1909: Miles Maryott was an avid hunter and fisherman, and the beautiful Sand hills north of Oshkosh, NE attracted him with its abundance of game. His Kincaid on Crescent Lake boasted a spacious and comfortable hunting lodge, rather than the small sod dwelling required by law. Maryott entertained important men, and prepared gourmet meals of wild game for his patrons after a day of the best hunting in the hills.

Maryott was hired by the federal government to document migratory birds, and was allowed to shoot and mount a bald eagle. He was a self-taught artist and taxidermist, an expert of birds and their habits, and ornithologists from around the country engaged his help in their quest for rare birds. Today, what remains of the endangered or extinct birds shot and mounted by Maryott is exhibited in the Silver Hill Museum in Oshkosh. Nebraska State Bank owned the collection-- taken to settle a debt in the 1920's--and donated them to the museum around 1975.

For all his talent, Maryott's habitual use of alcohol hung over his head like a black cloud. He made friends easily and was respected and liked, but when he drank he was apt to shoot up the town. He kept an enemies list of those he felt had wronged him, including the county attorney, a criticizing teacher, and Dr. Morris, the village board chairman. He terrified the townsfolk during his drunken rampages, and was jailed frequently. Friends loaned Maryott bail money with paintings as collateral, but he rarely paid them back.

Maryott shot Marshal George Albee to death on Thanksgiving eve of 1926 as he attempted to arrest him. He claimed self-defense, but the court ruled against him and sentenced him to life in the NE state penitentiary. Petitions with as many as 500 signatures from Garden County citizens defeated any chance of parole. He died in 1939.

Part 1: is a chronicle of a family's struggle during the 'Great Depression' in Arkansas and in Lisco, Nebraska. H.E. and Thelma Wyatt and the children later moved to Oshkosh, where life became somewhat easier, then to California during the 2nd World War. The death of 21-year-old Hope Wyatt from leukemia prompted the family's return from the West Coast to Nebraska to stay in 1949.

The 1949 blizzard hit the state shortly after the family's return. The massive storm hammered the ranching community, where 1000's of livestock died. Rural residents were stranded in their homes, and the Army moved into Oshkosh to open roads and restore power.

Part 2: James, the Wyatt's only son served in the Korean War, and his letters home created the reality of war-the danger, boredom, anger and discomfort--from a 22-year-old soldier's perspective.