Establishing a homestead in Bleeding Kansas
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| Noah Brooks |
I first discovered author Noah Brooks through his short story “Lost in the Fog,” which is set in California. Impressed by this excellent piece of writing, I did a little research to find out more about his work, whereby I learned that he wrote a book about Kansas, which happens to be the state that has been my home for over 20 years. The Boy Settlers, published in 1891, is a historical novel chronicling the westward migration of a family from Dixon, Illinois, who seek to establish a homestead on the Kansas prairie. Brooks based the novel on his own life experiences of moving from Dixon in 1857 to spend a year in Kansas.
The narrative takes place in the years right before the Civil War, during the period known as Bleeding Kansas. The Kansas Territory was preparing for statehood, but it was still unclear, whether it would be admitted to the Union as a slave state or a free state. Pro- and anti-slavery settlers flooded into the territory to cast their votes for or against slavery. Both sides used violence, coercion, and corruption to drive settlers of the opposing faction out of the state or to discourage their voting. Two separate governments with separate constitutions—one pro-slavery and one free state—existed simultaneously, and various cities, often in close proximity to one another, were established as strongholds in favor of one side or the other. The family in this story enter this hostile environment fully aware of its dangers, but as anti-slavery advocates they refuse to be discouraged by pro-slavery ruffians. Brothers-in-law Mr. Howell and Mr. Bryant leave their wives at home in Illinois and take their sons, Charlie and Sandy Howell and Oscar Bryant, to stake out a homestead near Fort Riley, Kansas. The book follows their efforts at living and farming in this exotic new land of Indians and buffalo.
Given that most of the protagonists are teenagers, this novel was probably originally intended for a juvenile audience. However, literature of the 19th century wasn’t dumbed-down as much as today’s young adult fiction, so there’s nothing to stop grown-ups from appreciating Brooks’s narrative, particularly those grown-ups who are interested in the history of Kansas. The reader learns a lot about both the political climate and the natural environment of the territory in its nascent years of white settlement. Brooks writes in a very naturalistic style that favors descriptive authenticity over sensationalist adventure. While most of the time that strategy works to the book’s advantage, it also might be its one main flaw, as the story does move pretty slowly at times. Brooks’s intention seems to be to document the experience of typical settlers, rather than jazzing up the narrative with exceptionally exciting events. When a town is burned by pro-slavery fighters, or a group of settlers is attacked by Indians, these things happen on the periphery. The Howells and Bryants don’t experience them first-hand, but rather, like the majority of real western homesteaders, only hear about them second-hand through the prairie grapevine. One aspect of the times that Brooks captures very well is the feeling of isolation and independence that comes from living in this beautiful, untrod, sparsely populated region.
Living in Kansas, I often see lists or maps focusing on Kansas literature, but Brooks or this book are never mentioned, probably because he lived too briefly in the state to be considered a true “Kansas Author.” That’s a shame, however, because this novel really offers some good insight into the history of the state. The Boy Settlers deserves to be better known among Kansas readers.
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Mostly mediocre, with one standout
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| Noah Brooks |
This collection of six short stories is the fourth volume in the Stories by American Authors series published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1884. The series as a whole provides an overview of American fiction in the late 19th century and includes many authors that today’s readers are unlikely to have heard of. In this fourth volume, the only name recognizable to me is Constance Fenimore Woolson, the grandniece of author James Fenimore Cooper. The first and second books in this series were terrible, while the third volume was surprisingly very good. Volume IV is a return towards mediocrity, with the exception of one excellent entry.
The book opens with Woolson’s selection, entitled “Miss Grief.” A successful young writer receives frequent visits from a mysterious woman who exhibits signs of poverty. Fearing she’s seeking charity, he avoids her calls, but eventually she catches up with him. When he finally makes her acquaintance, he discovers that she’s an aspiring author who wants him to read her writings. The story is engaging enough to keep you wondering what happens next, but when it’s over you simply wonder what’s the point. “Love in Old Cloathes” by H. C. Bunner is a predictable tale of a man of limited promise attempting to woo a beautiful woman who is promised to another man. What sets it apart from typical fare is that it’s written in the first person in a heavy dialect complete with grammar and spelling errors. This gets annoying at times, but also has its charms. “Two Buckets in a Well” by N. P. Willis is about a promising young painter who, at the urging of his beloved, gives up his artistic aspirations and devotes his energies to the family business. It has a pretentious verbosity to it that values unnecessary ornateness of language over clear and compelling storytelling, exemplifying what’s wrong with much of American fiction written during this time period. J. W. DeForest’s “An Inspired Lobbyist” is the obligatory comic relief of the volume. As with the previous volumes, the laughs have not held up well over the intervening century. It’s a political satire about a state with two alternating capital cities, though it’s unclear why anyone would take the time to satirize a political situation that doesn’t exist.
Half of the book is taken up by its longest selection, “Friend Barton’s Concern” by Mary Hallock Foote. A Quaker farmer goes off on a preaching tour, leaving his wife and daughter to run the farm. In her father’s absence, the daughter experiences her first love. This piece is long, boring, and predictable, with lots of “thees” and “thys” in the dialogue. It’s unfortunate that so many pages are devoted to it.
Thankfully, the volume ends on a high note with an excellent story, “Lost in the Fog” by Noah Brooks. Two inexperienced seamen accompany the captain of a boat full of butter and eggs on a routine six hour trip from Bolinas to San Francisco. The wind dies, however, and the boat drifts for two days in a thick fog. When they finally emerge from the clouds and reach land, the crew makes an unexpected discovery. Brooks’s approach to storytelling is primarily naturalistic, marking this tale as a precursor to the San Francisco stories of Jack London and Frank Norris. While admittedly the fog bank gets a little boring, the second half of the story is fascinating. The whole point of reading this sort of grab-bag series is in the hope of finding a buried treasure like this one. In fact, Brooks’s well-told tale is the only one here that’s truly worth reading. I would suggest you just skip the other five and enjoy it.
Stories in this collection
Miss Grief by Constance Fenimore Woolson
Love in Old Cloathes by H. C. Bunner
Two Buckets in a Well by N. P. Willis
Friend Barton’s Concern by Mary Hallock Foote
An Inspired Lobbyist by J. W. DeForest
Lost in the Fog by Noah Brooks
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