Where Are You Going, Maggie May?
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The little wagon train went on to the north. They were leaving the mesas behind as the land gently sloped toward the river. Maggie was sitting beside Chad on the seat of his wagon. “It won’t be long, now”, he said. “In another week, we’ll be on the claim.” “Where will we live when we get there, Chad?” she asked. “We’ll have to live in the wagons until we get our soddy built,” he said. “A soddy, what’s that?” she asked. “A soddy is a sod house,” he explained. “First we’ll cut the tall grass for hay for the animals. Then, we’ll plow up the roots of the prairie grass into long strips,” he said. “Their roots are so tightly bound together that we can cut them up into bricks and stack them to make the walls of the house.” He added. “There’s no timber to use for logs so we’ll just have to make do with what we have.”
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About the Book
In the spring of 1892, eleven- year-old Maggie May’s father announced that he was moving their family to Indian Territory in Western Oklahoma where he could stake a claim for 160 acres of free land.
Pa said that there were no towns, no schools, or even churches in Indian Territory, nothing but prairie and Indians. Almost every one Maggie knew said that Indians were mean, treacherous and cruel, and it would be foolish to go near them. But the lure of free land was too great, so they sold their small farm in East Texas and prepared to travel 400 miles by covered wagon to Oklahoma.
The family faced many hardships and dangers as they moved westward. While Maggie was gathering firewood, late one afternoon, a strong wind storm hit the travelers. With little visibility, she was soon lost, but found shelter in a ravine under an overhanging rock. The next morning while the wind still howled, she walked down a hill and came face to face with a young Indian boy. She was terrified and wondered if she could escape.
The boy led her to a large cave with a running spring, where he built a fire and shared his food with her. In the cave, she learned that he had been to school and could speak English. He told her about his people, and the problems they faced as settlers took over their land.
About the Author
Nelda Ellen Carter Lowrance is a retired elementary and college teacher who enjoys playing tournament bridge and watching college sports. She is the descendant of pioneers who settled in Oklahoma in the 1890’s and enjoys studying Oklahoma history. She lives in a retirement community in Tullahoma, Tennessee with her Yorkie, Sara. She is the author of several romance novels, a young adult book, My Daddy Was A Real Cowboy and Oklahoma Treasure, a historical novel.