By Michael L. Ross
Two men, two dreams, two new towns on the plains, and a railroad that will determine whether the towns—one black, one white—live or die.
Will Crump has survived the Civil War, Red Cloud’s War, and the loss of his love, but the search for peace and belonging still eludes him. From Colorado, famed Texas Ranger Charlie Goodnight lures Will to Texas, where he finds new love, but can a Civil War sharpshooter and a Quaker find a compromise to let their love survive? When Will has a chance to join in the founding of a new town, he risks everything—his savings, his family, and his life—but it will all be for nothing if the new railroad passes them by.
Luther has escaped slavery in Kentucky through Albinia, Will’s sister, only to find prejudice rearing its ugly head in Indiana. When the Black Codes are passed, he’s forced to leave and begin a new odyssey. Where can he and his family go to be truly free? Can they start a town owned by blacks, run by blacks, with no one to answer to? But their success will be dependent on the almighty railroad and overcoming bigotry to prove their town deserves the chance to thrive.
Will’s eldest sister, Julia, and her husband, Hiram, are watching the demise of their steamboat business and jump into railroads, but there’s a long black shadow in the form of Jay Gould, the robber baron who ruthlessly swallows any business he considers competition. Can Julia fight the rules against women in business, dodge Gould, and hold her marriage together?
The Founding tells the little-known story of the Exodusters and Nicodemus, the black town on the plains of Kansas, and the parallel story of Will’s founding of Lubbock, Texas, against the background of railroad expansion in America. A family reunited, new love discovered, the quest for freedom, the rise of two towns. In the end, can they reach Across the Great Divide? The Founding is the exciting conclusion to the series.
Praise for The Founding:
“Michael is an excellent storyteller and has done a wonderful job depicting Luther, and the other black characters in this book. He has done his homework and depicts many historical facts about Nicodemus in a most enlightening and creative way. It has been a pleasure working with someone who has made a concerted effort to get things right.
~ Angela Bates
Nicodemus Descendant/Historian
Executive Director
The Nicodemus Historical Society and Museum
After already having lived through so much, Will Crump finds himself still unable to settle down. After losing the woman he loves, he travels to find his father, after a letter finally reaches him. But the man he finds is not the father he left, but a drunk who cannot deal with the death of his wife. In an attempt to pull his father together, and move on with his life, Will finds himself in new business ventures, and puts all he has at risk in a gamble to create a new town, with one question in his mind – will the gamble pay off?
Luther had made a life for himself after escaping slavery, but when the law catches up with him, he is forced to flee, or else find himself back in captivity. With a family he is trying to take care of, Luther finds himself and his family running and trying to find safety in a world where blacks are seen as inferior to whites. But if he could create a town where he and his family, and more like them, would be safe to live as normal people? If it could succeed, the possibilities would be endless.
At the centre of it all, Julia and her husband, Hiram, have found their business with steamboats start to die with the introduction of railways, and attempt to refocus their business to develop railways that would better themselves against their competition. Julia may try her very best to run the business, for she knows how it works, and what needs to be done, but a woman running a business is frowned upon, and she must hide her involvement, deploying her ideas through her husband. But with a rival attempting to thwart their business, how successful can Julia and Hiram truly be?
There are a lot of moments in this book where it seems like people are not going to be successful in their ventures. With the time period itself, with the way people with darker skin were treated, and the limitations put on women, there are plenty of things standing between some of the characters and success. I loved watching the rise and fall of the characters as they fought their own battles and overcome obstacles in the way of making their business ideas thrive.
I loved following on Will’s story from where I left off in the last book I read of this series. I have, unfortunately, missed out a book, but it was very easy to pick up what had happened between the two books, and the story progressed at an incredibly easy pace to follow, especially since I had missed key information between the two books. This book could very easily be read as a stand-alone, although to fully appreciate the beauty of this novel, I do think starting from book 1 of the series would allow a wider perspective of the characters, and their full journey.
I must admit, out of all the characters we follow in this book, Will had to be my favourite. He is still mourning a great loss when he travels to try and find his father, and while the work he finds for himself keeps him busy, he can never forget the woman he loved, or the future he will never have with her. Slowly, he finds himself able to start moving on, although there is plenty of drama and new business ventures to pursue keeping him occupied as he emotionally recovers enough to start thinking about finding love once again.
I did also really enjoy following Julia as she attempted to make her way in a man’s world. She understands her husband’s business almost better than he does, although she does not have the authority to run his business. Julia and Hiram manage to work together, most of the time, for the sake of keeping the business running smoothly, but there are plenty of things trying to tear them apart. The way that Julia held her own against men with a lot more authority than herself was inspirational to read about, and I certainly enjoyed watching some of the men realise that this woman was willing and able to run the business better than most men could! I loved learning more about the history of the introduction of the railway system, which is a topic which I know little about. Finding out more about how the railways were built was truly fascinating.
This is certainly a book with plenty of characters who are not afraid to stick up for themselves, especially with regards to the laws surrounding them. Luther’s determination to be treated as an equal to the whites, and to be able to make his own way without the colour of his skin hindering him was admirable. He has so many things going against him, but he is not afraid to fight for the right to be treated with respect, and for his family to be able to live safely.
I absolutely loved reading this book. After reading The Search, and this book, I would love to go back and read the other two that are currently available in the series, just so I can fill in the blanks and get the full picture of the characters whose stories are being told in this book. I couldn’t put this one down! Absolutely recommend it!
Michael Ross is a lover of history and great stories.
He’s a retired software engineer turned author, with three children, and five grandchildren, living in Newton, Kansas with his wife of 39 years. Michael graduated from Rice University and Portland State University with degrees in German and software engineering. He was part of an MBA program at Boston University.
Michael was born in Lubbock, Texas, and still loves Texas. He’s written short stories and technical articles in the past, as well as articles for the Texas Historical Society.
Across the Great Divide now has three novels in the series, "The Clouds of War", and "The Search", and the conclusion, "The Founding". "The Clouds of War" was an honorable mention for Coffee Pot Book of the Year in 2019, and an Amazon #1 best seller in three categories, along with making the Amazon top 100 paid, reviewed in Publisher's Weekly. "The Search" won Coffee Pot Cover of the Year in 2020, and Coffee Pot Silver Medal for Book of the Year in 2020, as well as short listed for the Chanticleer International Book Laramie Award.
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Thank you for your wonderful review of The Founding. I'm sure Michael Ross will be delighted. Thanks also for hosting. x
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