The Red House On The Niobrara

Alan Wilkinson

ISBN 10: 095326291X / ISBN 13: 9780953262915

Published by Injury Time Publications, 2014

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G095326291XI4N00

Synopsis:

This book takes the reader right to the heart of the Great Plains landscape. Fascinated by the life and work of Mari Sandoz (Crazy Horse, Cheyenne Autumn, Old Jules), British writer Alan Wilkinson had visited her home state a dozen times over twenty years. He'd read a great deal about the early days on the Nebraska frontier, but wanted to know more. What would it really, truly, be like to live on the naked Plains for a season? Could he still get a sense of what those pioneers went through, a century ago? There was only one way to find out - and when a ranching couple offered him the use of a hundred-year-old hunting lodge, built by settlers on the banks of the Niobrara river, he shook hands on the deal before they could change their minds. Sure there were holes in the roof, and snakes in the basement - but he wanted an authentic frontier experience, right? The week after he moved in he was hit by an April blizzard. A month later his road was washed away by a thunderstorm. Determined to act out a part of the pioneer experience, he collected a pile of cow-chips and planted a garden. The first was wiped out by hailstones, the second by grasshoppers. He spent the spring and summer hiking the hills, exploring the riverside and investigating the history of the Danish immigrants who first settled this little plot, hardy folk who graduated from a dug-out to a soddy, then built the little red house that was now his home. For relaxation he socialized with local ranchers, hit the bars and the rodeo, rode the range with Department of Agriculture surveyors, worked on the spring round-up and helped cut the hay. In between he re-considered the life and work of his heroine, Mari Sandoz, re-visiting what remains of her home and camping out at her grave-site.This is a reflective work, a lyrical appreciation of place that remains firmly rooted in the author’s elemental relationship with a unique landscape. It is a narrative populated by a cast of genuine western characters, living and dead.

About the Author: Alan Wilkinson is a British writer specializing in non-fiction projects: travel, biography, ghosted autobiography, sporting subjects and corporate histories. He has traveled widely in the western States over the past 35 years and written for such magazines as American Cowboy. He grew up hearing tales about a great-great-uncle, captain of the ship that brought Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to England. He was surrounded by signed photos of Cody and Annie Oakley. After his early schooling he dropped out and worked as a gardener, Immigration Officer, rural rat-catcher, freight train brakeman, before studying for a degree in American History and Literature. After taking an MA in Creative Writing he settled down to making a living as a writer - with spells as a barman, bookmaker and manuscript assessor. In 2004 he was Jack Kerouac Writer in Residence in Orlando, Florida. In 2006 he was inducted as an Admiral in the Nebraska Navy - an honor he shares with Mari Sandoz, author of Crazy Horse. It was a Wingate Scholarship, granted him in 2011, that enabled him to spend six months in the Red House.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Red House On The Niobrara
Publisher: Injury Time Publications
Publication Date: 2014
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket