I'm currently working my way through Jim Pickett's Historical Fiction Series.
Book One in the series begins with a pair of construction brothers digging in the spring of 1912 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and they hit some damaged bones in what used to be an old Indian village.
What happens thereafter is we travel back in time to 1790. We learn flatboats filled with militia, directed by the adventuresome Mike Fink, are approached by canoes filled with war-painted Shawnee Indians.
Against the elaborate backdrop that Jim Pickett re-creates, we follow new Americans and the Native Americans led by General Josiah Harmar and Miami Chief Little Turtle inside the Old Northwest Territory.
The way this series begins readers get the human face and voice which affords an essence of presence and a sensory experience.
Themes of love, tradition, and sacrifice are paralleled with a good bit of dialog and readers have a dual perspective of Native Americans and New Americans.
This is a fast-paced read! I got caught up in the mood and intensity and was drawn in by the description of Mid-West locations I frequent.
The Harmar Campaign ended in the defeat of U.S. Army General Josiah Harmar and Colonel John Hardin by the Western Confederacy of Indians, which were led by Chief Mihšihkinaahkwa (Little Turtle) of the Miami tribe and Weyapiersenwah ( Blue Jacket) of the Shawnee at Kekionga - now Fort Wayne, Indiana.
About the Author
Jim Pickett grew up in New Haven, Indiana and attended the University of Saint Francis obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Education and then a Master of Science in Education. Mr. Pickett taught a variety of subjects in the DeKalb Central School District in Northeast Indiana, retiring in 2011
Mr. Pickett enjoys researching local and American history and has spoken about the battle of Kekionga at libraries and other historical venues.