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    Independent Press Award 

    2025 Distinguished Favorite

    CK Van Dam

    Lone Tree Claim: On the Dakota Frontier

    Like many Americans, Civil War widow Katie Rose Kelly was determined to make a new life for herself after the devastation of war. She was drawn to the Dakota frontier, where she claimed 160 acres and became a sheepherder.

    But that was just the beginning of her journey.

    As a woman alone on the wide-open prairies, she fought nature as well as powerful cattle ranchers who saw sheep as competition for grazing lands. With grit and determination, Katie built a new life, fostered new friendships, and kindled new love.

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