While I was writing my book on The McCall family, I came across a piece of Missouri history that adversely affected my ancestors. Digging deeper, I found that it was not only my McCalls who had trouble. My Estes and Linville families were wrapped up in the drama too. So, I took a little diversion and wrote a short book about a piece of land called The Big Survey.

That book is now available!

The Big Survey – 7,056 Arpents of Land in Missouri

• Publication Date: March 2026
• Pages: 88
• Formats:
  • Hard cover
  • Paperback
  • Digital (PDF)
  • Hard cover for Global Distribution (this version is intended for Book Sellers and Libraries and includes an ISBN number) – COMING SOON

A piece of land. A century of conflict. Lives forever changed.

In the heart of Callaway County, Missouri, a tract known as The Big Survey quietly shaped the fate of generations. Settlers built homes, raised families, and worked the land, never realizing they stood on uncertain ground.

Then the rightful owners appeared.

What followed were years of legal battles, forced removals, and lives turned upside down. Through the intertwined stories of the McCall, Estes, and Linville families, Denise Rae Krueger brings this forgotten history to life. From Spanish land grants and early American expansion to courtroom struggles that reached the highest levels, The Big Survey reveals how one piece of land shaped the lives of those who depended on it.

Blending land history, legal conflict, and family stories, this book offers a powerful look at how the past shaped real lives in Missouri and how its effects were felt for generations.

This is not just a history of land. It is the story of the people who depended on it and what happened when they lost it.