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"Silas Starkweather, a Civil War veteran, is drawn to Wisconsin and homesteads 160 acres in Ames County, where he is known as the mysterious farmer forever digging holes. After years of hardship and toil, however, Silas develops a commitment to farming his land and respect for his new community. When Silas's son Abe inherits Blue Shadows Farm he chooses to keep the land out of reluctant necessity, distilling and distributing "purified corn water" throughout Prohibition and the Great Depression in order to stay solvent. Abe's daughter, Emma, willingly takes over the farm after her mother's death. Emma's love for this place inspires her to open the farm to school-children and families who share her respect for it. As she considers selling the land, Emma is confronted with a difficult question - who, through thick and thin, will care for Blue Shadows Farm as her family has done for over a century? 19. William Steele-October 200020. Blue Shadows-February 1867; 21. Mixed Thoughts-May 1867; 22. Wedding-July 1867; 23. New Baby-February 15, 1868; 24. Elsa-April 1872; 25. Increase Joseph-Summer 1872; 26. Going Home-August 1872; 27 Modern Nature Educators, Inc.-November 2000; Part 5; 28. Modern Nature Educators II-November 2000; 29. Greed-Summer 1874; 30. Borrowed Hay Mower-Summer 1874; 31. Tornado-August 1875; 32. Silas and the Arrowheads-Summer 1876; 33. Kate Dugan-November 2000; Part 6; 34. Hiking Emma's Farm-November 2000; 35. Abe and the Kittens-May 1880; 36. Quilting Bee-November 1885. 37. School Days-October 188638. Christmas Program-December 1886; 39. Picnic-July 4, 1895; 40. Skinny-Dipping-August 1900; 41. Abe Farming-May 1901; 42. Ole Brothers Circus-July 1902; 43. New House and Barn-Spring 1903; 44. End of an Era-1905; 45. Gravel Pit-1906; 46. Merrifield Visits the Farm-November 2000; Part 7; 47. How Dry I Am-1919; 48. What Now?-Summer 1919; 49. Visitors-Summer 1920; 50. Purified Corn Water-Summer 1920; 51. Living High on the Hog-Summer 1922; 52. Sorrow-Joy-Sorrow-1925; 53. Depression, Then War-Summer 1932; 54. School Board Decision-November 2000; Part 8. 55. Threshing Days-August 194556. Postwar-August 1945; 57. Jim Lockwell-August 1946; 58. Fishing-August 1947; 59. New Year's Eve-December 31, 1949; Part 9; 60. Green Growing Farms-Summer 1960; 61. Holding On-June 1980; 62. Longtime Relationship-1986; 63. Offer-November 2000; 64. Secrets-November 2000; Epilogue-Present Day; Suggested Reading. In the midst of a controversy that disrupts the entire community, Emma looks into her family's past to help her make crucial decisions about the future of its land." "Through the story of the Starkweather family's changing fortunes, and each generation's very different relationship with the farm and the land, Blue Shadows Farm is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land."--Jacket Prologue -- November 2000 ; Part 1; 1. Ambush-March 1865; 2. New Orleans Hospital-March 1865; 3. Limited Duty-April 1865; Part 2; 4. Nature Hike-October 2000; 5. Sophia-May 1866; 6. Accident-May 1866; 7. Cabin Building-May 1866; 8. Olaf Hanson-May 1866; 9. Sophia's Garden-May 1866; 10. Attack-October 1866; 11. Gardening-October 2000; Part 3; 12. School Board Meeting-October 2000; 13. Memories-October 2000; 14. Snowstorm-December 1866; 15. Wolfgang and Amelia-December 1866; 16. Housekeeper-December 1866; 17. Kitchen Stove-January 1867; 18. Opportunity-October 2000; Part 4.
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