Looks through the eyes of the fictional marshal of an imaginary town called Dustville to show what life was like on the Great Plains just after the Civil War.

Presents a look at daily life in pioneer America during the 1850s by following a family that emigrates from Sweden to Minnesota.

Examines various types of dwellings in western Northern America during the nineteenth century, discussing their construction and design as well as the lives of the settlers who lived in them.

Describes how pioneers set out across the United States and Canada in the nineteenth century looking for a better life in the West--the routes they took, the covered wagons they used, what they ate, the dangers they faced, and more.

"Examines the expedition of the Donner Party by discussing how they came to be stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the immediate and lasting effects their journey had on the nation as well as the people and places involved"--

Discusses the everyday life, cooking methods, and common foods of cowboys who moved cattle across the American West in the late nineteenth century. Includes recipes.