A TRAIL OR A DEATH SENTENCE? by Marisa Masterson

Troubles. What's a plot without them? 

Jack Poston's troubles comes in pairs. He needs to make more than simply $3 a piece for his cattle. His mail-order bride is late arriving.

He must travel through war-torn states to push his cattle northward when no one else is willing to brave the trip from Texas to Missouri in 1865. His late arriving bride insists she come with him. Thus, The Bride on the Shawnee Trail is born. From the book:

“Can’t spend more time on this, Caroline. The boys and I need to drive the animals closer to the river today. We only stopped so I could meet up with you and get the marrying done.”

“Well, it’s done.”

She looked at her boots as she talked. Not a good sign, he was discovering. She always insisted on having her own way when she did that.

Her voice lowered and took on a submissive note. “I’m ready to help Stubby with the
meals.”

Jack took off his Stetson and slapped the new-fangled hat against his leg. The maker had started selling them last year. Already he and two of his men wore their Stetsons daily. No keeping this hat only for good, not when it was such a help against heat and rain.

“Caroline, you need to go to my ranch.”

Before she could argue, the old cook piped into the conversation. “I qu—”

He did not allow Stubby to finish. The man would not go on the cattle drive if he did. With Stubby quitting, Caroline would be forced to learn everything on her own. Jack could not foist that burden onto his new bride. Bad enough she had to start on another trip right after finishing the long ordeal of getting to Texas.

“Alright, Stubby. I surrender.” Jack beat the hat against his thigh once more. 

https://www.truewestmagazine.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/01/
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And what a trail the Shawnee was! The American Civil War all but closed what was also called the Texas Road or the Kansas Trail. In reality, no one drove herds north from Texas in 1865. The cattle drives resumed in 1866, though not peacefully.

While the war had stopped, the battles with unhappy settlers continued. The Texas longhorns brought what was called the Spanish Fever, killing farmers' livestock. Actually from a tick, the longhorns were immune while cows grazing on that same land they crossed were not.

Jayhawkers

Often, vigilantes tried to block herds from entering their land. Drovers learned to skirt those settlers. 

One of the first to resume the drives was a young cowhand named James Daugherty. He joined a cattle drive in the spring of 1866. After more than a thousand miles, he neared the Kansas line with the herd. Anti-slavery vigilantes known as Jayhawkers ambushed in the night, stampeding the longhorns and killing one of the trail hands. Daugherty managed to recover 350 steers and sell them at Fort Scott rather than his original destination. (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/shawnee-trail)

Six states passed legislation to block the cattle drives in 1867. Because of unrest as well as the risk to the settlers' livestock, the Shawnee trail became obsolete. A new and well-known route resulted--The Chisholm Trail.

Jack Poston longs for more than beans to eat. In need of a wife to cook for him and to tend the chickens, he sends for a mail-order bride. When she arrives later than he expected, it throws his plans into disarray. He must leave for a cattle drive, while she heads to his ranch.

Having lost two grooms, Caroline refuses to lose sight of her new husband. She determines to keep him safe from the unknown danger that lurks on the Shawnee Trail. But, as they face the hardships of the trail, Caroline realizes another real threat follows her.

Will they find a love strong enough to survive the treacherous journey and bring them together, or will danger ultimately tear them apart?

For fans of western romance and suspense, The Bride on the Shawnee Trail is a must-read. Don't miss out on this thrilling tale of love, danger, and survival. Buy now before the price changes!

Cowboys & Cattle Drives

We are romance writers, who write our stories based in the Old West.  Naturally, the rugged and handsome cowboy is often the hero of our stories.

Many of these cowboys we base our stories on would have worked a cattle drive in real life, which in truth could be far from the exciting and romantic portrayal in our books.  There are many articles that give the details of where the cattle drives went - up the Chisholm Trail, or the Great Western Trail - usually starting in Texas and ending up in places like Dodge City, Kansas.

But, what happened while they were on the trail?  What would it be like for the cowboys driving the cattle across the prairies?

The Cattle Drive

By Geo B Bonnell (Heritage Auctions) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The herds they were driving could be anywhere from 1000 - 3500 head of cattle, and up.  These drives would need at least 18 cowboys, a cook driving the chuck wagon, and a horse wrangler who could look after the remuda.

The remuda was the herd of horses that would be brought along for the cowboys to switch out and use.  Since the trail was long and tiring for the horses, they could take turns giving horses a rest.

And of course, there was a trail boss.  The trail boss was the one who made the rules, and the cowboys working the drive were expected to follow.  Sometimes the trail boss would be the rancher themselves, but more likely they would be hired to control the drive for the rancher.

The cowboys were placed with what were called “swing riders” who would be about a third of the way back to the sides of the herd.  They followed the point cowboys who would be leading the lead steer.  Flank riders were nearer to the back, about two thirds of the way back of the herd.

And, the least desirable position was the tail riders.  Their job was to keep the slower and weaker cattle moving.  These cowboys had to endure the dust and smell that would be following the herd.

In order to try and avoid stampedes, which could be dangerous for both cattle and cowboys, the cam - lightening, a dropped pot on the stove, even something as small as a branch snapping under someone’s feet.

The cowboy’s pockets were normally empty until they reached their destination and they could be paid.  Businesses boomed in the towns where the drives ended and the cowboys could finally let off some steam with their new found wages.

A True Cowboy

John C. H. Grabill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The life of a cowboy could be lonely, and often they drifted from one job to another.  But, learning about the work they would do on a long cattle drive has made me realized that these men deserve the rugged, heroic images we give them in our books.

They were hard working men who helped to grow a nation.

*****

Kay P. Dawson’s first mail order bride series, Wilder West, is available on Amazon.  Her new series, Oregon Sky, features the Wallace family who have settled in the Willamette Valley.  The first two books in the series, "Phoebe's Promise" and "Audrey's Awakening" are now available on Amazon - with "Ella's Embrace" scheduled for release soon!

Find Kay P. Dawson…

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Dust, manure and flies...and romance

The setting of Ellsworth, Kansas for my Brides with Grit series, was easy to work with because it was a major cattle shipping town between 1872 to 1875. 

Abilene, Kansas was famous, being the first place to ship cattle by railroad to eastern towns in 1867, but that ended in 1871 when businesses and farmers got tired of the damage and disease the herds caused in the area.

Ellsworth, Kansas, 60 miles west of Abilene, became the new town to ship out of between 1872 to 1875. (The photo above is Ellsworth in 1873.)

One can find a vast amount of information on the internet about the cattle drives which went through Kansas in the 1870's. Here's some interesting tidbits, written by F. B Streeter in 1935, for an article in the Kansas Historical Quarterly.

As a means of advertising the new trail and the shipping points on the line, the Kansas Pacific issued a pamphlet and map entitled, Guide Map of the Great Texas Cattle Trail From Red River Crossing to the Old Reliable Kansas Pacific Railway. The writer has located only two editions of this pamphlet: one issued in 1872, the other in 1875. To quote from the 1875 edition:

Drovers are recommended to make Ellis, Russell, Wilson's, Ellsworth and Brookville the principal points for their cattle for the following reasons: Freedom from petty annoyances of settlers, arising from the cattle trespassing upon cultivated fields, because there is wider range, an abundance of grass and water, increased shipping facilities and extensive yard accommodations. Large and commodious hotels may be found in all these places, and at Ellsworth, especially, the old "Drovers' cottage," so popular with the trade for years, will be found renovated and enlarged. The banking house of D. W. Powers & Co., established at Ellsworth in 1873, in the interest of the cattle business, will remain at this point and continue their liberal dealings as in the past.

As stated above, Ellsworth became the principal shipping point for Texas cattle on the Kansas Pacific Railroad in 1872. The first three droves of longhorns that season arrived in Ellsworth early in June. These droves numbered 1,000 head each. Two weeks later a total of twenty-eight herds, numbering from 1,000 to 6,000 head each, had arrived and many more were on the way. The fresh arrivals contained a total of 58,850 head of longhorns. These, together with over 40,000 head which had wintered in the county, made a total of more than 100,000 head of Texas cattle in Ellsworth county. 

That season 40,161 head were transported from Ellsworth, or one fourth of the total number marketed over the Kansas Pacific...Besides those shipped by rail from Ellsworth, about 50,000 head were driven to California and the territories from that place. In the months of June and July more than 100,000 head of beef and stock cattle changed hands at Ellsworth. Drovers found buyers on their arrival, enabling them to close out at a good price and return to their homes.

The prices paid for cattle that season were as follows: $19 to $22 for beeves; $15 to $18 for three-year-olds; $9 to $10 for two-year olds; $12 for cows; and $6 for yearlings. 

My first thought on reading this? Wow! That's a lot of cattle to surround the town! 

My second? Dust, manure and flies..and a good setting for a western romance...

Here's the description for RANIA ROPES A RANCHER. 

A sweet historical romance set in 1873. 
Rania Hamner and her family emigrated from Sweden fourteen years ago to work on a Texas ranch, working cattle and herding them up the Chisholm Trail. Something in her life on the trail caused her to doubt her worth, and her ability to trust a man enough to become his wife. Once the family buys a homestead in Kansas, she meets a rancher who begins to make her believe she can trust and fall in love after all. 
Rancher Jacob Wilerson noticed Rania last year when she rode drag behind a herd of longhorns—right down Main Street of Ellsworth, Kansas. He’s been waiting for her family to return this spring with another Texas herd to the booming cowtown, because he hopes to rope her into staying permanently on his ranch—the way she had already roped his heart. 
When Rania's past attacks with new danger, she decides to fight for all she's worth because she realizes she wants to be with Jacob forever. 
When Jacob realizes Rania is in danger, he rushes to save her, whether or not she still loves him, hoping to rope Rania—his heart—once more, as she has roped his. 

Brides with Grit series in order: 
Rania Ropes a Rancher (Rania and Jacob) 
Millie Marries a Marshal (Millie and Adam) 
Hilda Hogties a Horseman (Hilda and Noah) 
Cora Captures a Cowboy (Cora and Dagmar) 
Sarah Snares a Soldier (Sarah and Marcus) 
Cate Corrals a Cattleman (Cate and Isaac) 
Darcie Desires a Drover (Darcie and Reuben) 
Tina Tracks a Trail Boss (Tina and Leif) (Future release) 
Also read, Lilly: Bride of Illinois, a spin-off book in the American Mail-Order Brides Series
 
Here's the free links to RANIA ROPES A RANCHER.  Enjoy!

Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iTunes

Linda Hubalek

Website | Amazon Author Page | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

New Release - Darcie Desires a Drover

Darcie Desires a Drover, book seven in the Brides with Grit series was just released so I'd like to tell you about it. 

This sweet wholesome romance series is set in 1873 near Ellsworth, Kansas.

Darcie Robbins is the sister to Millie Wilerson (Millie Marries a Marshal, book 2) and mother of Tate, the two-year old who has gotten his share of attention in the book series.

The “drover” is Reuben Shepard, all-around cowhand and cook at the Bar E Ranch. Reuben left the ranch during Cora Captures a Cowboy (book 4) to visit his family in New York. 

Here's the story line

Darcie Robbins fled St. Louis to protect her two children from their bad father. Now divorced, she’s temporarily working on the Bar E Ranch in central Kansas. She needs a permanent job—or a trustworthy husband—to help provide for her family.

Reuben Shepard went home to his family in New York after the Civil War, to find his wife had declared him dead—so she could wed another. In shock, Reuben didn’t contest her claim and wandered south, spending years as a cattle drover on western trails until settling down to work on the Bar E Ranch.

Spending time with Darcie’s toddler, Tate, makes Reuben miss his own son, Gabe. Reuben travels to New York, hoping to visit his son, and ends up bringing Gabe back to the Kansas because the boy’s step-father had just died.

When Reuben proposes marriage to Darcie for their children’s sake, the couple falls in love as they learn to trust and support each other while planning for their future. But their wedding is stalled when Reuben’s former wife arrives, stating she and Reuben are still married.

What’s the truth and what’s best for the children is their concern now instead of a wedding date. How can they clear the past so they can have a future together?

Here's the link's where the book is available. Please enjoy and share with others who like reading clean western romance books.

Amazon US   Amazon UK   Amazon CA    B&N    iTunes   Kobo    Scribd 

Also, please sign up for my newsletter on www.LindaHubalek.com to receive a free Brides with Grit short story, The Bridal Crown, and to hear about the release of future books, contests and more. And I love to connect with my readers, so please contact me through one of these social media sites, too. 

Thanks! Linda Hubalek

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Cattle Drives ... and a New Release!

Every single book I write gives me the opportunity to learn something new.

When I sat down to write A Narrow Road, Kansas Crossroads #8, I realized I hadn't yet written about a cowboy. That seemed rather shortsighted of me - I'm writing Western romance, but I hadn't written about a cowboy yet? I decided to remedy that by making the main male character a cowboy, and I sent him off on a cattle drive.

My first idea was to have the cattle shipped into San Francisco, as much livestock was at the time. But a quick chat with my mentor, Kirsten Osbourne, helped me realize that driving the cattle up from Texas would be a much better choice. She pointed me to some articles, one of which was about the Chisholm Trail.

Courtesy of http://states.phillipmartin.info

The Chisholm Trail was a well-traversed path by which cattle drivers would move their stock north after purchasing it in Texas. That state was famous for its Longhorns, and ranchers from everywhere were anxious to purchase the animals and start breeding them. One thing Kirsten taught me was that the cattle were tough and stringy from being on the move so much, and they didn't produce juicy meat until they'd been fattened up at their respective ranches. Chicken fried steak came from these long cattle drives - the cooks needed a way to make the tough meat palatable, so they'd pound it, season it, and fry it.

This trail was pretty tough. There were rivers to cross, hills and mountains, and gorges, but it was the most direct way to get the animals from the stockyards in Texas up to the stockyards in Kansas, where they would then be shipped all over the country. One of the most expensive parts of the journey was paying the dime-a-head toll to the Indians for the right to pass through Oklahoma without harassment, as it was still Indian territory at the time the Chisholm Trail was in use.  Despite this tax, the cattlemen still made a profit, as the cattle would sell for three times their purchase price elsewhere.

Courtesy of www.redriverhistorian.com

The cowboys who ran these drives had to be tough and used to all conditions. The food wasn't great, they'd take turns sitting up for guard duty, and they were exposed to all the weather. They'd take just what they could carry on horseback and hope it was enough to keep them warm and dry - or, during the summer months, protected from the sun. These men were often sunburned and wiry, not unlike the cattle they drove.

If the cattle stampeded, that could mean the loss of some of the herd, which was costly, so the cowboys stood guard, ready to guide the animals and calm them if they became upset.

When at last the cowboys reached their destination, they'd often turn right around and look for their next cattle-driving job. They loved being out of doors and appreciated nature in all its beauty. Because of them and the cattle drives, we have cows all over the nation today.

***

If you'd like to learn more about A Narrow Road and read about Wade's cattle drive, you can pick up a copy here. 

Amelia C. Adams is the author of the Kansas Crossroads series and also of the Nurses of New York series, as well as two volumes in the acclaimed American Mail-Order Brides series. You can learn more about her by visiting her website, where you can also sign up for her newsletter.

By clicking this link, you can download a copy of her first Kansas Crossroads novel free!