Prairie Stars

Assumption was a sleepy village on the South Dakota prairie in 1894 when a priest with unusual healing abilities was assigned to the local church. For Theresa Marten, taking the job of housekeeping at the parsonage was a way to escape the boredom of the farm. To her surprise, Father Wingen had been involved in the patent medicine business before he came to Assumption. He continued to make patent medicine after he arrived and built a large laboratory and sanitarium despite those who questioned his validity. Prairie Stars is a story about Theresa Marten and her involvement in Assumption as it became a medical boomtown.