Fueled by hope, optimism and necessity, pioneers began to push beyond the Mississippi in earnest by the mid-1800s. Some of these emigrants went west in search of land, some in search of gold & silver and some, for religious freedom.

I actually travelled to South Dakota and assembled this crossing, like I was putting together a movie. I found a young lad who had his own oxen and he would bring them to the river when I had everything else in place. Once I witnessed this kid's amazing ability to make these oxen do whatever he wanted and saw him lead them through the river ? I knew my painting had found its hero.

This was a boy raised on the frontier just like the early pioneers I love to depict. And there he was, real and in front of me. The father knew he could trust his son to lead the oxen through the river while he pushed the wagon from the rear. This was something they had done many times previously, just as the pioneers. This painting honors the legacy of the pioneer toughness of our forefather's children as much as it does their own. - MW