(A note to those who love the television series Little House on the Prairie: I may have watched one or two episodes as a child, but no more than that. I can clearly remember my fury on seeing that the actor playing Pa had no beard, and that alone was enough to cause me to boycott the show.)

In Chapter 5, there is a mention of a plant called “yansam” in Chinese. The Korean word is “insam”—ginseng in English. Korean ginseng has been prized throughout Asia for centuries for its medicinal qualities, used for everything from memory loss and fatigue to heart conditions and diabetes. As of this writing, scientific studies are inconclusive as to ginseng’s effectiveness.

Other parts of the book are based on historical events, including the Los Angeles riots of 1871 (Chapter 2); the mentions of the Sioux treaty with the US government (Chapters 1 and 21); the Gold Rush at Pike’s Peak in Colorado (Chapter 2). The one historical figure mentioned in the story is James Harvey Strobridge, construction foreman of the Central Pacific Railroad (Chapter 20). Initially reluctant to hire Chinese men, and always ruling them with an iron fist, Strobridge eventually grew to admire them as workers. “The Chinese are the best workers in the world! They learn quickly, do not fight, have no strikes that amount to anything and are very clean in their habits. They will gamble and do quarrel among themselves most noisily—but harmlessly.” ​(James Harvey Strobridge, quoted in Erle Heath, “From Trail to Rail,” Southern Pacific Bulletin, XV, Chapter XV, May 1927, 12.)

To research the scenes where Hanna encounters Wichapiwin, I visited the Pine Ridge Reservation and several other important Native sites in South Dakota, including Wounded Knee and the Crazy Horse Memorial. At Pine Ridge, I was privileged to have as my guide Donovin Sprague, Lakota author, historian, and teacher. Mr. Sprague helped me track down a braid of prairie turnip, which I soaked and cooked just as Hanna does in the story. I also attended an intertribal mini-powwow in Fargo, North Dakota, where I learned more about Native life, both historical and contemporary. I was especially moved by hearing the powerful honor songs.

A note on terminology: I have used the words “Sioux” and “Indian” because that is what people in Hanna’s time would have used. Had the white population in Dakota Territory been interested, they could have learned that Wichapiwin and her companions were members of the Ihanktonwan tribe, Dakota speakers of the Oceti Sakowin Nation. The Ihanktonwan (Yankton) Reservation is south of De Smet; Hanna and Papa would have driven nearby on their way to the town.