Frank Greerson and Gregory Young have been discharged from the Army and are headed to their childhood homes. They both defied their parents in 1861 when they joined the Army. After battling southern rebels and preserving the Union of the United States of America, the two men set out to battle the Kansas Prairie and build a life together. Once they find their claim, they encounter common obstacles to life on the Kansas Prairie in 1866: Native Americans, tornadoes, wild animals, and weather.<br><br>When a prairie fire destroys their crops and takes their neighbor’s lives, Frank and Gregory are instructed to find their young son’s aunt. Faced with leaving a destroyed claim, the railroad coming through their land, and dwindling funds, Frank and Gregory must decide whether to leave the place they have worked hard to make their own or fulfill their friends' dying wishes.

A Place to Call Their Own

“Sounds like the first order of business is building a stable,” Frank said before he fell asleep.


After building the house, Frank and Gregory focused on plowing the fields and then planting. Although it was only mid-May, they suffered through the heat and humidity. The Kansas prairie turned into an oven where Frank and Gregory worked, rested, and slept, with little relief.


As they worked together throughout the day, every once in a while, an errant breeze raced across the prairie. They split the duties of meal preparation. One took a break to prepare dinner during the day, and the other did so in the early evening to cook supper. They tried to take advantage of the increasing daylight. If they ran out of time for planting the wheat, there might not be any crops by winter.


That night , it was Gregory’s turn to make supper. When he stopped working in the field, he noticed dark clouds off in the distance in the west. “Looks like a storm’s coming in, Frankie.”


Chapter 26