Finding the Way: From Prussia to a Prairie Homestead

By Alfred Wellnitz

While serving in the Prussian Army during the Franco Prussian war, Karl Mueller learns about the opportunity to homestead land in America. As the son of a landless peasant family this represented a great opportunity and he decides to immigrate to America. Karl meets Heinrich Schlicter while crossing the Atlantic and with little money between them after landing in Baltimore, the two team up. They take menial jobs to pay for food and shelter and to accumulate funds needed to work their way west where land can be homesteaded. Karl and Heinrich first move to Chicago to work in the meat packing industry where Karl strives to accumulate enough money to fund his homestead plans. They find the meat packing work and living conditions oppressive and the compensation inadequate. They move onto the north woods of Wisconsin and work as lumberjacks for two winters. After Karl finally accumulates the funds needed to fulfill his plans, Heinrich convinces Karl to join him in the 1876 Black Hill's gold rush. The Black Hills adventure includes deadly encounters with Indians, a lively existence in a lawless Deadwood and Karl falling in love with a mixed blood Indian woman. After two years in the Black Hills and seven years of pursuing his dream, Karl, with the woman he loves, and Heinrich set out on horseback to ride four hundred miles to homestead fertile virgin prairie near the eastern edge of the Dakota Territory.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1506084370
• ISBN13: 9781506084374
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended for its remarkable content and informative take on historical occurrences

Very highly recommended and entertaining reading, Finding The Way by Alfred Wellnitz is an encouraging historical journey of the life of Karl Mueller and his travels inspired by the opportunity of owning American land. As an ex-soldier for the Prussian Army during the Franco Prussian war in 1870, Karl is greatly intrigued with the understanding that he may obtain land of his own and he decides to immigrate to America. Karl struggles with leaving a life behind, new discoveries and limitless engagements, making this book highly recommended for its remarkable content and informative take on historical occurrences.

Is it Zen?

I once read that we read to find a bit of ourselves. "Finding the Way was that and more. As I read, I came to view this wonderful adventure as a parable of courage and optimism, a reaffirmation of the times in our lives when we must find A way!

Follow Along!

"Finding The Way" is an historical novel which tells the story of Karl Mueller's Nineteenth Century journey from his home in Flatow, Prussia to a prairie homestead on the American Great Plains. Author Alfred Wellnitz is the grandson of Karl Mueller. Recently discharged from the Prussian Army after the Franco-Prussian War, Karl takes leave of his family in Prussia and sails for America. Wellnitz guides while we follow Karl along his journey. We follow as he uses skills learned in his brother's Prussian butcher shop in his first American job at a butcher shop in Baltimore and as he finds his first American love in English class in Baltimore. We then follow him through the packing houses of Chicago, a logging camp in Wisconsin and a gold rush in Dakota. There is something for everyone in this book. It provides a link to the ancestors to every descendant of a Nineteenth Century immigrant. The section set in Chicago is reminiscent of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle". The Dakota scenes provide a little of the wild west. As I read this book, I keep asking myself, "How good is it?" I found the answer in my own responses. I found myself thinking ahead to what was coming next. I found myself worrying about Karl whenever he made a mistake or suffered a misfortune. I found myself rejoicing in his triumphs and sharing his disappointments. It did not take me long to arrive at my answer, "This is pretty good!" "Finding The Way" is Alfred Wellnitz' first published novel. I hope that it is not his last.

Insight to our Ancestors

"Finding the Way" gives a terrific sense of what it was like for immigrants to the United States in the 1800s. In addition to being a fine adventure story, I felt a greater understanding of my father-in-law who came here alone at age 15 with almost no money, speaking no English, and a third grade education. How brave our ancestors were! A very good read!