The Go-Backer. Signed

After the Civil War, thousands of Americans and Europeans trekked west to secure a new home and farm under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862. But as historians have discovered, only three out of ten of these adventurers succeeded in achieving their dream. The other 70 percent—called the “go-backers”—either turned back toward home after one or two years, or if they “proved up” on their 160-acre homestead, they quickly “starved out.” It took courage and determination to survive on the western frontier. Homesteaders endured diseases and injuries without medical attention, Indian attacks, catastrophic natural disasters, lack of roads, and lonely isolation. This is the story of what happens when the Marlow family—after a time struggling as homesteaders—reluctantly join the growing ranks of “go-backers.”

Peter R Decker is the author of five previous books: Fortunes and Failures: White-Collar Mobility in Nineteenth-Century San Francisco; Old Fences, New Neighbors; “The Utes Must Go!”: American Expansion and the Removal of a People; Saving the West; and Red, White & Army Blue. After receiving his PhD in American history from Columbia University, Decker taught history and public policy at Columbia, Barnard College, and Duke University. Decker currently lives with his wife on his cattle ranch in Ridgway, Colorado.