Lola Albright

In 1843, a former U.S. Senator leads a wagon train of settlers to Oregon, but his megalomania leads to growing dissatisfaction with his leadership. In the mid nineteenth century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western U.S. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy. —garykmcd Strongly motivated by the beautiful utopia he has been nurturing for so long, the autocratic U.S. Senator, William Tadlock, leaves the Congress to lead a wagon train of audacious pioneers from Missouri to the promised land of Oregon, in 1843. With the help of the experienced scout, Dick Summers, the slow and almost defenceless caravan of impatient settlers ventures into the long and rugged Oregon Trail, as martinet Tadlock's sacred rules and heightening self-involvement threaten to jeopardise the entire expedition. However, as leadership and conflict go hand-in-hand, the stern senator's leadership skills will be put to the test, when the horrid death of the Great Sioux Chief's young son demands justice. Can the visionary William Tadlock carry out the mission successfully? —Nick Riganas Missouri 1843: Former U.S. Senator Tadlock and scout Summers lead a trek of settlers to Oregon, through more than one thousand five hundred fifty miles of mostly Indian territory. Tadlock drives his people mercilessly. When his ambition costs some people's lives, his ability is questioned. —Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

In Tulsa, after a rancher dies during a feud with a major oil company, his daughter, driven by revenge, starts digging for oil herself. It's Tulsa, Oklahoma at the start of the oil boom and Cherokee Lansing's rancher father is killed in a fight with the Tanner Oil Company. Cherokee plans revenge by bringing in her own wells with the help of oil expert Brad Brady and childhood friend Jim Redbird. When the oil and the money start gushing in, both Brad and Jim want to protect the land but Cherokee has different ideas. What started out as revenge for her father's death has turned into an obsession for wealth and power. —A.L.Beneteau <albl@inforamp.net> Tells of the burgeoning oil industry in 1920s Oklahoma centered on Tulsa, which has experienced an economic boom because of it, and the often confrontational juxtaposition with the established cattle ranching community, the two industries largely fighting for use of the same land. On one far end is oil man Bruce Tanner, who believes in pumping out as much oil as quickly as possible to maximize wealth no matter the consequence to others. On the other end is native landowner and rancher Jim Redbird, who is not averse to the extra income from pumping for oil on his land as long as it does not negatively affect his ability to ranch. In the middle is geologist Brad Brady who initially comes into the business to maximize the possibility of striking oil as opposed to pure speculation, but who ends up believing a better use of his efforts is to advocate for the best use of the land for both industries. The story centers on Jim's friend Cherokee Lansing, one-quarter Cherokee hence her name, she the daughter of a rancher. She initially wants retribution not only for the lost income from the oil industry, but for the death of her father a direct result of oil on the land. She however begins to believe a better focus for her efforts is to beat the oil men at their own game by finding and pumping as much oil as possible, which could jeopardize her burgeoning romantic relationship with Brad. —Huggo

Boxer Midge Kelly rises to fame...mainly by stepping on other people. Hitchhiking west with his lame brother Connie, Midge Kelly is hustled unprepared into a pro boxing match. Though he's severely beaten, manager Tommy Haley finds him promising. In California, Midge and Connie find nothing but a menial job from which Midge gets relief by seducing Emma, a lovely young waitress. One shotgun marriage later, ambitious Midge falls back on the only option he knows: boxing. Seduced by cheering crowds, money, and a succession of blondes, Midge becomes more and more of a hero in public...and a heel in private.