Close-knit rural communities once flourished throughout America. They were the main source of social life, assistance, and entertainment for farm and ranch families who lived far from town. These communities were often anchored by a country school or church, and most of them survived into the second half of the twentieth century. But prosperity, mobility, and rising expectations eventually lured the people into the towns and cities, and the communities died. This transformation has been particularly dramatic on the Great Plains, where two-thirds of the counties now have fewer people than they...