Gambling Back Then

Gambling was considered a profession as far back as the 1800's in the old west. The gambler of the old west were often high rollers for the time. But for every high roller, there were many more who were local men who tried to parlay a little bit of money into a fortune. There are numerous stories where farmers, ranchers, and business owners put their homes, properties, and businesses on the line as a last ditch effort to win back what they lost. 

Some of the most well-known stories about the western territories include bandits, gamblers, saloons, and duels in the streets. They’re fun to read and they easily spark mental images of how things might have happened. Some of the accounts of these events have been stretched to be more than they actually were. Stories get exaggerated as they get told over and over.

These exaggerations are fun and they're also great inspiration for fiction and romance authors - me included. Notorious gamblers can't mix with polite society, right? Of course they can! At least in my stories they can. They learn to settle down, go straight, and change their lives. Being inspired by some of the people he meets, the hero in A Life Transformed vows he'll stop gambling and become a good guy.

If you enjoy inspiring stories of life changing moments and redemption, you might enjoy my Hero Hearts story, A Life Transformed. It tells the story of a man who wanted his life to be more. He was tired of the life of a gambler - he was tired of cheating people to make a living. When he meets the woman who melts his heart, he has new inspiration to build a new life. 

~~~~~

Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

To connect with Annie, find her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Follow Annie on Amazon, Bookbub and get email updates.

The Role of a Parson on the Battlefield

As you might imagine, the Civil War saw many men in need of spiritual guidance and care. A battlefield is a horror most of us will never understand and battlefields of long ago were bloody as the fighters often looked each other in the eye. Many harrowing tales have been shared over the years of Civil War battles that weren't civil at all.

Men were haunted by what they saw and what they had to do on the battlefield. The wounded needed more than medical care - they needed the spiritual guidance only a chaplain could provide.

But further than the obvious responsibility of ministering to those who were gravely injured or trying to recover, soldiers needed the strength and faith of a man of God as they lived through uncertainty and fear on a daily basis. This quote is from the National Archives and it clearly captures the truth of the important role played by the clergy. 

"Clergymen of all faiths and denominations served with distinction in both Union and Confederate armies, overseeing the moral and spiritual well-being of the troops. Such care proved essential to soldiers who faced the constant uncertainty of violence and death on the battlefield and reinforced the religious underpinnings of a society in which faith played a much more immediate role in daily life."

Clergymen were sent along with regiments on their campaigns and many actually played a leadership role in battle doing double duty as needed. Most often, they were stationed in hospitals or headquarter locations and dispatched as needed.

 

Men of God who chose to serve in the war left families behind just as the soldiers who enlisted or the officers who were assigned to the companies they belonged to. They left wives, children, mothers, and fathers. They left their flocks behind to serve men who would need them desperately. Doing the Lord's work wasn't always safe and these men were brave to follow their calling to such a dangerous place as a battlefield.

Dedication to serve those who need you is inspiring when it's so visible in others. Trusting God's wisdom and will in the face of death and destruction is another thing most of us don't have to choose to do.

In my series, The Parson's Daughters, Albert Barnesdale is called from the lap of luxury to be a parson. His faith sustains him through difficulties and happiness alike. When he's killed in the Civil War ministering to those who need him as he's called to do, his family is devastated. They're able to move forward because of how he prepared his daughters to live and walk in faith.

Find the complete series boxed set on Amazon that includes the story of Faith, Hope, and Charity his three daughters along with the story of how it all began when he met his one true love, Helen.

~~~~~

Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

To connect with Annie, find her on Facebook or her website.

Follow Annie on Amazon, Bookbub and get email updates.

Gambling in the Wild West

Towns sprung up quickly in the 19th-century American West, sometimes starting out as mining camps, wagon train river crossings, or army fort support areas. Many times these little towns were comprised mostly of men. Those men needed recreation. Usually that recreation consisted mainly of drinking and gambling. It’s no surprise that saloons or gambling halls were the first buildings to go up in these fast growing towns.

These places seemed to appear almost overnight. They might be tents with dirt floors with flimsy tables and mismatched chairs and a make-shift bar. None of these establishments were high class by any means. They didn’t need to be. The activities they offered were enough to draw the clientele needed to keep them going.

Finally, as a rough neck town grew and began to prosper, the rickety shanties were replaced with wooden or brick buildings. Some of the saloons in what would have been considered a city were rather ornate with elaborately carved bars and high class chandeliers.

 
There was a time when gambling was considered an occupation. While there are professional gamblers today, a gambler back then lived a much different life. And it must be said that any man who decided to leave what he knew in the east and move to an uncivilized place had to be a gambler at heart. It made sense that there were more than a handful of gamblers moving around from place to place and card game to card game.

In the years prior to the War Between the States, gambling along the Mississippi River flourished. Riverboats running up and down the river from St. Louis to New Orleans offered gamblers the perfect place to practice their trade.

The California Gold Rush attracted some of the riverboat gamblers to San Francisco where money was flowing like water. Gambling halls opened all over offering more than card game. These halls were open all day and night and enormous amounts of money changed hands each and every day.
With the success of the halls in San Francisco, more similar establishments started in Nevada City, Sacramento, and other boom towns in the west. Shootings, stabbings, and killings in general weren’t uncommon in the areas near the gambling meccas. Violence finally reached a level that became unacceptable to the people living in the areas.  They called for law enforcement to stop the criminal activities that surrounded the gambling profession.

In the 1860s, the Comstock Lode in Nevada brought men there to prospect and seek their fortunes there. Just like had happened in San Francisco, gambling houses opened up all over. Accounts report that gambling was rampant in Virginia City and surrounding areas. In fact, a report from an agent of the U.S. Geological Survey found that the town of 18,000 people had a gambling house for every 150 citizens.

Gamblers might have been unruly and predisposed to cheating, but that didn’t keep them from holding important positions. One famous gambler in Nevada was William DeWitt Clinton Gibson. William was elected to the Nevada Senate once he slowed his gambling career down. And some of the men who ran the gambling halls also ran banks or held other important financial positions in town.

One of the most important events of the late 1860s was the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The small towns that sprung up along the tracks were the perfect spots for the lower class swindlers to gather. As the railroad moved west, the less reputable gamblers loaded up the tricks of their trade and moved with it ready to take the money of the new and naïve men they would soon meet.

Most of the low rent crowd who preyed on the unsuspecting railroad construction workers were forgettable small-timers, but a few went on to prominence among the gambling men of the West. Most claimed to follow the respected profession of gambling, but really just fleeced their victims with well-honed tricks and crooked gambling games. When the steel rails at last spanned the country, many of these sure-thing gamblers continued to work their swindles on railroad passengers, using the rail center of Omaha as headquarters.

The 1870s brought the great cattle drives from Texas up through Kansas and even further north. Some of the most revered names in Western history are part of this period. Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, and Wyatt Earp were lawmen and well respected for their fearlessness. All were well known gamblers. History shows that they spent more time at the tables than they did keeping law and order.

It’s no surprise that many of the most prolific gunfighters of the Western frontier were also well known gamblers. And along those lines, men who had developed reputations as good gunfighters were in high demand as dealers at the tables. Where large amounts of cash was changing hands, a man with gun skills and nerves of steel were needed. It wasn’t uncommon for a gambler’s reputation to spread and locals were quick to join games to try to match wits with the likes of the celebrity gamblers.

The truth is, that gambling was romanticized in spite of the danger and lawlessness it brought with it.

In A Life Transformed, our former gambling hero tells how he learned he was a good gambler during his time in the mining camps. Find out a little more about this new Hero Hearts release here:
Ellie Brown is on her own and she's got a successful ranch to prove she'd made her own way without the help of her father or a husband. She's proud of what she's done in spite of the fact that it's been a difficult and lonely road paved with hard work and some disappointment thrown in for good measure.

Ross Miller is an opportunistic gambler who's just won a mighty big pot. Though he has a tough exterior, he's got a soft heart. The pot includes something that will be hard to take away from it's owner, but a deal's a deal. He's going to be sure to get his pay out, but he's trying to find a way to get it without too much damage to the person it will affect - Ellie Brown.

He comes up with an idea that Ellie accepts, though she doesn't really have an option other than to not have a place to live. She goes along with the marriage of convenience, but finds a big hurdle to get over. Ross is handsome and deep down he's kind. As she gets to know him, she realizes he's not the soulless man she thought he was at first.

Can these two put their rocky past behind them and find true love and happiness together?

***

Find this new release on Amazon. If you prefer to read with your Kindle Unlimited subscription, this title is available there!

~~~~~

Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

To connect with Annie, find her on Facebook or her website.

Follow Annie on Amazon, Bookbub and get email updates.

How Did They Do It?

I'm very blessed to have the kind of job that allows me to work from anywhere. One of my dear friends has taken a job in St.George, Utah and I'm visiting her this week. What a beautiful place! Different in so many ways from my beloved Georgia, I'm loving the amazing views.

Two other friends joined us (along with one of their sons) and we've had a wonderful reunion. Here's a picture I took. From left to right - Carol, Kate, Alison, and Jay.

Yesterday, we took a trip to Snow Canyon for a short hike and some photo ops. As we stopped to look at God's beauty around us, we wondered how the pioneers who went west in covered wagons managed to get across this rough terrain. I wondered if they were as taken with the lovely mountains and desert expanse below them as we were. Then I thought that possibly they couldn't see the beauty for the hardships it would cause for them.

Research over the years has told me that crossing rivers were likely the most dangerous part of the trip west. When rivers were swollen with snow melt or when they were flowing quickly, wagons were most vulnerable to turn over. Loss of life of people and animals was common. Supplies were lost. Losing the precious supplies they'd brought or managed to buy along the way could be catastrophic. Obviously, losing parents, children or friends was an unbearable consequence of taking this amazing risk for a different life.

The terrain is rutted and rugged. The mountains are jagged and steep. A typical wagon train only traveled between ten and twenty miles per day. Adding obstacles like this could slow them even further. They followed hunting trails where they existed and some of them used guides. Many had to walk through the rutted trails hunting for smoother places for the wagons to follow.

The mountains couldn't be avoided. They'd go around where they could, but it wasn't possible to go around all of them. They were far to vast for that. Scouts would search for spaces and holes in the rocks that were large enough for the animals and wagons to get through. Some of my research includes tales of wagons being dismantled on one side and rebuilt when they got to the other side. The idea seems a little far-fetched and impractical, but I did see it in more than one account.

 

One thing is certain... The people who settled the west were determined, hearty, and amazing. Their vision for what they wanted from life was clear and they were willing to sacrifice to get it. What inspiration for any of us as we face difficulties and obstacles in life!

~~~~~

Annie's latest release is Book Eight in the Colorado Matchmaker Series. You can find Delilah and Ethan on Amazon.

~~~~~

Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

To connect with Annie, find her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Follow Annie on Amazon, Bookbub and get email updates.

Boarding Houses in the Old West

People came to the old west for many reasons and it was full of all sorts of people. From outlaws to lawmen, from mothers with lots of children to sheltered mail order brides. Ranchers, businessmen, explorers, and the list goes on.

The truth is that all of them needed a place to stay while they sorted out their new homes or as they passed through town in their travels. Many of the boarding houses with rooms and meals available to those who needed them were owned and run by women. The women who ran these safe havens were well respected. Doesn't it make sense that many women found their places in ways to nurture the needs of those who needed shelter?

In my series, Boarding House Misfits, the Rosebud Boarding House was a place for those who had no other place to go. Briarwood, Nevada was a small town on the edge of the desert with its fair share of gamblers, drunks, gun slingers, and those who needed a fresh start. Dolores O'Hanlon ran the place with a strict set of rules and a tender heart for the down trodden whether their own poor decisions had landed them in need or not.

The series shares the stories of five misfits - men with problems and nowhere to go. Dolores takes them in, gives them shelter, enforces her rules, and gives advice. Her advice and counsel leads each man to turn his life around and find true love.

Though these are the stories of how Rosebud boarders find love, Dolores is present in all the stories. I couldn't have put this series together without the voice of Dolores in my ear. I pictured her to be kind, caring, and wise - as well as beautiful. And though she's a single woman alone in the wild west, she's content with what she's doing for others.












Here's a short excerpt from Hidden Courage, Book One in the series.

Stanley Winthorpe sighed as he walked down the two steps of the bank – his new work place. The sleepy little town of Briarwood, Nevada, was as alive as it ever was, with a few people walking through the dusty streets and the soft noise of the piano music drifting out of the saloon. He tucked his book under his arm as he reached the boardwalk, imagining himself a much more confident, assertive individual.

“I’m Stanley Wilder Winthorpe, Bounty Hunter and Cowboy of the Wild West.” Stanley declared to himself as he made his way up the street. He had been staying at the town hotel, hoping he could find a place of his own soon. The only problem was, the hotel wasn’t cheap, and the little money he had brought to live on was quickly waning. Finding a place of his own he could afford was likely to prove challenging.

The wild west had captivated Stanley’s imagination since his boyhood years, when he’d read stories of brave men who had come out west, conquering the wild and untamed land and claiming it for their own. He had spent many hours with his own little stick, pretending it was a pistol, and a hobby horse his mother had made for him from a broomstick and some scraps of fabric.

But, Stanley had to admit, he was not an adventurous person. Even now, in his desperate search for a job to make ends meet, he knew that his tales of coming west to be a brave cowboy were nothing more than a fancy he held in his mind. In truth, he would run if a fight were to arise, and he would shy away from controversy at a moment’s notice.

If a situation turned uncomfortable, Stanley would make his excuses and stay away. Though he now carried Moby Dick under his arm and dreamed of having the same spirit as Captain Ahab, Stanley couldn’t help but feel the weight lift from his shoulders as he walked to the hotel. He had been so dreadfully nervous about the interview that day, he hadn’t slept nor eaten since the day before.

Now that it was over, and he had gotten the job, he was famished and ready for a nap. Stanley knew that he had to be careful with the few dollars he had left, but he also wanted to celebrate. He wanted to treat himself to a nice dinner, then settle into his room to enjoy more of his book before getting a good night of restful sleep.

“What can I get for you, sugar?” a plump woman with an apron tied across her front asked him as he settled into the hotel’s diner. He smiled a warm smile, hoping his introvert personality wouldn’t show through.

“I was thinking maybe… the special?” he said, phrasing it more as a question. She looked over her shoulder at the blackboard with the words fried chicken and corn bread scrawled across it, and smiled. With a nod, she finished clearing the dishes from the table she was working on, then backed toward the kitchen.

“You just settle yourself in there, sugar. I’ll be right back.” Her sweet friendly accent brought a smile to Stanley’s face, and he felt his cheeks flush red. Immediately, he wanted to slap himself for the involuntary reaction. He had to stop being so easily embarrassed. She was an attractive woman, to be sure, but she was clearly older than him, and it was safe to assume that she was married – perhaps even to the man who owned the hotel.

“You might not be a cowboy or a bounty hunter, but you do have a job out here now. So, whether it’s a large town or a small little place, you have to keep all interaction professional,” Stanley muttered aloud to himself as he waited for the waitress to return with his iced tea and fried chicken.

A few moments later, the woman set the meal in front of him, and gave him her most charming smile. “Will that be all for you?” she asked, her accent even thicker than before. Stanley felt his cheeks flush red, and though he tried to reply with words, he couldn’t find his tongue. With a sheepish grin on his face, he nodded.

“All right then. If you think of anything else, give me a holler, sugar.” She gave him a pat on the arm before she turned and walked back to the kitchen. Stanley buried his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes.

Good job, Stanley. I bet she thinks you’re really impressive now, he thought.

***

The complete Boarding House Misfits Series is available on Amazon. If you prefer to read with your Kindle Unlimited subscription, it's available in the program.

~~~~~

Annie Boone writes sweet western historical romance with a happy ending guaranteed in every single story. Inspiration comes in many forms and Annie finds more than one way to make her stories entertain and inspire.

To connect with Annie, find her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Follow Annie on Amazon, Bookbub and get email updates.