{"product_id":"happy-as-a-big-sunflower-adventures-in-the-west-1875-1880-paperback","title":"Happy as a Big Sunflower: Adventures in the West, 1875-1880 - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRolf Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eRichard E. Jensen\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1876 Rolf Johnson and his family left Illinois for Phelps County, Nebraska. There they faced the challenges of pioneering on the Great Plains: digging wells, building sod houses, plowing and planting crops, and fighting prairie fires. Johnson's diary goes beyond individual conquest, however, and provides insight into the great cooperative endeavor of plains settlement. Rolf's Swedish family and neighbors worked and socialized with other Swedes just as nearby Danish settlers remained in close physical and cultural contact with other Danish immigrants. A very eligible ninetten-year-old bachelor, Rolf also offers touching vignettes on the rituals of courting. Abruptly, with no explanation in his diary, and with no itinerary or prospects, Rolf left home in 1879 \"with the intention of going west for a season.\" His departure may have been sparked by the marital fervor exhibited by a female suitor. Rolf felt he was \"not quite prepared to leave the state of single blessedness for that of double misery.\" In Sidney, Nebraska, he ran with the \"sporting\" element, who showed him photographs of \"fast women of the town stark naked.\" He found employment with a wagon freighter headed for the Black Hills, where he saw Calamity Jane in action. Rolf's education continued until the diaries end in Cubero, New Mexico, in 1880. He returned to Phelps County in 1882 and remained there for most of his life. Rolf's lively diaries offer an entertaining eyewitness account of pioneer life and an unmatched resource for historians. Richard E. Jensen is a research anthropologist with the Nebraska State Historical Society. He is coeditor of Eyewitness at Wounded Knee (Nebraska 1992) and author of numerous articles for Nebraska History magazine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOh, I am happy as a big sunflower\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat nods and bends in the breezes!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd my heart is as light as the wind that blows\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe leaves from off the treeses!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1876 Rolf Johnson and his family left Illinois for Phelps County, Nebraska. There they faced the challenges of pioneering on the Great Plains: digging wells, building sod houses, plowing and planting crops, and fighting prairie fires. Johnson's diary goes beyond individual conquest, however, and provides insight into the great cooperative endeavor of plains settlement. Rolf's Swedish family and neighbors worked and socialized with other Swedes just as nearby Danish settlers remained in close physical and cultural contact with other Danish immigrants. A very eligible 19-year-old bachelor, Rolf also offers touching vignettes on the rituals of courting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbruptly, with no explanation in his diary, and with no itinerary or prospects, Rolf left home in 1879 \"with the intention of going west for a season\". His departure may have been sparked by the marital fervor exhibited by a female suitor. Rolf felt he was \"not quite prepared to leave the state of single blessedness for that of double misery\". In Sidney, Nebraska, he ran with the \"sporting\" element, who showed him photographs of \"fast women of the town stark naked\". He found employment with a wagon freighter headed for the Black Hills, where he saw Calamity Jane in action. Rolf's education continued until the diaries end in Cubero, New Mexico, in 1880. He returned to Phelps County in 1882 and remained there for most of his life. Rolf's lively diaries offer an entertaining eyewitness account of pioneer life and an unmatched resource for historians.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRichard E. Jensen is a research anthropologist with the Nebraska State Historical Society. He is coeditor of \u003ci\u003eEyewitness at Wounded Knee\u003c\/i\u003e (Nebraska 1992) and author of numerous articles for \u003ci\u003eNebraska History\u003c\/i\u003e magazine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 282\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.72 x 9.02 x 6.06 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 01, 2000\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51761349951776,"sku":"9780803276147","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/659f4cd7ed63e89083d34f4343fcbda9.webp?v=1780205231","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/happy-as-a-big-sunflower-adventures-in-the-west-1875-1880-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}