Born in Virginia in 1873, Willa Cather spent her early years on a farm in Back Creek Valley. She moved with her family to Nebraska in the 1880s and lived near and in Red Cloud, a small frontier village. Early on, she showed a love of reading and nature. A dedicated student, Cather had her graduation speech published in a local paper when she finished high school. After graduating from college, she worked as a journalist and a teacher. Later on, her...