by Rick Iekel (Author)
Stranded on a remote country road, Jessie and her Native American friend, Rose Mary, seek shelter from a storm in an old abandoned house. But, this house has a past, a spirit and a voice. After a rocky introduction, the house shares the story of its first occupants. This story is the tale of nearly every pioneer family in the rural Town of Ashford, New York. The year is 1848. With only a wagon, a few belongings, two oxen and a cow, Michael and Sarah bring their young family to the recently opened wilderness of Northern Cattaraugus County. This formerly forbidden land of the Seneca Nation was, until recent years, nearly cut off from civilization by the rugged Cattaraugus Creek to the north and the deep forests of tier upon tier of hills and valleys to the south. Follow the story of a real family in a real place at another time in history. Share in their joys and sorrows as they overcome the hardships of the wilderness to begin a new life in a tiny area of Western New York known as "Franktown."