Should Have Moved To Paha Sapa (It's Lakota)

A couple of days ago, I finished reading Rolvaag's Giants In The Earth, a story about Norskie settlers on the eastern Dakota prairie in the 1870's. It is similar to On The Banks Of Plum Creek, but slightly more fictional, and written for a more adult audience. It struck me interesting that the settlers had a burning desire to band with like folks. When others would pass by the settlement, it was vital that they too be of Norskie stock, largely due to language issues. Not only was it vital that newcomers be Norskie, but from the right part of good o' Norge. I also found it strange that they longed for the milder winters of the northern Norway coast, or even Minnesota. We complain when we need to travel a mere six miles on snow packed roads to buy something we don't need from the department store. Imagine running out of wood and other heat sources, and food for both livestock and people and spring is still 2 months away. The landscape is covered with 3 feet of snow and another blizzard is brewing. There ain't no snowplow. Oh, and you really need a doctor. Skis were even pointless with that much snow. The women in the story kept wondering what the hell they were doing out there, and the men kept looking further west, further into the wilderness, further away from concentrated populations. This could not have been easy for those who settled the great plains. Kudos to them. And to those who were before who did not view wilderness with fear and negativity - more kudos.