The Hills of Yesterday by Martha McKelvie and Bill Freeman, 1960 first edition.

Written by Martha McKelvie. Illustrated by Bill Freeman. First edition, 1960. Dorrance & Company, Inc. New York.

Chapter 1
A Land Is Born

"Back beyond the ages, and far up and back into the mountains, high above the level of the sea and the wide extending plains that lie between, when the world was young, there trickled forth from the crevices in the rocks a silvery stream which sought its way to the Great Father of Waters. Its journey was a tedious one and its progress slow. Great basins and canyons and valleys much be filled and refilled for ages until their granite walls should weaken and give way."

Front Flap

"Stories from the Black Hills of South Dakota, the last hunting ground of the Indians, have been collected by the author in a series of charming vignettes of the land where the Great Spirit supposedly made his home.

"Starting with their habits and beliefs, their foods and ways of living, the author tells of the first meetings of the Indians with the white invasion..."

McKelvie stories explore Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane, Red Cloud and the government's "first attempt to govern", and Chauncey Yellow Robe.

Martha Groves McKelvie (1886 - 1976) was a notable figure in the early 20th century, born in Missouri and raised in Nebraska. Her marriage to Samuel Roy McKelvie, a writer and future Governor of Nebraska, marked the beginning of a colorful life. Martha became one of Hollywood's first movie columnists during the burgeoning era of motion pictures, interviewing icons like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. She also ventured into scriptwriting for movies and plays. In the 1930s, the McKelvies purchased a ranch in Nebraska's sandhills, the subject of Martha's later writings. After her husband's death, Martha wrote twenty-four books, including works of fiction set in the Nebraska sandhills and non-fiction reflecting her experiences among prominent personalities.

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Condition: Near Fine/Very Good. Dust jacket: Light shelf wear; on the front, small scuff at the top, small crease and closed tear at the lower right; on the back, small closed tear at the upper right; lightly bumped at corners and head and tail of the spine. Green cloth cover boards: Very light edge wear at head and tail of the spine. Discrete name in top right corner of front fly leaf. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.