{"product_id":"almost-pioneers-one-couples-homesteading-adventure-in-the-west-paperback","title":"Almost Pioneers: One Couple's Homesteading Adventure In The West - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn Fry\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the fall of 1913, Laura and Earle Smith, a young Iowa couple, made the gutsy--some might say foolhardy--decision to homestead in Wyoming. There, they built their first house, a claim shanty half dug out of the ground, hauled every drop of their water from a spring over a half-mile away, and fought off rattlesnakes and boredom on a daily basis. \u003cbr\u003eSoon, other families moved to nearby homesteads, and the Smiths built a house closer to those neighbors. The growing community built its first public schoolhouse and celebrated the Fourth of July together--although the festivities were cut short because of snow. \u003cbr\u003eBy 1917, however, the Smiths had moved back to Iowa, leasing their land to a local rancher and using the proceeds to fund Earle's study of law. The Smiths lived in Iowa for most of the rest of their lives, and sometime after the mid-1930s, Laura wrote this clear, vivid, witty, and self-deprecating memoir of their time in Wyoming, a book that captures the pioneer spirit of the era and of the building of community against daunting odds. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaura Gibson Smith \u003c\/b\u003ewas an Iowa native who tried homesteading with her husband in Wyoming in the 1910s and later chronicled her experiences.\u003cb\u003e John J. Fry\u003c\/b\u003e is the Chair of the History Department at Trinity Christian College. He lives a block south of the city of Chicago in Blue Island, Illinois.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 232\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.65 x 8.96 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 06, 2013\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51893931049248,"sku":"9780762784394","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/QC0_Wb0Ji49780762784394.webp?v=1782011669","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/almost-pioneers-one-couples-homesteading-adventure-in-the-west-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}