team included two directors, each of whom was responsible for three of the series' six episodes. Only one production unit was used to film most events in the series, although during major events (such as a visit to the country store, a visit by Crow Indians, or the wedding) both production units would be filming. Initially, whichever production unit that was filming lived in tipis and filmed every day. (The "resting" production crew stayed in a small town about 75 minutes away.) These production unit living quarters were about away. But in time, both production crews moved into town, and filming occurred only about every three to four days. The production team learned that it was common for homesteaders in Montana in the 1880s to find abandoned cabins, and to live in them while building better housing. To recreate this experience, the production team built a cabin for the Glenn family. This cabin was based on historic plans for a miner's cabin which the team had discovered in library archives. A partially built cabin (mimicking a cabin which had been abandoned and fallen into disrepair) was provided to the Clune family, while the Brooks family had to build their cabin from scratch. It took Nate and Rudy Brooks six weeks to build their cabin. During that time, they slept in tents and suffered through several weeks of below-freezing temperatures at night. It also snowed and rained for several days during this time. The Glenns invited the Clunes into their cabin, but the Clunes declined. Episodes "The American Dream" — The families are shown arriving in Virginia City and learning about frontier life in 1883 Montana. The narration discusses a number of critical issues facing the families, the history of homesteading and Montana, and various survival skills. The Glenns' milk cow falls ill. The families adopt their period dress, pack their wagons, and begin their three-day journey to the homestead site. When the horses leading one of the wagons bolt, Adrienne is nearly trampled and Conor is thrown to the ground. Conor is bitten by the Glenn's dog. "Promised Land" — The families arrive in "Frontier Valley" and settle on their homesteads. Experts assist the families with the most dangerous tasks (like felling trees). Gordon Clune and Mark Glenn help the Brooks build their cabin. The weather turns rainy, the Glenn's dog eats some of the Clune's food, and the Clune