"The most vulnerable group among these settlers [to death] were the children, and I will devote the greatest portion of my essay to these children of the prairie. I will also examine the methods and means available to the settlers to protect the children and the community from the ample powers of death in this era. Hopefully this will provide the reader with a greater understanding of and appreciation for those who risked and sacrificed so much to settle this desolate land."

-Craig Donald Jacobs.

The Historical Essay Series is edited by Dr. Joseph Amato, former director of Rural Studies, with the assistance of Donata DeBruyckere, Janice Louwagie, and Dr. Thaddeus Radzilowski. It is published by the Southwest Minnesota State University History Department, the History Club, the History Center, and the Rural Studies program. It is partially sponsored and distributed by the Society for the Study of Local and Regional History. Assisting with the publication are Southwest Minnesota State University Word Processing Center and Duplicating Services.