i want to recognize the contributions others made in the writing of this novel and say thank you to : my daughters , sue brooks and peggy toelken , for reading the manuscript and offering valuable critique ; my son william donald for giving me an empty book and suggesting that i fill the pages ; my niece , geri tsuzuki , who encouraged me to write my stories for others to read ; my sister dr. naomi watrous , whose belief in me helped me to believe in myself ; my granddaughter , malia wish , for the graphic art works in producing the chart showing the trails of the early american west and providing the front cover ; and to many others who also made contributions .