The Umbrella Tree tells the story of Jefferson Bryant of North Texas who, in 1901, comes to the new townsite of Lawton in Oklahoma Territory. He arrives too late for registration in the lottery which will distribute the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache land in160-acre tracts, but soon buys a claim.. Halfway up the side of the small mountain which marks Jefferson's property on the east is a landmark: the umbrella tree, a cedar which stands as a sentinel over the Valley of the Wichitas. This becomes the symbol he holds to through the upheavals of his life: commitment, responsibility, dedication. He struggles to keep his vision of the future alive. Jefferson's hope for a helpmate is slow in being fulfilled, but family and friends complete his days. At the foremost is his interest in the work for statehood and decisions made by the country's leaders. The Great War engulfs every family: will his survive? In the aftermath, the Great Depression envelopes the land, creating hardships for farmers along with the rest of the nation. The fight for existence is fierce. America shows her resilience and fortitude. Can Jefferson Bryant hold on to his dreams?.