First Migrants

Richard Edwards is director emeritus of the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Homesteading the Plains: Toward a New History (Nebraska, 2017) and Natives of a Dry Place: Stories of Dakota before the Oil Boom. Jacob K. Friefeld is a historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. He is coauthor of Homesteading the Plains: Toward a New History (Nebraska, 2017). Angela Bates is the executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society and a descendant of the original homesteaders of Nicodemus, Kansas. She has served on the Kansas Historical Foundation board of directors and is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"The First Migrants is an important contribution to black history and the larger history of the American West."-Wall Street Journal “A meticulously researched account of Black homesteading on the Great Plains in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. . . . Utilizing a wealth of primary sources and accounts from descendants, the authors make palpable the homesteaders’ relentless drive toward freedom through self-reliance. It’s a revealing look at an underrepresented chapter in American history.”-Publishers Weekly "The First Migrants is a thoughtful and much needed account of Black homesteading on the Great Plains. . . . The authors cogently remind us that as with the initial act of homesteading, the ongoing fight to prevent this history's erasure is intimately tied to an unyielding desire for equality and belonging."-Ashley Howard, Nebraska History "[An] eye-opening study, grounded in a broad array of source materials. . . . This should be a go-to book for scholars, or anyone looking for an inspiring read."-Brice J. Dinges, Roundup Magazine "By examining these individuals and families on the Great Plains, readers can better understand the lived experiences, goals, and motivations that led Black homesteaders to migrate west. As such, The First Migrants provides more than enough to introduce readers to the history of the Black homesteading experience on the Great Plains."-Dwain Coleman, Journal of Southern History "The First Migrants is a highly readable, lively book that not only contextualizes the homesteading movement of African Americans in the West but does so by highlighting individuals involved, showcasing personal stories within a decades-long movement. This superbly researched book brings to life those living out their dreams and experiencing their nightmares on the Great Plains."-Bryan Jack, Missouri Historical Review "The First Migrants is a solid history of former slaves who struggled against overwhelming obstacles to possess their own land. It's an important part of American history."-Sandra Dallas, Denver Post “Western expansion of the United States is often portrayed as an endeavor undertaken by primarily European pioneers. The contribution of African Americans, especially formerly enslaved people, is little known or discussed. The First Migrants heralds the contributions of people frequently marginalized in American history. This story of the African American homesteaders who helped settle America’s Great Plains is informative, comprehensive, and very personal. It shouts, ‘We were there.’”-Catherine Meehan Blount, granddaughter of DeWitty homesteaders “This amazingly researched work will make a meaningful and needed contribution to African American history, as well as to our understanding of how non-Indigenous Americans, Black and white, settled the Great Plains. Its revelation of the multiracial aspect of homesteading on the plains, moreover, will make a most important addition to the general body of American post–Civil War history.”-Kenneth M. Hamilton, author of Booker T. Washington in American Memory “As a child, I learned only a bit of my family’s homesteading story. The First Migrants weaves it together with the stories of other Black families, turning sparse records and anecdotes into a living history.”-Elizabeth Burden, Black homesteader descendant and Tucson artist

• List of IllustrationsPreface by Angela BatesAcknowledgmentsNote on Terminology1. Land! 2. Push and Pull3. A New Start at Nicodemus4. Nicodemus Flourishes5. Henry and Mary Burden’s Flight to Freedom6. Homesteading Alone7. DeWitty and the Sandhills8. The Speese Family Odyssey9. Opportunity in Sully County10. Tragedy and Failure at Empire11. Oscar Micheaux, “The Homesteader” 12. Sand and Success at Dearfield13. Struggles in the Desert at Blackdom14. Black Homesteaders and the Great Migration15. Gen H’s LegacyEpilogue: Where Are the Black Farmers? Appendix: Black Homesteaders and White RacismNotesBibliographyIndex