I Dreamed a Dream Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sir William Stewart

Although they were in Iowa, visitors could have been forgiven for thinking they were in England. The residents liked nothing better than to talk about football, cricket and polo. There was even a drama society. Walter was Lord Herrie's son. Lord Herrie never went to the USA. James Close was one of three brothers that started another settlement.

Answer: Wild Bill Hickok

Stewart spent seven years travelling around the rockies alongside mountain men. During this time, he fought with bears and Indians. Walter Maxwell even lived with the Pawnees for a while.

Answer: George Grant

Grant's colony was populated only by rich settlers. Each had to put down £2,000 for one square mile of land. They were housed in red brick villas, complete with gardens and hedges. The building a limestone church was funded by contributions from England. Nugent Townsend was a correspondent. Palmerston and Barkham are fictional.

Answer: William, Frederick and James Close

The three brothers invited friends and acquaintances to come out and 'learn to be farmers'. They called the settlement Plymouth County, Iowa. They claimed the locals would be friendly and that the Indians weren't hostile.

Answer: Second Eden

The newcomers, however, were not told about the fact that no rain would fall for months, the temperature would reach 105 degrees F in the shade and that every year swarms of grasshoppers would devastate crops.

Answer: 1879

With his death, Victoria died out. German and Russians took it over and renamed it Herzog.

Answer: Sent leaflets to every student friend from Cambridge University

Some of those that came brought their families with them. On arrival they saw rolling hills, reminiscent of Southern England. The local town, Le Mars, soon boasted three pubs: one was called the House of Lords (!) and served Guinness and Bass Ale. A club, the Prairie, catered exclusively for British men. There they could play billiards and read the London papers while smoking cigars.

Answer: Bronzed, muscular lords and their sons were working the fields

The reality, however, was that the newcomers were more interested in hunting and enjoying themselves. Though the Close brothers bought and sold much land and made money, most of the settlers' dreams came to nothing and they went back to Britain.

Answer: Moreton Frewen

Frewen had earlier blown a large part of his inheritance gambling. He married Clare Jerome and together they built 'Englishman's Castle', a massive mansion in Wyoming. Its grandeur was meant to impress investors. Having failed and run up huge debts, he returned to England in disgrace.

Answer: The expected railroad was routed two miles away from town

Due to its proximity to cattle country, Runnymede saw a number of shootings. A local newspaper wrote of drunken British residents romping down Main Street, loosing off volleys of shots. It came to an end in 1892 when the expected prosperity the railroad would bring, like the trains, failed to arrive.