JEFF BARNES: TO LIVE AND DIE ON THE GREAT PLAINS

It wasn’t all sunsets and songbirds in crossing the Great Plains. Death was a frequent and indiscriminant fellow traveler on the wagon trails and he took many forms – disease, gunshot, stampedes, nature, accidents, Indian attack and many more.

Author Jeff Barnes presents an interesting look at how you could have “bought the farm” on the Platte River Road, or at least have made a down payment. Rarely seen historic maps, paintings, photographs and other images are used to tell these tales of tragedy from the pioneers.