World War II War Brides on the Northern Great Plains

World War II era war brides on the Northern Great Plains provide the opportunity to understand the region at a pivotal time in United States history. The war bride experiences used in this thesis show how the Great Plains developed during the post-war years, with an emphasis on female and rural experiences. Newspaper interviews after the women initially arrived and oral history interviews conducted decades later show how the brides reacted to the Northern Great Plains during the years that they lived on the prairies. The war bride stories in this thesis contribute another layer to our understanding of how men and women have reacted to the Great Plains and suggests that regional and gender studies further develop the historical understanding of the American experience.