Rocky Ford: Taming the Western Prairie

A dream for a better life propelled George to begin a new life in the West in the 1870s. Was this dangerous rugged prairie of Colorado the answer?

Publisher Marketing: "A powerful story of perseverance and reaching out for one's dreams." Debra L. Butterfield, author of Claiming Her Inheritance "Step into the past..." J.Meyer, founder of Friends of Historic Southeast Colorado Publisher Marketing : Life changed dramatically for the Swinks when a slick salesman from the Colorado Land and Colonization Company strolled into the Swink-Russell store and convinced the partners to invest a mere $100 for 500 acres in the Arkansas River Valley. George's long-held yearning to move West began as he embarked on the challenging journey by train and then on foot for weeks to this remote area in the Colorado Territory. Exhilarated by what he saw he was convinced this was the place to forge a better life. Now he needed to persuade pregnant Mary and their eight children to join him at the small adobe home and trading post on the Arkansas River. This historical fiction novel is based on real events in the life of George Washington Swink, his family, and the pioneers of Rocky Ford, Colorado during the 1870s. Great care has been taken to utilize available sources in writing about this time and place in history. Dialogue, narration, and fictionalized scenes have been added to help the historical characters come alive. Through many trials and hardships, these intrepid pioneers settled the desolate southeastern Colorado prairie. Contributor Bio: Swink, Bj BJ Swink is the great-great-granddaughter of George W. Swink the founder of Rocky Ford. She has become the family historian, a collector of stories from a bygone era of our nation's development. Her journeys to Rocky Ford have unlocked the incredible history of the region, creating a passion for writing, Rocky Ford: Taming the Western Prairie. She graduated with a Master's from Azusa Pacific University, a Bachelor Arts from California Lutheran University, and a California Teaching Credential. She has written five popular teaching books for the harp. BJ Swink lives in Monrovia, California with her husband and two corgis.

Format: Paperback | Pages: 278 | Publication Date: 2024-11-11