Mountains partially blocked the route. Facts about this stagecoach company provided the historical details I needed to move my heroine, Ann Marie, from California to Oregon.
From Freddy's Sudden Farm:
Mr. Peacock had assured her there would be room on top of the stage for the large crate. “Not many passengers this time of year. No one wants to risk the mountains.”She understood their hesitation, having grown up near the mountains. While her hometown of Lodi lay on flat land, the mountains loomed in the distance. She knew winter could come suddenly in them. It came with a brutal ferocity that could freeze a man if it took him by surprise.
Frederick wanted a wife. Ann Marie would risk her safety and even her precious Singer sewing machine to reach him. He needed her.
Hoofbeats drew her attention toward the south. Glancing up, she saw a team of mules approaching. They pulled the tall, closed stagecoach. The vehicle rocked as it hit a rut in the track left by a recent chilly rain.
The Concord coach, with leather straps suspending the body of the vehicle, was known for that rocking motion. Ann Marie automatically put a hand over her stomach as she watched it. She knew the next few days would challenge her resolve.
Corbett's stage could not completely avoid the mountains. At times sleighs had to be used to complete the journey.
After three days, the coach stopped near Mount Shasta. Viewing it left Ann Marie breathless. She was glad they did not need to travel up the side of the towering peak. Seeing it, she knew they would soon be in Oregon.
First, they had to pass through part of the Cascade Mountains. These separated California and Oregon. Snow might already cover them.
The Cascades* The coach skirted Mount Shasta. It continued to pass foothills and follow rivers. At one point, she and the clergyman named Reverend Howard left the coach and traveled in a large sleigh. Another sleigh came behind them with the stage’s cargo. The snow and cold forced her to dig into her trunk for another sweater and her heaviest cloak. She had gladly accepted the blanket, ignoring the old mule odor wafting from it.
As the sleigh traveled lower and lower down the side of one peak, she held her breath. Ducking her head, she heard Reverend Howard mutter a prayer. At the end, she added, “Amen.”
Hearing her, the older man’s lips stretched into a tight smile. “We will be out of these mountains soon.”
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| Photo from Wikipedia |
Corbett's success brought attention to him. He was made a United States senator in 1867. A very successful frontiersman.
Stagecoaches continued to travel between California and Oregon for twenty-one years. The railroad finally linked the two states in 1887. Amazing that it took so long for it to happen!
*Cascades photo borrowed from https://www.reddit.com/r/EarthPorn/comments/s5ld2t/exploring_the_rugged_and_picturesque_north/.
Releasing Soon!
Freddy Albert dreams of escaping from his parents' farm. An advertisement by a woman in Northern California for a husband to help run her livery promises him a fresh start. As he prepares to leave home, everything changes.
Now he faces a difficult decision. Realizing he has no choice, he takes on the responsibility of running the farm and providing for his family. Unhappy, he writes to Lottie James, asking her to sell her livery. He proposes she move to Oregon and marry him.
In California, Ann Marie LeFevre cannot understand her friend's stubbornness. Despite her mail-order groom’s invitation, Lottie refuses to leave California. When her friend tosses Fred’s letters at her and tells her to marry him, Ann Marie eagerly accepts her offer. Fred will be glad for a substitute bride. She is sure of it.
However, she discovers that the young man, Freddy, who wrote those letters is very different from the mature man she expected. Sheer optimism will not make the two of them as compatible as she had hoped. And Freddy is far from willing to accept a substitute bride, especially one who is older than him and not a bit pretty.
Will Freddy’s sudden farm keep him from finding love or will he and Ann Marie discover a way to blend their hearts and lives?
Freddy's Sudden Farm Links
US--https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT1L62ZN
UK--https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DT1L62ZN
Canada--https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DT1L62ZN
Australia--https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DT1L62ZN
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