Beginning at the time of her birth in the cemetery at St. Francis, South Dakota, on June 8, 1917, Ollie Napesni captivates readers with colorful details of her life. She is a natural storyteller intriguing us with descriptions of events beginning in the 1920s and continuing into the 21st century, including how she became a renowned maker of star quilts. Descriptions of the Depression, Dust Bowl and the impact of World War II provides important information about that era and its effect on the lives of people living on the Rosebud Reservation. Ollie's adventuresome spirit took her to many areas of the country but always with a longing for Salt Camp, her childhood home. When she settles for good back on her land she begins to learn the value of Lakota religion. Traditional ceremonies saved her life, yet her ability to harmonize two worlds and two religions demonstrates her strength of character and wisdom.

Once the institutions of his world proved untrustworthy, a young veteran leaves college and seeks refuge in a shack beneath a condemned train bridge along the depleted and abused Salt River. Here, he encounters those society deems invisible: Natives, migrants, and discarded souls. A makeshift clan forms as curious individuals are drawn to this enigmatic figure and his humble dwelling. Among them are a compassionate female doctor, a questioning priest, a lonely flour mill guard, a seventeen-year-old girl yearning for freedom, and a disheartened judge. Even scorpions, black widows, and countless butterflies find their place. To the Salt Shack Dweller, this motley group becomes a true family.

Thirty-six years before Lewis and Clark set out on their voyage of discovery, Major Robert Rogers, Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, launched his own expedition in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. He was certain this water route across the continent existed. The key, however, was finding the River Ourigan, so named by the western Indians and said to run from the Shining Mountains to the Great Western Ocean. Lack of funds to sustain the mission and Rogers arrest, alleging he was conspiring with the French to betray the British Crown (which were proven false) forced the expedition to turn back. Now with the backing of King George, Rogers assembles a coalition of investors creating the Far West Company, whose success depends on the opening of a new trading empire west of the Mississippi River and over the Shining Mountains. Upon returning to Fort Michilimackinac, Rogers leads a battalion of Rangers in search of the fabled passage leading to the riches of the Pacific Ocean and the Far East. Travel with Major Rogers and his men through the interior of the continent and experience the wonders and dangers they encounter along the way. Does the passage really exist? Join the expedition to find out.

A biography of the famous Shawnee describes Tecumseh's plan to amalgamate all North American tribes into one people, his role as statesman and military strategist, and his death in the Battle of Thames.