I just finished reading the fictional historical novel In the Valley of the Kutchergan by I. K. Senger. It is the account of two families that called South Russia home for over a century. The saga tells the story of challenges faced in conquering virgin steppe land in Russia and then homesteading in Canada more than 100 years later. The two principal families lived through two revolutions, two world wars, and the Great Depression. I picked up this book at the suggestion of another Kutschurgan (also known as Kutchergan) researcher who knew I wanted to connect with the lives of my ancestors who settled in the villages of Kandel and Selz. Even though Senger’s epic story is not specifically about my ancestors, I have extended my understanding of the lives of those brave Germans who came to call the six villages of the Kutschurgan Colony their home.