wild West - Edith Kohl's Trilogy." Each book gives readers a unique "peek behind the curtain" as Edith describes the people and exciting, sometimes tragic, events as they unfolded. Reading her books is like hearing her voice tell us these remarkable true stories. In so doing, her books comprise an important literary treasure for all Americans who value the history of our country's beginnings.Cliff Ammons, Edith Kohl's nephew, only recently discovered all three of Edith's original, typed manuscripts in her old, "ratty-looking" suitcase that was left unopened for well over fifty years! Cliff now presents all of his aunt's first-hand, historic accounts as she describes her remarkable experiences involved in the settling of America's undeveloped wild West. All three of her books are now available for the first time ever on Amazon.com in paperback and eBook formats. Readers are in for a treat!
