Soon after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, great number of trappers and squatters from the east banks of the Mississippi began their trek westward through the great stretches of sandy wastes known as the Great Prairie. Unmindful of the tribes of savage Indians, who resented the encroachment of the white man on their land. Foremost amongst the bands of sturdy wanderers were the families of Ishmael Bush and his wife's brother, Abram, who after a weary all day march, were seeking a suitable spot to camp for the night.