TRAVELING FROM CALIFORNIA TO OREGON: 1800s Style by Marisa Masterson

 As I researched for my latest release, Freddy's Sudden Farm, I ran across an interesting historical figure. Henry Corbett impressed me enough to share about him.

Corbett came to Portland in 1850. There, he co-published a young newspaper--The Oregonian. Most importantly, he established a stagecoach service between California and Oregon, not a simple task. 

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.” 

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

MEN FIRST AND NOT THE LADIES by Marisa Masterson

Borrowed from Pinterest.

Hoop skirts. Bell-shaped skirts. The nineteenth century introduced these fashions. Did you know women wore up to six petticoats to achieve the bell look?

All those underskirts, as well as the length of the top skirt, made stairs difficult and dangerous. Boys and girls alike received instruction on rules for ascending and descending the stairs. Key to the rule--The man always goes first.

Borrowed from Pinterest

Boys understood they had a special role to play when they became men. They had to walk in front of a woman as she went down the stairs. This saved the woman from embarrassment, should someone see her ankles. She was less likely to fall with the man walking in front of her.

The man would also go first when ascending the stairs. Again, this was to pre
vent him from peeking when the woman lifts her skirts to climb the staircase. 

Rule like this add to a story's historical setting. For me, they take readers to a long-ago time. Here is an example from my next release, Freddy's Sudden Farm:

Reluctantly, Ann Marie pulled her hand out from under Freddy’s. Lifting her skirt and petticoats, she carefully made her way down the stairs. Her mother would have clucked at her for not letting the men go first. Mother taught her to let men always lead when descending the stairs. Doing so preserved a woman’s modesty by hiding what little of her legs she might be forced to show.

Ann Marie knew Emory would not peek. Her claimed brother treated her like family. He did not care about her legs or stockings. Freddy might look, and she hoped it teased him.

 

While the ladies no longer wear six petticoats, this rule is still smart to observe--and not just for men. Many people like me need help on stairs. If you are with someone who does, going down in front of them is a huge assist. I speak from experience.

Available May 29th. Reserve your copy today!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT1L62ZN

For fans of historical romance and unexpected love stories, "Freddy’s Sudden Farm" is a must-read. If you enjoyed "Montana Rose" by Mary Connealy, you'll love this novel. 

1800s Timeline of St. Joseph, Missouri by Zina Abbott

I like timelines. They are a quick and efficient summary of facts. They help provide clues about details on which I need more research. Today, as I strove to settle on a topic to share, I found several. I eventually decided they would be better published during a different month. However, after considering my recent cover reveal, I felt a review—a quick review, timeline style—of St. Joseph, Missouri, was in order.

1821 – The State of Missouri was established.

Joseph Robidoux III

1826 – Joseph Robidoux, an employee of the American Fur Company, founded as the Blacksnake Hill trading post which became present-day St. Joseph. After he became an independent trader, he and his five brothers operated the trading post and developed the city of St. Joseph.

1837 – Platte Purchase – the six counties of Andrews, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt, Nodaway, and Platte were purchased from the Sax, fox, and Ioway Indians. It included the city of St. Joseph.

 1843 – Frederick W. Smith and Simeon Kemper were hired by Robidoux to design a town. Robidoux preferred Smith’s plan. Both plans were filed with the clerk of Common Pleas in St. Louis on July 26, 1843. Robidoux named streets after his children and second wife. He built a row of homes for his grandchildren.

1848 – St. Joseph remained fairly small until after the discovery of gold in California in 1848. This  greatly altered and accelerated westward migration.

Late 1840s-early 1850s – St. Joseph became a last supply and “jumping-off” point for wagon trains preparing to travel the Oregon and California Trails. It became the head water for the journey west as hundreds of thousands of settlers arrived by steamboat and hundreds of wagon trains lined the streets waiting to be ferried across the Missouri River. The covered wagons, oxen and supplies purchased by the emigrants established the economic foundation of the city.

1851 – St. Joseph was incorporated.

1859 – Railroad from the East arrived in St. Joseph.

April 1860-October 1861 – The Pony Express began operation in St. Joseph.

1861-65 – With loyalties divided, the American Civil War years proved to be a turbulent time for St. Joseph.

View of St. Joseph as seen from Kansas side of Missouri River

1860s – James H. Lucas steamship Traveled the Missouri River from St. Louis to St. Joseph, a total distance of 561 miles in 61 hours. At the time, it was the fastest trip made between the two cities.

1870s – Principle channels of distribution were established, which allowed St. Joseph to become a leading wholesale center for building in the West.

Jesse James as John Howard

1882 – Jesse James, living in St. Joseph under the alias, Mr. Howard, was shot and killed at his home.

Early St. Joseph Stockyard

 1886 – The Chicago Times reported that St. Joseph, with a population of 60,000, had eleven railroads, 70 passenger trains each day, 170 factories, thirteen miles of the best paved streets, the largest stockyard west of Chicago, and a wholesale trade as large as that of Kansas City and Omaha combined.

1887 – St. Joseph Stockyards were opened, and several meat packing houses were established.

1890s Chicago's first electric street car

1888 – Service on electric street cars began. St. Joseph was the second city to install electric streetcars.

1880s-1890s – The “golden age of prosperity” for St. Joseph.

St. Joseph U.S. Census population chart courtesy St. Joseph Memory Lane

1900 – St. Joseph’s population peaked.

The book cover that was officially revealed yesterday was my Florence’s Good Deed, Book 6 in the Rejected Mail Order Brides series. In my 2023 book, Elise, I introduced Florence and Asher (Ash) and promised they would have their own romance. This is it.

In Elise, the hero, Kurt Neumann, travels with Ash on the steamboat from Fort Benning, Montana Territory, as far as St. Joseph, Missouri, where he deposits the majority of his savings earned during his enlistment as a soldier. After visiting family—and meeting Elise—he returns to St. Joseph before he continues on. 

Will Ash and Florence end up returning to St. Joseph also? Wait and see.

 

Elise is now available as an ebook, both for purchase and at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. It is also available in print. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

Florence’s Good Deed is now on pre-order. It is scheduled for release on April 15, 2024. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.stjosephmemorylane.com/

https://www.stjosephmo.gov/151/History-of-St-Joseph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph,_Missouri