The title of "Pioneer Woman" pretty well tells you what this TV movie is all about. It's a family orientated movie to be sure, and could have been sub-titles "Little Sod Hut on the Prairie".
It's 1867 and John Sergeant (William Shatner) buys an 80 acre tract of land in Nebraska. He returns home excited but his wife Maggie (Joanna Pettit) is less than enthusiastic about the move. You see, she is pregnant and hasn't told her husband. Their children, Sarah (Helen Hunt - her debut) and Jeremy (Russell Baer) have mixed feelings over leaving the security of their Indiana home.
John's wishes prevail and they sell their belongings and set out for Nebraska first by train, wagon train and alone. When they arrive at their land, they are "greeted" by a group of nesters who refuse to give up the land that they have been cultivating for the past seven years. They force John to sign over his deed and while this is going on, Maggie loses her baby and run the family out of town so to speak..
The family decides to press on to Wyoming where they meet up with Joe Wormser (Lance DeGault who shows them the way to an available tract of land near his. On the way they meet cattleman Robert Douglas (David Jannsen) whom they well encounter later. John works hard cultivating the land and builds the family a sod hut to live in. As their crop of wheat is nearly ready for market, John goes off to town to register their claim.
Unfortunately, Douglas brings John's body home having found him killed in a violent rain storm. Maggie discovers that the family is near broke and despite wanting to return home, is forced to stay and sell the wheat crop to raise money. Just as the harvest is about to begin a prairie fire breaks out. Douglas and the surrounding neighbors rush to the Sergeant farm to fight the fire.
With the fire extinguished and the bulk of her crop saved, Maggie must now decide whether to return to Indiana or stay having developed an attraction for Douglas. Hmmmmmmm.
Joanna Pettit had been a glamorous leading lady in the 60s. She sheds all of that for her role as the widowed mother of two left ito fend for herself. Shatner hams it up as usual and Jannsen has little to do other than to suggest his attraction to Maggie.
Filmed in the "wilds" of Alberta, Canada.
It's 1867 and John Sergeant (William Shatner) buys an 80 acre tract of land in Nebraska. He returns home excited but his wife Maggie (Joanna Pettit) is less than enthusiastic about the move. You see, she is pregnant and hasn't told her husband. Their children, Sarah (Helen Hunt - her debut) and Jeremy (Russell Baer) have mixed feelings over leaving the security of their Indiana home.
John's wishes prevail and they sell their belongings and set out for Nebraska first by train, wagon train and alone. When they arrive at their land, they are "greeted" by a group of nesters who refuse to give up the land that they have been cultivating for the past seven years. They force John to sign over his deed and while this is going on, Maggie loses her baby and run the family out of town so to speak..
The family decides to press on to Wyoming where they meet up with Joe Wormser (Lance DeGault who shows them the way to an available tract of land near his. On the way they meet cattleman Robert Douglas (David Jannsen) whom they well encounter later. John works hard cultivating the land and builds the family a sod hut to live in. As their crop of wheat is nearly ready for market, John goes off to town to register their claim.
Unfortunately, Douglas brings John's body home having found him killed in a violent rain storm. Maggie discovers that the family is near broke and despite wanting to return home, is forced to stay and sell the wheat crop to raise money. Just as the harvest is about to begin a prairie fire breaks out. Douglas and the surrounding neighbors rush to the Sergeant farm to fight the fire.
With the fire extinguished and the bulk of her crop saved, Maggie must now decide whether to return to Indiana or stay having developed an attraction for Douglas. Hmmmmmmm.
Joanna Pettit had been a glamorous leading lady in the 60s. She sheds all of that for her role as the widowed mother of two left ito fend for herself. Shatner hams it up as usual and Jannsen has little to do other than to suggest his attraction to Maggie.
Filmed in the "wilds" of Alberta, Canada.