WHEN HISTORY MEETS FICTION by Marisa Masterson

 Sometimes happy coincidences occur when I write. For me, this happens when history and fiction merge.

Take my latest book, A Journey for Christiana. It is the sequel to A Journey for Patience. Because it follows another book, I had a specific time period and plot already shaped. My characters are rolling along on the trail. I knew exactly where they would be on it and when since I chart out what is called the trail dust mileage. It was something I could not change.

As I researched information on the Santa Fe Trail and its two famous passes, the Raton and the Cimarron, I also looked at forts dotting the trail. I knew stops at those forts would show time progression in my story. By researching the forts, fiction and real history met in the book.

FORT HARKER, KANSAS
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-fortharker/

Photo by Matthew Brady, 1865

Lo and behold, George Armstrong Custer was at Fort Harker during the exact time when my characters would arrive at that fort! I was so excited to discover that. And it got better...

During 1867, Wild Bill Hickok had started scouting for the 7th Calvalry because of Custer. Hickok admired the man tremendously and agreed to be a scout when asked by him. So Hickok was also at Fort Harker in May 1867 and had had trouble with a local tribe, something I mention in my book. More meeting of history and fiction. 

Witnesses confirm that while working as a scout at Fort Harker, Kansas, on May 11, 1867, Hickok was attacked by a large group of Indians, who fled after he shot and killed two. In July, Hickok told a newspaper reporter that he had led several soldiers in pursuit of Indians who had killed four men near the fort on July 2. He reported returning with five prisoners after killing 10. Witnesses confirm that the story was true to the extent the party had set out to find whoever had killed the four men,^[e] but the group returned to the fort "without nary a dead Indian, [never] even seeing a live one".^{[36][37] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok)}

But it did not end there.  Buffalo Bill Cody was also at Fort Harker in May 1867. In fact, he wrote about his time at the fort:

While working at Fort Harker as a common roust-a-bout, I with about fifty other men were boarding at what was nick-named the "Alligator Messhouse", it might have been properly called "Camp starvation", as it was the only place where I might say we did not get enough to eat. We knew the Government issued plenty of rations but somehow these never reached us at the " Alligator Messhouse. We made up a long petition setting forth that we were starving &etc., it was signed by all the men and send in to headquarters, but weWhile working at Fort Harker as a common roust-a-bout, I with about fifty other men were boarding at what was nick-named the "Alligator Messhouse", it might have been properly called "Camp starvation", as it was the only place where I might say we did not get enough to eat. We knew the Government issued plenty of rations but somehow these never reached us at the " Alligator Messhouse. We made up a long petition setting forth that we were starving &etc., it was signed by all the men and send in to headquarters, but we never heard from it, nor did we notice any improvement in our fare.

I had no money to buy anything to eat on the outsided and well remember a man hiring me to chop some fire wood; it was dry cottenwood and the axe was very dull; It was my first experiment of this kind and right there I formed rather a poor opinion of Kansas Timber; At every stroke of the axe bounced seemingly as hitting a bale of cotton, but I managed to chop and break up some wood for which I received fifty cents; part of this I at once invested in a loaf of bread; and it tasted good without butter. 

(https://codyarchive.org/texts/wfc.lfw00001.html)

 All three famous figures from the West appear in my newest book. It was such fun for me as an author to allow history and fiction to meet. 

From A Journey for Christiana:

As Murphy approached, Moody worked hard at wiping away his scowl. He assumed his usual, stoic expression. That Hickok had fought for the Yankees should not matter now. He urged his mind to believe that.

“Hey, Moody! You remember Hickok and Cody here?”

“Yep. Howdy.”

Hickok pulled away from Murphy and straightened. “Ain’t you the one whose daddy owns that big ranch west of Santa Fe?”

Moody stiffened. “I’m part owner of that ranch with my pa.”

“Yeah. Well, just thought I’d tell you about problems up to the north of you.”

“What’s happening?”

“Custer’s been chasing a band of Cheyenne. They burned a couple of the stations in the Smoky Hill Route.”

Moody waited. When Hickok only stared at him, he rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “Good thing I won’t be takin’ the Raton Pass then. I’m plannin’ to see my cousin safe to Santa Fe. We’ve had some problems so far with outlaws.”

“That so.” Cody finally spoke. “Bill and I ain’t seen none.”

I invite you to join Patience and Christiana on their journey from Independence to the New Mexico Territory.  

 Will life on the trail convince Patience that she married well or will coming to know her groom be what sends her running at the end of the trip?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVV2PZNW

AVAILABLE NOW!

             Pre-order Today!

A grumpy man meets a strong-minded woman. You bet the sparks are flying!

Christiana Mallory has no choice but to become Moody Dutton's cook. Her sister insists they find a way to join a wagon train headed south. Patience is determined to retrieve a map showing where their pa buried gold coins. To do that, they must reach Colorado.

When Patience immediately marries Moody's cousin, Christiana is determined not to become a wife. She holds Moody at a distance, fighting with him so that she will not give in to her growing attraction.

Only, when danger threatens her sister's life does Christiana recognize her growing desire to stay with Moody. He shows her how deeply he desires them to be a couple. Can she commit to living her life in isolation on a ranch?

What will it take for her to choose love over the convenience of living in town? Will they survive the trail for her to make that decision?

Western adventure from a Christian worldview awaits you in this book. Get cozy and enjoy the romance.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB1WPRQ2

The Heart of Everything that Is- The Fight for the Black Hills

Nestled in the southwest corner of South Dakota, a mountain range rises from the prairie and badlands in a forest of vivid greens and granite peaks. They house a shrine to American democracy, and one of the wild west's most notorious towns. Breathtaking views, mountain streams and glorious falls rushing down canyon walls. 

They are the Black Hills, the Paha Sapa, The Heart of Everything That Is.

Roughlock Falls

The Needle

Long before white men ever encountered the hills, they were a sacred place for the Native Americans. A place not to inhabit, but to seek visions, perform rituals and hold ceremonies.  The birthplace of the Lakota nation. Holy Grounds.

For centuries, the Black Hills belonged to the Native Americans, unseen and untouched my white men. That would all begin to unravel in 1743, and the next two centuries would see a continuous battle for ownership.

In 1743, an expedition consisting of French men, led by Indian scouts, first laid eyes on these sacred mountains. This expedition was the first known account of anyone other than the natives nearing the area. However, they would not step foot in the lands, as their Indian guides refused to take them further.

In 1823, Jedidiah Smith ventured to the Black Hill with 15 other men. During this golden age of trapping, some other men did venture into the hills, but many kept out, respectful of their sacredness.

Spearfish Canyon

As America pushed west, more settlers came to the area. In 1851, the US Government brought together representatives from many of the Plains tribes, including the Cheyenne, Sioux, Arapaho, Hidasta, Arikar, Assiniboine, Crow and Mandan. The result of this council was the first Ft. Laramie Treaty, in which the Sioux were granted sixty million acres of land, including the Black Hills, that could not be settled by white men and in exchange, safe passage through would be allowed. 

By the mid-1860's, rumors of gold began to circulate. Citizens from what is now eastern South Dakota appealed to congress for exploratory and mining expeditions. In 1867, General Sherman denounced these efforts, and said not only would there be no expeditions, the army would not protect any civilians who went in on their own. 

Tensions continued to rise and in 1868 the second Ft. Laramie treated was signed, and is the one to which all current actions refer. In this treaty, Lakota land was reduced to twenty million acres, from the previous sixty. Miners and settlers were once again prohibited from entering without authorization, and in return, raids on nearby homesteads and trains would cease. 

Rainy Day Views

Among ever-rising tensions and further reports of gold, General Custer led an exploratory expedition to decide on the feasibility of establishing a fort. The true intentions are oft debated since he also brought a geologist and miner.  On July 30, 1870, gold was found near the present day town of Custer. With rumors now verified, hopeful men rushed to the hills. By 1876, there were over ten thousand men, where there had been only hundreds in the few years prior.

Despite an attempt to negotiate peace, no agreements could be reached when several leading Chiefs were called to Washington. In 1875, in a decision kept quiet, President Grant declared there would be no more military intervention.  With their sacred lands being trampled, tensions reached a boiling point, leading to the battle of Little Big Horn in 1876, infamously knows as Custer's Last Stand.

Though it was a major victory for Lakota and other tribes, it proved to be the beginning of the end.  In August of 1876, a new treaty was enacted in retaliation for Little Big Horn. This treaty claimed the Black Hills for the US government, and while it was never signed by three-quarters of the Native leaders as required, a few did sign out of threat of starvation.  This would lead to bleak times for the Lakota people.

Today, markers are all that remain on an otherwise serene land to remind of the bloodshed that occurred at the Battle of Litte Big Horn.

The twentieth century saw a series of lawsuits, meant to return this sacred land to the Lakota, culminating in a 1980 Supreme Court Decision that said the Black Hills were illegally seized and the US must pay for the land, amount of gold and natural resources illegally removed, plus interest.

The Lakota have refused this money, as that would end their bid to have the Black Hills returned to their ownership. Currently, the money sits in an account under the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with a sum exceeding one billion dollars.

This is a very brief summary of a very complex issues, but an enlightening part of our history. The Black Hills are a stunning plot of land and within them, an ethereal quality lurks behind the pines and aspens, spruces and birch, under the rocks and in the meadows. When you go, take a moment to find silence. Close your eyes, listen to the quiet, and you might just hear the whistle of an ancient flute. 

Author of the Bestselling Brides of Weatherton Series