What compels immigrants to seek a new home in America? The motivation is not much different in the twenty-first century than it was in the nineteenth century, which is the era covered in this new book on pioneering life in the unsettled Dakota Territory. Learn why they came. Learn about the perils of the journey across the North Atlantic in vessels that were designed for cargo, but not for human comfort. Live with these pioneers in their sod huts and shanty's as they literally carve a new home from the side of a hill. Experience the horrors of gale-force blizzards, the likes of which are virtually unknown in modern times. Feel the frustration, anxiety and helplessness of seeing your bountiful harvest devoured by grasshopper swarms so thick that they block out the sun and turn the fertile ground into a mass of moving blackness. The pioneers who persevered the devastation and catastrophes of the early days of Dakota Territory paved the way for a better life for us. This book is dedicated to those unnamed, unsung heroes whose indomitable spirit made America great.