Award-winning author Kate Gingold writes to share her love for history with younger readers as well as those who'd rather not open a big old dusty history book. She brings to life stories of the prairie settler, rich with details describing every day existence in nineteenth century America.

Kate's enthusiasm for the past is also evident in her presentations for classrooms and community groups. PowerPoint slides, costumes and toys are just some of the tools she uses to make the 1800's prairie real to today's audiences.

The years between the French fur trappers and the Civil War are under-represented in books, films and television. Westward Expansion gripped the country between 1812 and 1860, but for many people, the quintessential pioneering settler is Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wasn't even born until 1867!

How different could life on the prairie during the first half of the nineteenth century be compared to life during the second half? Very different indeed! From steam engines to photography to matches, exciting changes appeared on the time line during those years.