Starting a new life "900 Miles from Nowhere"
A prairie family wearing Sunday-best clothes gathers at a frame house boasting a shingled roof, and insulated with blocks of sod.
Minnesota Historical Society Collections, Gilbert Ellestad
When Congress passed the Homestead Act in 1862, land west of the Mississippi became free for the taking. Homesteaders flooded into the Great Plains, chasing promises of fertile lands and instant riches.
Instead, as author Steven Kinsella told Minnesota Public Radio's Cathy Wurzer, many found barren soils, hard winters and a crushing isolation.
Kinsella's new book, "900 Miles from Nowhere" uncovers the lives of these early homesteaders through their own letters and photos.
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