Here You Have My Story vividly describes life on the early Plains in the words of those who came to settle in the rugged region. Originally published by the Nebraska State Historical Society between 1885 and 1919, these stories provide surprisingly accurate recollections of events and life on the Great Plains, with a focus on Nebraska. Many are filled with interactions with Native Americans, from Samuel Allis’s experiences as a missionary to the Pawnees, to Henry Fontenelle’s history of the Omaha Indians, to an account of the Powder River Expedition. Early freighters and cattle drovers share their personal experiences, including the dangers and difficulties of travel, and Nebraska’s state-builders describe the early days of Omaha and the construction of the first state capitol building in Lincoln.

 

Here You Have My Story, edited by Richard E. Jensen, brings to life the struggles and triumphs of early Plains settlement and a time when Nebraska was young.

 

Richard E. Jensen is the editor of several books, including Happy as a Big Sunflower: Adventures in the West, 1876–1880 (available in a Bison Books edition); Voices of the American West, Volume 1: The Indian Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903–1919 (Nebraska 2005); and Voices of the American West, Volume 2: The Settler and Soldier Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903–1919 (Nebraska 2005).

"From this chorus of voices emerges a portrait of Nebraska as the land of constant novelty and adventure. . . . The language of these narratives, straightforward yet often elegantly and humorously phrased, is as great a historical resource as their descriptive detail."—Nina Murray, Nebraska Life

"[Here You Have My Story] showcases people who exhibit power, integrity, and perseverance—just the sort of folks a state can be proud to claim as pioneers."—Suzzanne Kelley, Kansas History

"[Here You Have My Story] provides an important and fascinating entrance to our nation's past. It is genuinely a rewarding read."—J. Justin Castro, Chronicles of Oklahoma

"Jensen's selection of historical documents brilliantly captures the world of the nineteenth-century Central Plains as American settlers saw it."—Adam R. Hodge, Great Plains Quarterly