A HOMETOWN BOY IN DEADWOOD by Marisa Masterson

 Research drives what I write. Setting a book in Old Deadwood means I had to research. Of course!

What I learned surprised me! John Manning, the sheriff who set out to clean up Deadwood, came from my area of Wisconsin. He grew up in my grandmother's hometown, Highland. Why, that made him something like a neighbor.

Manning is a character in my next novel, releasing this Thursday. Character is a good way to describe him. He co-owned the Senate Saloon where Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok. 

But don't lump him in with other saloon owners like Al Swearengen. He was a man who wanted stability brought to Deadwood. His efforts made him an excellent lawman to include in my story. Just the man I needed to help with the secret Ross Kirwan, my hero, is living.

From The Bride Who Mines Gold:

Men in chains! Althea saw them as the stagecoach rolled to a stop. The sight did not fit
with her idea of a mining town.

Those men all held shovels. Some moved mud, filling in ruts. Others laid loose stone on top of the filled holes. They tapped down the rocks.

“Manning, what do you have those men doing?”

At Luke’s call, a short man with hair slicked back around a balding head turned. He grinned above his shaggy goatee. “Must be spring. Voorhees and his stage are back.”

“Yeah, and I’m wondering if you have a set of manacles or maybe another set of those chains.”

Manning glanced to his right. He tipped his head toward the men as his gaze met that of another man with a star on his vest. He also held a shotgun. Althea guessed he was Manning’s deputy.

After the deputy nodded, Sheriff Manning stepped toward the coach. “Had trouble?”

“Yep, and I have one of the gang members with me.”

Butch had approached. At Luke’s words, he backed up a step and then two. When he turned to run, Joey stuck out a booted boot. The escaping man landed face first in the mud. Both Bill and Joey put a foot on the man’s back to keep him there.

“Your driver? How do you know he’s in Heally’s gang?”

At the mention of the name, Butch twitched and pushed upward. Bill threw himself onto the man’s back. He grabbed an arm and twisted it behind Butch’s back.

“How about those handcuffs, Sheriff?”

At Bill’s gruff question, one that was more command than query, Manning stepped forward to hand the manacles to Joey. “You boys are already dirty. My Frankie doesn’t like me bringing home muddy clothing.”

Althea spoke before she thought. “Is Frankie your son?”

Manning’s laugh made even the chain gang stop. A shout had them once more using their shovels. The people crowding near resumed walking up and down the street.

She was relieved not to have the attention focused on them. The sheriff’s lips twitched with humor as he explained, “Frankie’s my wife.”

 

The Gem Theater, Circa 1878

Later in the book, Manning comes up against Al Swearengen. The famous brothel owner ran The Gem, a wild and wildly popular, uh, place in Deadwood. 

It's said that in its heyday, Swearengen earned ten thousand dollars each night from The Gem. Even Calamity Jane danced as part of the entertainment in that place. 

Again, from The Bride Who Mines Gold:

The door burst open, bouncing off the wall. “Sheriff!” a man shouted.

“Lou, what do you mean coming in here like that?”

“You’d best come. Mrs. Doc and Al Swearengen are goin’ at it. She’s aiming that little gun of hers at him.”

Manning paused and looked toward Ross. “You don’t suppose Al—”

Ross knocked over the chair as he broke into a run.

In the street, he immediately sized up the situation. Three women wedged themselves into the mouth of a blind alley. Not only did Mrs. Doc have her pocket gun but also Mrs. Manning was there, pointing a large navy revolver at a well-dressed man with golden hair. Blondie stood behind both women.

They formed a human fence. The sheriff’s wife curled her lips back as if she were a dog who bared its fangs. Mrs. Doc glared at the bunch.

“I don’t doctor anyone I shoot, boys. Remember that.”

If the situation had not been tense, Ross might have laughed at Dr. Elsie’s promise. Dr. Elsie Marsh, or Mrs. Doc, was a whirlwind of determination. Being healthy, he only knew her by rumor. What men said about her told him she would not back down from a challenge or a cause.

The woman’s belly slightly protruded, forming another barrier between the blond man and Althea. At her side, the sheriff’s wife had a baby swaddled to her chest.

“This is a good woman. You leave her alone.”

Hoots of laughter erupted at how Frankie Manning described Althea. “Good, huh? Why’s she dressed like a man?”

Ross recognized Ernie Schmidt’s voice. He had been at the mine with Heally and Arnie. Here he was, causing more trouble.

Another man yelled. “Why’s she livin’ with a man? Let Swearengen have her.”

It is wild doings in Deadwood. One would think life up on the mountain, in the woods, would be quieter. One would be wrong. 

But you will have to read my book to find out more...

Available March 6 on Amazon. Free in KU.

About the Book:

More than gold lies hidden in Deadwood. A woman discovers danger and romance in The Black Hills.

Althea Mills receives a terse note informing her of her father’s death. His partner adds no words of sympathy or mentions Mr. Mills’ share of their claim. She knows the men have been successful. Her father had been sending money each month to support her and her mother, so there must be gold in Deadwood.

Desperate not to lose the money needed to support Ma, she decides on a plan. Althea will head west to mine her share of the claim. Selling everything they own, she and her mother board a train for Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Winter keeps them in Cheyenne. While there, her mother marries. Althea must continue alone.

Once the mountain passes thaw, Althea takes the Cheyenne & Deadwood Stage to head for her mine. As she travels, her confidence grows. What could go wrong?

Close to Deadwood, bandits stop the stage and steal from the passengers. One man meets her gaze. Althea is sure she has never seen greener eyes, eyes she will remember.

Ross Kirwan has a problem. His employee’s daughter arrives, claiming her father was his partner. She expects to mine the gold on his claim. Her appearance forces him to do something he did not plan to do—he must truly mine his claim.

The situation grows worse when a man tries to sell Althea to a Deadwood brothel owner. Only quick action and Ross’ claim to be her fiancé stops it. A forced marriage follows, with the bride vowing to make it temporary. Is that what they want, an annulment?

Will his secret bring an end to their convenient marriage, or will she see him as the man she would have chosen?

Click to reserve your copy!

Have you ever wondered what your city looked like 120-140 years ago?

 

Authors have a lot of information they need to create when developing a new story, often with just their imagination. We name characters and give them physical features and a cultural heritage. Then we invent problems for them to overcome—both to achieve their original goal and to make the relationship they discovered along the way have a happy ending. For many stories, we need to do research to learn about a new profession or hobby so the characters are presented like living breathing people.

To avoid being confined by the physical restraints of a particular town or city, I often make up locations so I can put the mountains or beach where I want it without having a reader point out a possible error, because the place I chose happens to be that person’s hometown. So, what’s an author to do?

One method is embarking on personal research. Traveling to all the places I write about would cost more money than I earn in royalties. For one series, I was already flying from California to Texas to attend a writers’ retreat and do a drive-by visual check on the house we still own there. I tacked on an extra day and walked the streets of a nearby small town, taking notes about creeks, old buildings, a cemetery, businesses, etc. All that information was used in my Dorado, Texas and Sugar and Spice Bakery series.

BUT several years ago, I discovered Sanborn Insurance Maps that are saved in the Library of Congress. These maps came into existence when more and more businesses started insuring their properties. Not as detailed as a surveyor’s plot drawing say of the lot or acreage your house is on, these maps do depict all the physical structures apparent when the surveyor visited the site. Often a city map from the 1890s will have five or six pages. These are great because an author can learn the street names, see where underground pipes exist, and determine where the biggest concentration of businesses was. I’ve discovered water and electrical plants present earlier than I originally imagined.

Here are two maps of a town called Manitou Springs, Colorado. I renamed it Spur Springs and used it as the setting for three stories, the most recent being The Bride Who Tends Sheep. I learned the town was built on both sides of a creek that ran through it. I also am amazed that not all structures are squared off or perpendicular to the road they face. So different from how our neighborhoods look today. Here's a rundown of what the colors mean: pink represents a brick or tile building; yellow is for wood construction; blue for stone, concrete, or cinder block.

To find a map for your city, put Sanborn Insurance Maps into the search bar for your browser. Once on the site, enter the name and state for the desired location and then explore. I’d love to hear what you discover.

BLURB:

Fall 1876, Colorado

Arrosa Cristobal tends a flock of forty sheep on government land near the city of Cherry Creek. She stays as close to town as she can to check in with her laundress mother who she helps support until her death a month earlier. A ransacking of her caravan while she visited town makes Arrosa feel vulnerable. She sets out on the thirty-five mile trip to Spur Springs to join her estranged brother, Jakombe. Maybe they can combine their herds.

Cameron McPherson, a Scottish rancher, is the head of the Spur Springs cattleman group. He’s struggled to keep the members in check from attempting to push out the Cristobal sheep ranch on the outskirts of town. But when he sees a new unfamiliar flock drawing close, he has to confront this interloper and hopefully steer her and her flock away from town before another rancher sees her. But the minute he meets her and hears where she is headed, he hesitates, not wanting to be the one who informs her of Jakome’s death. His protective instincts rise toward this woman who appears to be all alone in the world.

Can these two strong individuals on the opposite sides of grazing rights find common ground?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DW91K8L1

Connect with Linda on your favorite social media site

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linda-Carroll-Bradd-author/440814942635289

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806413.Linda_Carroll_Bradd

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-carroll-bradd

I’m on Blue Sky at @LindaCarroll-Bradd.bsky.social

Newsletter signup http://eepurl.com/bjKueH