Land of the Burnt Thigh: A Lively Story of Women Homesteaders on the South Dakota Frontier

by Edith Eudora Kohl

Book Overview

This tale of two sisters courageously homesteading on the prairie in 1907 provides a lively portrait of frontier life.

"Interesting in its spirit and atmosphere, and it is told simply and well. . . This is an unusual record, well worth reading."--New York Times Book Review

"Mrs. Kohl has told this story of South Dakota with a simplicity, a directness, and an understanding of its quietly heroic element which make her book an appealing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873511999
• ISBN13: 9780873511995
• Release Date: October 1986
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

very intersting

I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved the detail of every day life of the homesteaders. I gave it 5 stars because of the history in this book. Loved it. Mary in Sequim Wa.

Foxfire

This book was interesting and told of the hard times two sisters experience in the West in Indian Territory. I found it particular interesting as I had visited the area several years prior.

Very Inspiring!

This was a such a good book to read! As a 20-something woman myself, living in South Dakota, the story of how these two young women made a life for themselves on the South Dakota prairie was so inspiring. You come to realize how newly settled this land is. The book was an easy, enjoyable story. Kohl writes in such a way as to draw you into the story and you really come to know the characters and love the harsh land. It's a true story with plenty of adventure. Anyone wanting to learn more about homesteading, especially the small population of single women who homesteaded by themselves, will find a fun read and will learn a ton about the process of homesteading and some of the key events that happened in South Dakota's history. She tells about her encounters with the Native Americans (they homestead on a Reservation), wild-life, strangers passing through, and their struggles proving themselves as capable women to themselves and others. Love this book!

Sometimes, what you see isn't what you get...

Two young women (sisters), from a fairly well-to-do family back East, bought into the turn-of-the-century land-grab hype, and decided to stake a claim to free land in South Dakota. It had recently been acquired from the Sioux Indians by the Federal Government, and was ripe for the taking by persons willing to abide by the rules of claim, which required living on the land for eight months. Eight months in South Dakota, in the dead of winter, in a wooden box called a house, about eight feet by ten feet in size. The only insulation was torn tar paper on the outside of a house which had no stove. When the snow didn't come through the cracks, the blowing sand did. Frozen water had to be melted for drinking, and there was no well on the land. This is the story of how they lived, endured, and survived, during their time on the land they claimed. Living through almost the same hardships of the Pioneers from 100 years earlier, they were miles from any neighbors, were terrified of the Indians, and for a while, had no horse. And no income. As I laid in my comfy, warm bed, reading this book a few years ago, I continually felt guilty, for my part, for what they endured to achieve what they wanted. We take so much for granted today, in our country, and never give pause to what those before us went through, suffered through, and the prices they paid. This is a fascinating look into a short period in the lives of these two sisters, and a reminder, that few things of value in life are easily obtained.