This book tells the story of one of the women photographed by Russell Lee in Pie Town, New Mexico in 1940.

"Homesteading the Plains offers a bold new look at the history of homesteading, overturning what for decades has been the orthodox scholarly view. The authors begin by noting the striking disparity between the public's perception of homesteading as a cherished part of our national narrative and most scholars' harshly negative and dismissive treatment. Homesteading the Plains reexamines old data and draws from newly available digitized records to reassess the current interpretation's four principal tenets: homesteading was a minor factor in farm formation, with most Western farmers purchasing their land; most homesteaders failed to prove up their claims; the homesteading process was rife with corruption and fraud; and homesteading caused Indian land dispossession. Using data instead of anecdotes and focusing mainly on the nineteenth century, Homesteading the Plainsdemonstrates that the first three tenets are wrong and the fourth only partially true. In short, the public's perception of homesteading is perhaps more accurate than the one scholars have constructed. Homesteading the Plainsprovides the basis for an understanding of homesteading that is startlingly different from current scholarly orthodoxy. "--

A study by the National Park Service on how to best interpret & commemorate the Underground Railroad, emphasizing the approximate routes taken by slaves escaping to freedom before the Civil War. Findings: the Underground Railroad story is nationally significant; a few elements of the story are represented in existing National Park Service units & other sites, but many important resource types are not adequately represented & protected; many sites remain that meet established criteria for designation as national historic landmarks; many sites are in imminent danger of being lost or destroyed, etc. Illustrated.