The Promised Land? It's what Moses was searching for when he led the Children of Israel across the Red Sea out of Egypt hunting for the land of milk and honey. "I reckon folks have always been looking for a Promised Land somewhere," said Mr. Storey, the well-witcher. "There were the Pilgrims sailing across the stormy sea in the Mayflower. And the 49-ers rushing out to California. And the 59-ers to Colorado."

Becky Fletcher's Promised Land was the last bit of rich Oklahoma Territory farm land opened for settlement in 1893: the Cherokee Strip.

This latest pioneer story of Aileen Fisher's gives an unforgettable picture of the historic race for homesteads and of the people who made that race.

Through the eyes of Becky, the oldest child and only girl in the Fletcher family, we share in the mounting excitement, the mad dash of thousands on horseback, in gigs, in wagons, to stake out a homeplace. This is a story of a girl pioneer, but is not a typical "girl's story." Boys and girls alike will be stirred by the lively, authentic picture of the part women played in building America— and in the biggest race there ever was.

From the dust jacket