Farmers and Ranchers

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Farmers and Ranchers covers the period of westward migration from 1840-1870, describing the hardships these settlers faced as they tried to scratch a living from the harsh and hostile land. Those who provided necessary spiritual and intellectual enlightenment to the frontier, the Preachers and Teachers, are shown to have played an equally important role. In Miners, Merchants, and Maids, the people who ``...made pioneer life a little more comfortable'' are highlighted. The women who cleaned, cooked, and sewed; the miners who provided the materials for coins and heat for houses; the merchants who sold food and dry goods-all were crucial to the settling of the West. First-hand accounts from journals, letters, etc.; black-and-white and full-color reproductions; and interesting, little-known facts make these well-documented series entries vivid and exciting.-Julie Halverstadt, Douglas Public Library District, Castle Rock, CO