Have you ever wondered what your city looked like 120-140 years ago?

 

Authors have a lot of information they need to create when developing a new story, often with just their imagination. We name characters and give them physical features and a cultural heritage. Then we invent problems for them to overcome—both to achieve their original goal and to make the relationship they discovered along the way have a happy ending. For many stories, we need to do research to learn about a new profession or hobby so the characters are presented like living breathing people.

To avoid being confined by the physical restraints of a particular town or city, I often make up locations so I can put the mountains or beach where I want it without having a reader point out a possible error, because the place I chose happens to be that person’s hometown. So, what’s an author to do?

One method is embarking on personal research. Traveling to all the places I write about would cost more money than I earn in royalties. For one series, I was already flying from California to Texas to attend a writers’ retreat and do a drive-by visual check on the house we still own there. I tacked on an extra day and walked the streets of a nearby small town, taking notes about creeks, old buildings, a cemetery, businesses, etc. All that information was used in my Dorado, Texas and Sugar and Spice Bakery series.

BUT several years ago, I discovered Sanborn Insurance Maps that are saved in the Library of Congress. These maps came into existence when more and more businesses started insuring their properties. Not as detailed as a surveyor’s plot drawing say of the lot or acreage your house is on, these maps do depict all the physical structures apparent when the surveyor visited the site. Often a city map from the 1890s will have five or six pages. These are great because an author can learn the street names, see where underground pipes exist, and determine where the biggest concentration of businesses was. I’ve discovered water and electrical plants present earlier than I originally imagined.

Here are two maps of a town called Manitou Springs, Colorado. I renamed it Spur Springs and used it as the setting for three stories, the most recent being The Bride Who Tends Sheep. I learned the town was built on both sides of a creek that ran through it. I also am amazed that not all structures are squared off or perpendicular to the road they face. So different from how our neighborhoods look today. Here's a rundown of what the colors mean: pink represents a brick or tile building; yellow is for wood construction; blue for stone, concrete, or cinder block.

To find a map for your city, put Sanborn Insurance Maps into the search bar for your browser. Once on the site, enter the name and state for the desired location and then explore. I’d love to hear what you discover.

BLURB:

Fall 1876, Colorado

Arrosa Cristobal tends a flock of forty sheep on government land near the city of Cherry Creek. She stays as close to town as she can to check in with her laundress mother who she helps support until her death a month earlier. A ransacking of her caravan while she visited town makes Arrosa feel vulnerable. She sets out on the thirty-five mile trip to Spur Springs to join her estranged brother, Jakombe. Maybe they can combine their herds.

Cameron McPherson, a Scottish rancher, is the head of the Spur Springs cattleman group. He’s struggled to keep the members in check from attempting to push out the Cristobal sheep ranch on the outskirts of town. But when he sees a new unfamiliar flock drawing close, he has to confront this interloper and hopefully steer her and her flock away from town before another rancher sees her. But the minute he meets her and hears where she is headed, he hesitates, not wanting to be the one who informs her of Jakome’s death. His protective instincts rise toward this woman who appears to be all alone in the world.

Can these two strong individuals on the opposite sides of grazing rights find common ground?

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Table for Two - Brief History of Dining Out for Valentine's Day - by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

"Candlelight dances on the table, and love dances in our hearts." Unknown

Happy February, friends! I know there is only one day left before we turn the calendar to March. But it's still the month of love, hearts, and...dining out with that special someone. Of course, these days none of us need a special occasion to eat out with friends, co-workers, or family members. The number of restaurants in any given city, town, and interstates crisscrossing the country is staggering.

However, the most common way to celebrate is with a romantic dinner for two at a nice restaurant. But was it always that way? After tumbling down the rabbit hole, I discovered that the answer was...no! In fact, romancing one's spouse was unheard of in many societies. Marriages were often more about political connections, wealth, or convenience than about love and romance. It wasn't until the Victorian era that love became a primary consideration. But even then, it was about cards, poems, and small sentimental gifts. Not dinner at a restaurant.

In the 19th century, it was considered scandalous for 
a couple--married or not--to have dinner at a restaurant. Mostly because those restaurants advertising romantic dinners were synonymous with brothels at that time. In 1923, Emily Post suggested that "...it was not proper for an engaged couple to dine together in a restaurant, but it is all right for them to lunch or have afternoon tea...They should take a chaperone if they motor to road-houses for meals."

According to food historians, it wasn't until the 1930s that taking a lady out to dinner became an acceptable way to celebrate. Charles Perry, a food historian believes "The tradition probably came about during the Depression, when any meal out was a special occasion.  Popular restaurants like Delmonico's and Sardi's had some tables with curtains so the couples could choose to see and be seen or have an intimate meal while still enjoying the sounds of the orchestra."

At some unsavory establishments, the heavy curtains and low light in private dining areas accommodated questionable conduct, especially if the restaurant had a back entrance where people could come and go discreetly.

However, by the 1960s, it was a common practice for a husband to take his wife to dinner. And what could be more romantic than a night off from her homemaking duties?

Today, dining out still seems to be the most romantic gesture a husband can do for his wife. For many, the idea is less about the restaurant or the meal itself as it is a return to the place where they first met, kissed, or had a realization that they want to marry their date. It may not be the most fancy or expensive place. Or perhaps their friends or family may not understand why they chose a certain corner tavern or a simple neighborhood pizza palace. Maybe they choose to explain why or maybe they don't. After all, shared secrets are a thing of romance, too.

I hope you shared some lovely Valentine's Day moments with someone special!

******************************************

Coming May 30th!

An outlaw looking for a fresh start. A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.

Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.

Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.

In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.

 Pre-Order Link

 Series Order Link

 

 

Virginia Strickler - Civil War Veteran Wife

 

Virginia Strickler- Wife of Civil War Veteran Wm. Strickler

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Evergreen Chapel, Evergreen Cemetery,
Colorado Springs, CO.
Photo(C) Doris McCraw

Born Virginia Lipscomb in Prince William County, Virginia. Her

birth year has been listed as 1828, 1833, and 1836. Her

headstone lists it as 1829.

Not much is known about her early life. According to census

records, her grandfather, Philip Lipscomb, was a slave owner, so

her family probably had money before the war, although Philip

died in 1821. Her parents, Robert and Ann, died in 1858 and

1857, respectively.

At the time of their deaths, their son William would have been

twenty-four. Ann, Mary, Betty, and Virginia were all older, so the

running of any property would have probably fallen to all of them.

In fact, her brother, William, served in Company H of the 15th

Virginia Calvary. He enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army

in 1861. He finished as a lieutenant in 1864, according to Civil

War records, he was a POW.

Virginia met Dr. William Strickler at the second battle of Manassas

(Bull Run) in 1862, while he was treating the wounded on the

battlefield. He enlisted as a surgeon's assistant in 1861 and

served in Companies F & S of the 52^nd Virginia Infantry

throughout the war.

Photo by Ron West from Find a Grave

Virginia married William in 1865. By 1868, the couple had moved to Colorado City, where William served as a doctor. By 1874, they had moved to the new city of Colorado Springs. There, they remained until 1906, when they moved to Denver. William died in 1908. Virginia remained in Denver, where she passed away in 1915. Her death registry states her cause of death as senility.

Both she and William are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in

Colorado Springs. So far, no images of her have been found.

Until Next Time:

Doris

Fashions from the 1870s by Zina Abbott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year and last, I authored, or will author, several books set in the 1870s. I decided it was time to make a point to learn more about the fashions of that era.

I knew bustles were a key fashion style of the day. What else?

The large hoop skirts of the 1850s and 1860s—kept full by the use of crinolines and hoops—were replaced by skirts where the fullness moved toward the back. The underskirt was draped with overskirts that were held in place by tapes and supported by bustles.

Also, when dressing up, ladies wore smaller bonnets than in earlier eras. Although they appeared to look more like hats, as long as they were tied under the chin with ribbons, they were still regarded as bonnets. Small hats—often with veils—were also balanced on top of the hair and held in place by hat pins—wicked little accessories that often doubled as self-defense weapons. The hats did not cast enough shade to prevent the ladies from getting their faces sunburned. These bonnets and hats were designed to accommodate hair styles where the hair was pulled back at the sides and worn in either a tight know or a cluster of ringlets. Bangs on the forehead also became popular.

The skirts and bodices were ornamented with a variety of pleats, flounces, rouching, and frills.

During the mid-1870s—the timeframe of my most recent book—the size of bustles toned down so they were not so full. Until the full, looks-like-a-bookshelf  bustles came back into style for a short time in the 1880s, bustles gradually were worn lower in back, giving the wearer a smoother profile.

 

Outwear to keep the women warm were mostly either capes or jackets with a vent in the back to allow for the bustles. For everyday wear, shawls were also used.

Sleeves were tightly fitted to the arms. Square necklines became popular. Day dresses had high necklines that were either closed, squared, or V-shaped.

Evening gowns tended to have lower necklines with very short and off-the-shoulder sleeves.  

 

The bustle style changed so the fullness of the bustle was lower on the body, which created an

New fabric dyes were invented, which prompted women to wear brighter clothing in bolder designs.

As for the men, Western men still wore rugged work clothes for physical labor. trousers, a shirt cut in a slimmer style than earlier years, and a vest was common. Men in the West also wore derbies. (This style of hat with its rounded crown and short brim was more commonly called a derby in the United States and a bowler in the Great Britain.)

It was easy to spot an out-of-town dandy from the East. For formal dress, the silk top hats were still very popular.

 

However, toward the end of the decade, men tended to wear the more stylish derby.  In this photo, notice the shoes, the high starched collar, and tie.

 

Also, in this photograph of Bat Masterson that dates from 1879, notice the derby. Also, note how the jacket flares open at the bottom. For decades, men often fastened the top button of their jackets leaving the remaining buttons undone. This was probably to make it easier to reach their pocket watches. Not only was it more convenient for checking the time, a fashion-conscious man would wish to show off his gold watch chain and fob.

 

Although fashions changed at a slower rate in the nineteenth century than today, such changes were notable. I enjoy this collage that shows how women’s dress styles transitioned from the 1860s through to the 1890s.

 

 

My most recent release is The Bride Who Invades Saloons. To find the book description and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

My next book will be The Mine Owner’s Rescue, which is now on pre-order. To find the book description and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE

 

Lawmen and Love

 

I've always enjoyed thinking about tough, seasoned lawmen turning as smooshy as a marshmallow when love catches them unawares.

Such is the case in my new release -  Lawmen and Love.

Three tough lawmen aren’t prepared for the moment when love arrives and turns their worlds upside down.

 This boxed set contains three full-length sweet and wholesome romances full of heart, humor, and hope featuring courageous women and brave men who uphold the law.

 

♥ Corsets and Cuffs – He never knew trouble had such a pretty face. She never knew the law could be so handsome and hardheaded.

Pampered and privileged, Brianna Dumont escapes the life she’s always known in an effort to clear her father’s good name. She arrives in Baker City, Oregon, intent on selling her father’s shares in a mine. Only the mine is a bust, her father’s partner is a crusty ol’ coot who hates women, and the sheriff in town is determined to keep her behind bars.

With good friends around him, a small ranch of his own, and a fulfilling job as sheriff, Tully Barrett loves his life. Then an exasperating woman shows up, making demands and driving him crazy. No matter how hard he tries to ignore her brains and beauty, she works her way under his skin.

When trouble follows her to Baker City, will Tully be able to protect her, along with his heart?

  

♥ Caterina - She’s hiding her past. He’s determined to reveal the truth.

On the run from the Italian mafia, feisty Caterina Campanelli escapes New York City with the help of her brother and travels across the country. She ends up in the small, rugged town of Pendleton, Oregon, where she makes new friends and focuses on building her future as a chef. Completely unprepared for the passionate feelings inspired by the handsome deputy in town, the last thing she needs is for a man of the law, especially one so relentless and exasperating, to dig around in her past.

Dedicated to his work as a deputy, Kade Rawlings takes pride in his community and his job protecting it. Determined to remain single and unfettered, he finds himself unable to stay away from the Italian spitfire who rolls into town keeping secrets and making the best food he’s ever eaten. Using his charm, wit, and brawn, he may just get more than he bargained for when he sets out to win her trust and her heart.

Will Kade be able to keep Caterina safe when her past catches up to her?

 

 ♥ Distracting the Deputy - He’s sworn to uphold the law. Her life is riddled with closely guarded secrets. When the past catches up to her, will she rush to him or run away?

When he’s not evading grabby-handed octogenarians, mentoring troubled teens, or rescuing rascally youngsters from disaster, Deputy Knox Strickland can be found upholding the law in the eastern Oregon region he patrols. He avoids making plans for tomorrow, focusing instead on doing his best today. Then one chance encounter with a beautiful woman in a wheat field turns his world upside down. Knox is left questioning what secrets she’s hiding, and how hard he’ll have to work to scale the fortress she's built around her heart.

Zadie Redmond isn’t like most women. A life spent looking over her shoulder has destroyed the promising future she’d once envisioned. Her days are spent leading hunting and fishing adventures or teaching tiny ballerinas the proper way to plié. She fills her evenings with do-it-yourself projects while worrying about the day her past catches up with her. In an unexpected moment, the local deputy swoops into her world like a storybook hero and she knows nothing will ever be the same. Zadie will do anything to keep Knox safe from the danger lurking in the shadows, even if it destroys her chance at love.

Will Knox convince Zadie she can trust him with her secrets and her heart?

Happy Valentine's Day!

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West.

Forbidden and Cherished - The Most Beloved Song of the 19th Century

By Kimberly Grist

Longing and Unrequited Love

Written in 1856 and published in 1857, this ballad about lost love put a young pastor's heartbreaking poem to music. “Lorena” was first published in 1857, with a beautiful color lithograph cover, and became perhaps the most beloved love song of the 19th Century.

The tune became popular throughout the United States before the American Civil War and, as a result, was a favorite of the Union and Confederate armies.

Joseph P. Webster set Rev. Henry D. L. Webster's heartbreaking poem to music, and the song became important for both Union and Confederate soldiers who missed their loved ones while at war. The composer had many notable works, including one of the best-known Christian hymns in American history, "In the Sweet By and By" (1868).

Forbidden and Cherished

It is often said that many Confederate commanders prohibited the tune from being played and sung later in the war. They believed it stirred deep emotions within their soldiers, evoking a sense of homesickness for their loved ones back home, which in turn contributed to instances of desertion.

Others recall it as the song they heard most during the war. The woman behind the song became known as "The Sweetheart of the Civil War."

Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland in the film Gone With The Wind (1939)

History Behind the Song

Zanesville, Ohio - 1850
Martha Ellen Blockson, a college graduate from an affluent background, came to live with her sister and brother-in-law after the death of her parents and caught the eye of Reverend Henry D. L. Webster. Despite her family's expectation that she marry a wealthy man, she accepts the courtship of the lovestruck young pastor, with his promise that his new church and congregation would multiply, allowing him to support a wife in the way her family would expect.

One year and a half later, the congregation had not increased in size. Martha's brother-in-law, a wealthy and prominent community member, persuaded her against marriage to a poor clergyman, and she broke off the engagement. Broken-hearted, Henry resigned and left Zanesville.


An instrumental version of Lorena is the music that inspires Scarlett O'Hara's dancing feet in the film Gone With The Wind (1939)

Six years after their first meeting, Henry writes a beautiful six-verse poem about their ill-fated courtship, and using a bit of creative license, the protagonist’s name is modified to Bertha.

"Lorena" was also featured in the 2017 Colin Farrell/Nicole Kidman film, The Beguiled.

Composer J.P. Webster requested permission to put the poem to music, to create a beautiful love song but disliked the title. Henry granted permission, along with the name change with the exception of the name Martha. Legend has it that Webster took letters from Martha Ellen Blocksom’s name to create the title.

Lyrics:

The years creep slowly by, Lorena,
The snow is on the grass again;
The sun’s low down the sky, Lorena,
The frost gleams where the flowers have been.
But my heart beats on as warmly now,
As when the summer days were nigh;
The sun can never dip so low,
Or down affections cloudless sky.

A hundred months have passed, Lorena,
Since last I held that hand in mine,
And felt the pulse beat fast, Lorena,
Though mine beat faster far than thine.
A hundred months, ’twas flowery may,
When up the hilly slope we climbed,
To watch the dying of the day,
And hear the distant church bells chime.

We loved each other then, Lorena,

More than we ever dared to tell;
And what we might have been, Lorena,
Had but our lovings prospered well.
But then, ’tis past, the years are gone,
I’ll not call up their shadowy forms;
I’ll say to them, «lost years, sleep on!
Sleep on! nor heed life’s pelting storms.»

The story of that past, Lorena,
Alas! I care not to repeat,
The hopes that could not last, Lorena,
They lived, but only lived to cheat.
I would not cause e’en one regret
To rankle in your bosom now;
For «if we try, we may forget,»
Were words of thine long years ago.

Yes, these were words of thine, Lorena,
They burn within my memory yet;

They touched some tender chords, Lorena,
Which thrill and tremble with regret.
’twas not thy woman’s heart that spoke;
Thy heart was always true to me:
A duty, stern and pressing, broke
The tie which linked my soul with thee.

It matters little now, Lorena,
The past is in the eternal past;
Our heads will soon lie low, Lorena,
Life’s tide is ebbing out so fast.
There is a future! o, thank god!
Of life this is so small a part!
’tis dust to dust beneath the sod;
But there, up there, ’tis heart to heart.

The melody of "Lorena" was used by composer Max Steiner to represent homecoming in various scenes in the 1956 western The Searchers. Composer David Buttolph used the melody to represent a bittersweet parting at the end of the 1959 western The Horse Soldiers.

Other mentions, the tune is used in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove, the 2012 film Cowboys & Aliens, and on various television documentaries and shows such as Wagon Train and the PBS Civil War drama series Mercy Street. 

It's Tea Time!

 

Hi, Kit Morgan here, and anyone who knows me well knows I adore tea. I have to have it in a fancy tea cup and saucer. I use all the accompanying tea paraphernalia, and, of course, it’s always more fun to have more than one. Meaning, I like having tea with my neighbor Jeannie or take my daughter or a friend to a place that “does” tea. My characters drink tea and I've even used tea in the title of one of my books.

Tea shows up in many of my books. My fictional town of Clear Creek has has “tea time” as there are so many British living in and around the tiny town. But just as there are all sorts of variety of tea, so there are teas. 

What am I talking about? Well, there’s afternoon tea. Family teas, tea gardens, High teas, At home tea. There are even Bridge teas and Tennis teas! And during WWII, the tea dance was invented. So what’s with all these teas? At the center, the answer is simple. People.

Back in the day, wedding breakfasts were held. But with wedding teas, you could invite more people. Some sort of entertainment could be provided. Music, singers, or a piano player. Sometimes the guests themselves performed. Though this was all thought out first and arranged. Tea wasn’t served in the drawing room. Instead the hostess used her dining room which was set up as a sort of buffet. 

Like the wedding teas, “At Home” teas consisted of smaller groups, could be served in a parlor or drawing room, and served on small tables. A servant, (if you had one) took up a post near their mistress, who was the one serving. As soon as she was done, the servant would leave the room. This sort of tea is simple. They didn’t even use plates. I’d have failed at this kind of tea. I’m always dropping my cookies when trying to balance them on my saucer. Ah me …

High Tea was a different affair, and is some homes, was done daily, often taking the place of a late dinner. There was usually one or two hot dishes, maybe some cold chicken, game or ham. There was also a salad of some sort and of course different kinds of cakes and at times, cold fruit tarts with cream or custard. And of course, there was also fresh fruit. Getting hungry yet? In summer, it wasn’t unusual to have all cold dishes.

Family Teas consisted of cake, jam, sardines, buttered toast, potted meats, tea cakes and fruit. Watercress and radishes were served in summer alongside everything else. Family teas were often governed by the dinner that preceded it. When I think of all these teas, I automatically think of Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings. I’m not sure who is worse, the little guys, or the Victorians of the 1800’s! 

Bridge Teas were served at 3:30. Tennis Teas could be at different times as they were held in summer. Both were informal, the meal made up of sandwiches, pastries, cakes and light foods. The tables were set under shade trees and visitors helped themselves to what they wanted.

During the second world war, the tea dance came along. I know it has nothing to do with the 1800s or the old west or high society of the same era, but it’s worth a mention. In Britain, they were held in the afternoon, never at night due to the danger of air raids. Someone’s house was picked, people packed their own little sandwiches with what rations they had, and everyone pooled them together so there was a variety to serve. The dances might be a charity of sorts to raise money for blankets, bandages and food parcels for troops. The organizers of these teas provided a cup of gray, wartime tea with a bit of reconstituted dried milk and a saccharine tablet for some sweetness. The music at such things were a far cry from the afore mentioned teas. This was the big band era, so you had folks dancing and enjoying themselves to some great music. This raised morale, and helped people cope with the war. These tea dances gain popularity and continued on even after the war was over.

So here I sit with my little tea cup, wondering what it would be like to have tea with so many different folks. Not that I haven’t, it’s just been awhile.

Until Next Time,

Kit