Sample Chapter
"rebecca
white medicine woman"
Chapter 1 - Finding Rebecca
Mom decided to find Rebecca
Whose story we all knew
I remember the conversation Mom and I had
In the spring of 2002
Although I had many a doubt
I wished her much success
I had no idea how my life
Would change because of this
Mom had decided to go to the Dakotas
And Dad was going along
She would search for the gravesite
To which her grandmother did belong
Mom was raised by the Children's Aid
And she had few ties to her family
So finding Rebecca was very important
Because of Mom's history
She spoke with relatives in Fort Frances
And more than one ear she bent
Mom is smart and made inquiries
Before to the Dakotas she went
I had visited South Dakota a few years before
To do some research about my family's past
So I laughed at the prospect of finding
A single gravesite in a land so vast
Mom learned where to look
For the Buffington's homestead
She was told it was just south of Lemmon
So that's where they did head
Mom prayed she would find Rebecca
Although she only had a little information
What's more, she wasn't sure it was accurate
So, full of hope, she headed for Lemmon
But when they got to Lemmon
Mom found it was quite small
And became afraid that
She'd learn nothing at all
They visited the Petrified Wood Museum
For historical records, they had many
Still, Mom didn't know exactly where to start
And so this seemed as good a place as any
While there, Mom spoke with Pat Ottman
And explained her intention
Unknowingly, she'd struck up a conversation
That would lead her to the grave's location
Mom asked if Pat had heard of
A local "Buffington" homesteader
Pat explained she wasn't from the area
As she was originally a New Yorker
But, Pat was sure her husband would know
Something to help in Mom's quest
For information about her grandparents who'd
Homesteaded in this part of the west
Pat was married to Willard...
A 4th generation Dakotan
And better yet (for Mom).....
He was also a local historian
In 1907, Willard's family had homesteaded
Just north of the Grand River
And it was their well-informed grandson, Willard
Who was now the Perkins County Commissioner
Willard was very helpful as he
Knew much about the County
Still, it was surprising when he told Mom
Of a gravesite he had on his property
He'd bought the land a few years before
Knowing there was a gravesite there
Of a lady homesteader who'd died of diphtheria
And of its location, he knew exactly where
Mom wondered if this amazing news
Meant what she hoped it would
And asked Willard if he'd
Take her to where the sentinel stood
Mom and Dad jumped into the pickup
When Willard said he'd be happy to
And as they came over a hill
Mom saw the gravesite and she knew
They'd headed south of Lemmon
And took a road going east
A few minutes later, Mom saw Rebecca's sentinel
Where nearby cows quietly did feast
As Willard took Mom & Dad to the sentinel
Which is just north of the Grand River
Goose bumps popped up on her arms
And Mom started to shiver
You see Mom had heard how her Uncle Ted
Had built a fence around
And it was this same fence
That now lay on the ground
The prairie looked wide and vast
The sentinel's location was just beautiful
Anxious to get to it, Mom dived through the barbed wire fence
As soon as Willard stopped the vehicle
Willard says he was so amazed
That even to this very day
He wonders at how fast
She negotiated the fence that way
Having been raised on a farm
Mom found no hitch
And easily got through the barbed wire
On the far side of the ditch
Rebecca's sentinel was made with stones of many colors
But, it had no plaque surprisingly
Later we learned that the plaque had been taken
By a visiting relative.....shockingly
The grave marker was a pleasant surprise
It was incredibly interesting
Mom had never seen anything like it
And found it exceptionally charming.
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