 On tier fighters, tier fighters, portraying the thrilling advance of daring pioneers whose tremendous courage and sacrifices in the face of overwhelming odds made possible the exploration and settlement of the West. One of the first white men to explore the Black Hills of South Dakota was General Koster. In the year 1874, he set out with engineers, photographers and geologists. When the report of the expedition was finally published, there was but one phrase in it that people remembered. That phrase was, I found gold. The magic words inflamed the imagination, and in late September of 1874, Thomas Gordon of Sioux City attempted to organize a party of twenty-eight, but he met with unexpected opposition. Now wait a minute, wait a minute, let me say something, don't you men realize that all that land's waiting for us? Sure, but we ain't sure of the country. You were in the 49 gold rush? Sure I was, but I knew the country there, besides the government's warned everybody out of the decoders, kind of the Indians. All right, all right, but just let me say this, just let me say this, I ain't gonna force anybody to sign up with us, but General Koster's report is good enough for me. If his expedition got across the Badlands, I can do it too, and I ain't worried about getting twenty-eight men. And you know what they say, Gordon, fools walk in where angels fear to tread. Well, I ain't no fool. And you're not an angel either. Well, one man got through, another can do the same thing. Maybe, but remember, Koster's force had soldiers, men used to fighting, and they weren't dragging women with him either. All right, all right, but if you... Just a minute, just a minute, I'd like to have a few words. Well, sure, Mrs. Talens, I guess there ain't any more for me to say. Then I'll say it for you, Mr. Gordon. Jim? What? You said something about dragging women along. Don't forget that women went across the prairies all the way into the California, and they weren't dragged along. They fought their way with the men. All right. Yes, and I'm willing to do the same thing, and so are the other women with us. Well, if a woman's gonna have that much fun, I guess I can't let myself down by backing out, but give me that book to sign it out. Oh, that's fine. Fired by the heroic example of any de-talent, the band set out from Sioux City on October 6th, 1874. Westward, they headed across a trackless prairie. No one knew exactly what lay ahead. But onward moved the six-covered wagon. Then late October brought winter closer. Came icy winds biting snow. By November, they would be crossing the Badlands. A place of terror and desolation in the bleak winter. Finally, when they reached the White River, Gordon called a halt. All right, we'll stop here. Get to those wagons up ahead and fill them the hole up. What's the idea of stopping, Gordon? Gotta have water, Jim. Well, I didn't know all we gotta have, Gordon. This is getting worse every minute. Only because you're making it that way. Get everything out of your wagons you don't need and fill this space with ice. I'll get ice, but I'm not unloading anything from my wagons. And I don't think me and mine is going on any further. I look up ahead there. Snow, ice, Badlands. I knew we'd come to this, Gordon. Oh, well, it's a trouble. Honey, now we gotta chop ice to get water. Gotta throw away our belongings, because if we don't... If you don't, you'll regret it. And not me. Well, Mrs. Talons, I think this is the end. I can't hold them any longer. Wait a minute. Give me that axe. What? What for? Please, give me that axe. Here. Robert, Robert, tell your father to throw things out of the wagon and get some buckets. Hey, look at Mrs. Talons. Well, I'll be... And just because you gentlemen decide you don't want water is no reason why my family shouldn't have it. Oh, Annie, what's the idea of telling Robert? Hey, give me that axe. Want to kill yourself? Get yourself one, Dave. Everyone has to help. Well, Jim, looks like a woman. They showed you up again. Is that so? But get me an axe. Once more, the dominant courage of Annie Talons held the little band together. The weary dull November days moved slowly. The Gordon party literally crawled across the Badlands of the Dakotas. Every last one, except three of the party, cursed their leader. Those three were Annie Talons, her husband, Dave, and their little son, Robert. December came. The cold grew more bitter. The icy winds cut through even the heaviest of clothing. The food, always precious, began to run short. Even water was being rationed. Then, during one bitter night, Annie Talons called softly to her husband. Dave, wake up. Oh, Annie, what's the matter, the Indians? Not so loud. No, not Indian. What are you talking about, Anne? I... I want water. Annie, what's the matter with you? Robert. He's hilarious, Dave. The fever. Robert. I want water. Annie, Annie, throw him. Swallow him. Must be Quincy. Give me the other blanket. You can't take it away from yourself, Anne. Give her mine. Here, now, I'll start a fire. Make some hot tea and fix some compresses for the throat. Let me out. No, Dave, no, don't... No, Annie, what's the matter with you? The boy's sick. If he isn't taking care of it, we'll die. Oh, I know that, Dave, but we can't afford to rob the camp. We can't afford to have him die, Annie. I'm going to get a fly. No, Dave, don't just see what it would mean. They'd find out their sickness in camp. They'd get into a panic, and then there'd be no holding them together at all. This is a fight you've got to fight along, Dave. How could we lose Robert? Think about that, Dave. We mustn't. There are plenty of candles, light them, and heat some water in a pan. You can't still look by and let the others know how badly off we are. Annie, Annie... Dave, we've come this far, and somehow I don't think God will let us fail now. All right, Annie. Anything you say. I'll get the candles. Oh, yes, dear. My throat hurts. Oh, yes, darling, but we're going to be all right. Mother says you are. All right. I'll try to get better. Oh, dear God, help me. Just this once more. Without alarming the rest of the party, Annie Taland and her husband David struggled to the long night. The boy Robert recovered, while on and on with the band of pioneers, deeper and deeper into the badlands. The situation grew worse. The faithful oxen, weary of the long trek, grew weak. Their hooves, after days of pounding over ice, snow, and rock, were worn to the quick. Finally, in desperation, a little caravan halted. Hell, it ain't no use. These stubborn critters won't move out of their tracks. I'll show them. No, you ain't going to whip them. Robert, quit grabbing that whip. Hey, what's all the trouble here? Hey, Jim, what's the matter? I mean, nothing the matter. This brat minds his own business. He wasn't going to whip the oxen, so I grabbed the whip. What's the matter with you, Jim? Taking it out on these bull critters. Gordon, you're sticking your nose in again. These are my oxen, and I'll treat them the way I want them. Give me that whip, Robert. Hey, that's the only whip I got. And I ain't got any. Hi, Harry, Gordon, we followed you this far, but we ain't going to do it no more. Without oxen, we can't travel. Beat them won't help. Better get back to your wagon, Robert. Yes, sir. Now, all of you, get as much burl up as you can. Tear up old clothes, rags, anything. Wrap it around the feet of your oxen. Go ahead. See, when I had some burl up, we were saving Mr. Gordon. Anybody's welcome to what we have. Thank you, Mr. Talent. Seems to me you ought to be the leader of this train. That's me. Now go on, you men. Do as I said. If we're going to move, we've got to protect our oxen. Hurry up, or you'll freeze to death down there. Go on! With burl up, rags, anything they could find, members of the party wrap the feet of the oxen and press on. More hardships, bitter weather, quarrels, dissension. Then one day, some of the men approach Gordon. There is Gordon now. Hey, Gordon, wait a minute. Well, boys, Gordon, we just about made up our minds that this here's pretty foolish. We ain't aiming to get ourselves killed. Well, I think we were pulling and going by. Why, you... Easy there, Gordon. We took a vote of the men, and they're forgiven enough. Let the Dakotas stay where they are. We're going back to where there's milder weather. Ain't nothing up ahead, but more winter. Maybe injuring. That's right, Gordon. We're getting out of the forts too late. Now wait a minute, Gordon. We're giving orders now. All right, men, turn them wagons around. We're heading for home. Just a minute. Just a minute. For you, Gordon, we got our minds made up. Hey, hey, what are you doing with that gun? Just what you think, Jim. The first man that makes a move to turn back now is going to get shot. You can't do it, Gordon. Then try to turn your wagon. All right, Harry, we will. And nobody's going to stop us. All right, boys, get them wagons turned. I warn you. No, Gordon, that's not the way. Wait. Wait. Please, everyone. Mrs. Talent, we listened to you before, but we ain't going to do it no more. Now get out of the way. You've got to listen just this once more, please, for the sake of your wife. Mrs. Talent, please. You don't want to go back? Yes, I might do. But don't you see what you're doing? I see that we're going to die out here if we don't turn back. But you won't die out here. I know it. We've got to go on. Don't you see what would happen if you turn back now? The whole wagon train would be weakened. Those of us who go on would be unable to fight. You who turn back might be set upon by Indians. Oh, my little boy is with me. One night, he almost died. We didn't know that. Nobody did, but my husband and I. Oh, Jim, he, the rest of you, it means so much to all of us to keep going. That's why I didn't tell anyone, Robert, who's sick, but to a man, man willing to go on and fight. Gee, Mrs. Talbot, by thunder, I ain't turning back now. I'm with you, Gordon. Not with me, Pete, with Mrs. Talbot. Oh, good, Pete. Now how about you, Jim? Well, I reckon there ain't no use in being called a coward. All right, men, come on, let's go. Who's with her? Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on. The wagons move on, Mrs. Allen. I think what I said the other day holds true now more than ever. The Gordon party is led by you. And so, thanks to the magnificent example set by Annie D. Talant, the Gordon party reached its destination. Privation and hardships were still their lot, but courage and the invincible will of a woman held them together until their goal was reached. Annie Talant was the first white woman to set foot in the Dakotas. She mined something far more precious than gold. She brought education and civic pride into a once bleak country. Today, there is a statue erected to the memory of a gallant woman, Annie D. Talant, a true frontier fighter.