Homesteading by Percy Wollaston

Homesteading by Percy Wollaston

"His memories flow as naturally as his writing. . . . The reader is transported back to the day when a six-year-old stepped from the train into a new life."--Smithsonian
 
As a grown man, Percy Wollaston almost never spoke of the homestead where he grew up--until, in 1972, nearing the age of 70, he wrote this book about his childhood years.
 
Lured by the government's promise of land and the promotional literature of the railroads, six-year-old Percy Wollaston's family left behind their home in North Dakota in 1909, heading West to "take up a claim." They settled near Ismay, Montana, where they attempted to carve a successful homestead out of the harsh plains. In compelling, plainspoken language, Wollaston tells of his pioneer family's everyday existence--constructing a sod house, digging a well, trapping and hunting, courtships and funerals, an influenza epidemic, and a superstitious Irish neighbor. He also recalls the events of the world beyond Ismay, from the sinking of the Titanic, to Prohibition, to World War I, as well as the first sign of the town's demise during the Great Depression.
 
With a foreword by Jonathan Raban, who discovered this memoir while researching his award-winning Bad Land, Homesteading is a rich and vivid look, seen through the eyes of a hopeful young boy, at the forces that shaped the destiny of a family, a town, and the American West.
 
"Vivid . . . plainly written and satisfyingly detailed."--The Washington Post

Percy Wollaston was born in 1904. After moving from Ismay, he worked for the Montana Power Company until his retirement. He died in 1983.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780140279153
ISBN 10	0140279156
Title	Homesteading
Author	Percy Wollaston
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Putnam Inc
Year published	1999-05-01
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.