Buffalo Bill and the Sells Floto Circus in 1914

 

When I was doing research for my new book coming July 2, I was looking into historical events in 1914 in the town of Pendleton, where the story takes place.

One of the happenings that fit in with the time frame of my story was the arrival of the Sells Floto Circus and Buffalo Bill's Wild West in June, 1914.

From the article that ran in the Pendleton newspaper, it seems the residents were a bit disappointed with Buffalo Bill, since all he did was ride around the ring, but otherwise loved the circus. 

I have my hero and heroine attending the circus together. Thanks to several photographs and articles I found, it was fun to incorporate many details into the scene. 

The Sells Floto Circus was the result of the Floto Dog and Pony show and the Sells Brother Circus that merged  together.

 The first two owners were Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen, owners of the Denver Post as well as the Kansas City Post. The circus was created in 1902 and originally titled "Floto Dog and Pony Show." It was four years later that Sells was added to the title, when Willie Sells joined the show. The newspapers gave publicity to the circus and it thrived when others struggled financially.

Los Angeles Record, April 14, 1914

During 1914 and 1915, the show was called Sells-Floto Circus and Buffalo Bill Wild West,  with Buffalo Bill performing in the show. 

The circus traveled all over the United States and received glowing accolades in many newspaper articles, such as the one above from their performance in Los Angeles. 

In 1921, the circus was incorporated into the American Circus Corporation. In September 1929, the corporation's circuses were acquired by John Ringling, and by 1933 Sells-Floto ceased to exist. There was a  brief revival in 1937-38 as part of the Al G. Barnes and Sells-Floto Combined Circus. 

You can read about the circus from a fictional viewpoint my my book Luna, releasing July 2. I incorporated details from old photographs and newspaper articles to make the experience feel as realistic as possible.

She’s searching for peace and grace

He’s ready to step into his next big adventure

Haunted by memories of the fateful day that changed her life, Luna Campanelli seeks a fresh start in Pendleton, Oregon. Life in the wild western town is nothing like she imagined, although the rugged beauty of the area soothes her troubled spirit. An unlikely friendship with one of the area ranch hands lifts her hopes, until she discovers the cowboy isn’t who he’s led her to believe.

Hunter Douglas didn’t intend to hide his identity from the woman he met on the train, but when she assumed he was his sister’s hired hand, he didn’t correct her. He never anticipated forming such a deep connection to her, especially when thoughts of her continue to infiltrate his carefully made plans. As a recent college graduate with an inheritance he intends to use to start his own ranch in Pendleton, Hunter must decide if he is willing to open his heart and include Luna in his future.

Will they embrace the unexpected love that has blossomed between them, or let fear tear them apart?

This sweet and wholesome romance is a story of love, healing, and the power of hope in a delightful western setting. Join Luna and Hunter on their journey as they discover what it truly means to love unconditionally.

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with heart, 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 loves to hear from readers. 

Follow her online at: ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Newsletter

Kissing Balls

 

It all started with a kissing ball.

I saw a beautiful one in a shop window and considered making one. Then, as things tend to go, I ran out of time before the holiday season arrived.

But the idea of a kissing ball being involved in a holiday romance stuck with me. 

In my sweet historical romance, The Christmas Kiss (releasing today!), a cousin to the hero gives him a kissing ball for a decoration. 

He knows exactly what it represents and thinks about kicking it outside, but refrains. 

As I was writing about the kissing ball, I decided to do a little research about them. Kissing balls have been around a long, long time.

During the Middle Ages, villagers would wind twine and evergreen branches into a ball shape. In the center of the boughs, they would place a clay figure to represent baby Jesus. The boughs were hung from the ceiling to render blessings and good fortune to all who passed beneath it.

It was during Tudor times that the kissing bough became a popular Christmas tradition. They were made with two intertwined hoops covered with evergreens that included holly, bay, and mistletoe, and were hung over doorways to welcome guests. Legend says the tradition of the day was to salute or kiss in greeting or leave-taking. Amid the Christmas season, this bough gave free license for the activity. Those who met beneath it would often pick a berry from the mistletoe as proof of a kiss.

Victorian England brought a new look and name to the ornament. The kissing ball was elaborately decorated, incorporating mistletoe and evergreens such as pine, as well as flowers and herbs. Herbs were chosen for both beauty and symbolic value. Lavender and rosemary signified loyalty and devotion, mistletoe brought good fortune and fertility, while thyme promoted courage. An apple or potato frequently served as the base. Victorians emphasized romance with the kissing ball, waltzing beneath it at parties and women lingering near it in hopes of a suitor catching them there.

He’s a devoted single dad still grieving the loss of his wife.
She’s an outrageously fun female with a temper that runs as hot as a teakettle.
Will the two of them find a way to work together to give his son a Merry Christmas?

When Gracy Randall returns to Hardman after almost six years away, she can’t wait to see the look of surprise on her parents’ faces. But the surprises are for her, it seems, as everything she thought she could depend on turns out to be different than she expected. The family ranch? Sold. The fabulous job she lined up for her return? Gone. The life she left behind? Memories. Now what will she do?

Cord Granger has problems of his own. The ranch he bought to make a fresh start requires far more work and time than he’d anticipated. Until he can find someone to take care of the house and his son, Bodie, he struggles to keep up with each day’s demands. Yet, the thought of letting another woman into his home, even if she is hired to be there, feels like dishonoring the memory of his wife. But he has to do something. The work? Piling up. The grief he faces every day? Staggering. The life he left behind? Memories. Who can he trust to help?

After landing on the wrong foot the moment they meet, the last thing Gracy and Cord want to admit is that the other may hold the answer to their problems. Can a little holiday hope help Gracy bring fun and joy back into Cord’s world? Will Cord’s return to the land of the living break the heart she locked up six years ago?

Find out in The Christmas Kiss, a sweet historical holiday romance brimming with the wonder of the season, a town full of humorous characters, and heartwarming story of love.

His head lowered toward hers and their lips had just barely brushed when Bodie ran into the room, full of giggles.

“What’s this, Daddy? Is it a ball? Can I kick it like my other ball?”

Cord sighed and stepped back, grasping at the unraveled threads of his composure. Everything in him wanted to tell Bodie to kick the kissing ball until it was an obliterated pile of leaves, but he experienced the desire to kick it a few times himself, preferably at Luke.

Instead, he forced himself to smile and turned to face his son. “It’s not a toy, Bode. Your cousin Maura made it as a decoration.” He knelt beside Bodie, took the kissing ball from him, and dangled it from his index finger. “See, it hangs from this ribbon here. Where do you think we should put it?”

“I … I …” Bodie was so excited about the decoration, he raced out of the kitchen, scurried right back in, and grabbed Cord’s hand. “Come on, Daddy. We gots to find a good place for it!”

Cord stood and let Bodie tug him from the room but not before glancing back at Gracy with a look of promise. Maybe next time he cornered her at the sink, he’d make sure the kissing ball was hanging overhead.

What's your favorite holiday decoration or tradition?

Connect with Shanna at shannahatfield.com

The Autoped

by Shanna Hatfield

We've all seen them tootling down the street. If not in person, then in photos, memes, or movies.

Scooters are a fun way to travel.

But if you think scooters are something new, think again.

The original motorized scooter debuted in 1915, manufactured by the Autoped Company of Long Island City, in New York.

 

The driver stood on a platform with 10-inch tires to operate the machine. The scooters featured 10-inch tires and could be steered with handlebars attached to a long steering column. By pushing the handlebars forward, it engaged the clutch. A lever controlled the throttle. By pulling the handle bars back, it disengaged the clutch and applied the brake.

The steering column could be folded onto the platform to store with greater ease. An air-cooled, 4-stroke, 155 cc engine rested over the front wheel. The scooter came equipment with a headlamp and tail lamp, a horn, and a toolbox. Although an efficient way to travel, it was not widely distributed.

Advertised as "Step on and Go!" the scooter was like an enlarged child's scooter with an engine. It wsa the first mass-produced scooter in the US. Though some reports claimed it could reach 35 miles per hour, it was said to feel "unsteady" when pushed higher than 20 mph.

Later, Everready Batter Company purchased Autoped and added a battery-operated version.

“The Autoped is an ideal short distance conveyance for business or professional men or women to and from their places of business; for women to go shopping or calling; for physicians to make their regular daily calls or to answer hurry calls; for the older children to go about quickly for outing or school; for servants when they are sent on errands; for grocers, druggists and other merchants for quick delivery purposes; for commercial salesman to call on the trade; for employees to ride to and from work; for collectors; repairmen; messengers, and for anybody else who wants to save money, time and energy in going about. All will enjoy the comfort and pleasure of AUTOPEDING.”

This photo appeared in The Retronaut and was captioned:

Lady Florence Norman, a suffragette, on her motor-scooter in 1916, travelling to work at offices in London where she was a supervisor. The scooter was a birthday present from her husband, the journalist and Liberal politician Sir Henry Norman.

 Scooters weren't just for the working class, or nobles, but anyone who liked the idea of such an innovative, novel velocipede.

The U.S. Postal Service used the scooters for delivering mail. Police departments also utilized them.

Delinquents saw a means of escape on the slim machines, using them as getaway vehicles to speed down alleys while terrorizing the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The hoodlums were dubbed as the Long Island Bogtrotters. 

However, the majority of those who purchased the machines used them recreational purposes. Oddly enough, a vast majority of the advertisements were geared toward women, just as the ads that created a buzz half a century later when Italian scooters were all the rage. 

The Autoped might have been a bit ahead of its time, but it is such fun to see those old images and realize everything old is new once again. 

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. 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.

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