LET'S TALK COLORADO

Post by Doris McCraw/Angela Raines-author

Let's talk Colorado. It's called the Centennial state. Colorado joined the Union, August 1876.

Although Colorado has a thriving population today, it was late to be settled. One reason may be due to the fact that as folks were heading to California for the gold rush, or Oregon, many felt the mountains in this state were impassable. It is understandable, for Colorado has over fifty peaks above 14,000' and they literally cut the state in half. Most of the passes are 10,000+ to get from Eastern to Western Colorado.

Pikes Peak from the West

When the early settlers arrived in what is now Colorado, the Utes were living in the mountain areas, and the plains had the Comanche, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Arapaho.

Bent's fort was one of the early significant step to settlement. It dates from about 1833 and at the time, it was just men who built and inhabited the site. Those who did marry, it was usually with Indian women. Near the Santa Fe trail, the first non native women is now considered to be Mary Donohoe in 1833.

In 1851, San Luis was settled by Hispanic settlers from the Taos, New Mexico area. At the time that part of Colorado was part of New Mexico. San Luis is considered the first permanent town to be settled in what is Colorado. To put this in perspective, my college was founded in 1850.

In 1846 a group of Mormons had an encampment near the business fort of Fort Pueblo. They grew crops and harvested them before moving on to Utah in 1847.

Imagine Traveling in the stagecoach

Denver Colorado was founded around 1858, and Colorado City 1859. Colorado Springs 1871. This is when non-Native and non-Hispanics began arriving to settle.

For a quick overview, here is a quick read : http://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/digital-colorado/colorado-histories/beginnings/

Most of my stories take place in Colorado in the fictional town of Agate Gulch, set in the high country just west of Pikes Peak.

Agate Gulch is where Clara's past catches up with her and Sam finds he must do what he can to save her.

Excerpt: HOME FOR HIS HEART

“Hey,” Sam said, “you look like you’re going to cry.”

He wrapped strong arms around her, pulled her close, bent his head to kiss her forehead. He looked into her eyes, and without warning, put his hand under her chin and raised her lips to his. Clara stiffened at his touch. Then, he was kissing her. Clara put her arms to his shoulders. She relaxed, leaned into his strong chest. Their lips touched, breath slowing until nothing else existed except the two of them. It felt so good to think someone cared, someone loved her…even if it wasn’t really true.

Sam drew back, his breath deep, as if swimming for the surface of the water. He stared into Clara’s eyes, as though he were trying to see if she had felt what he did. Lightening the moment, he stepped back, but continued to gently hold onto her.

“Whoa, if I knew that kissing you...well I’d have done it a lot sooner.” He smiled.

Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris also writes haiku posted five days a week at - http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com and has now passed one thousand haiku and photos posted on this blog. Check out her other work or like her Amazon author page:  http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL

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"A COWBOY CELEBRATION"

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HOME FOR HIS HEART
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Blog Tour Tuesday: ANSON'S MAIL ORDER BRIDE

Today's Blog Tour Tuesday features

Anson's Mail Order Bride

by Kit Morgan 

About the book: 

When Anson Jones discovers one of the men who embezzled money from his family's company hid the loot near Morgan's Crossing in Montana Territory, he leaves Oregon and travels there under the guise of setting up a horse ranch. Then all he has to do is wait for the culprit to slink into town, dig up the money, and have him arrested. There's only one problem. Anson just sent train fare to the Pettigrew Bridal Agency for his mail-order bride! He can't bring a woman into such danger and telegraphs the agency to stop everything. But when his message to Mrs. Pettigrew is altered, she thinks he wants her to send his bride to Montana! Misunderstandings, a loony villain, plenty of romance and a few surprises make for a fun romp.

Excerpt:

“I have a list,” Anson said and pulled it from his shirt pocket. “Would you mind filling it while I go pay a visit to the bathhouse?”

Ralph’s bushy brown mustache twitched as he took the list and scanned it. “Sure. Oh, and ya got a message here.”

“I do?”

Ralph went to the other end of the counter where a small pile of mail sat and snatched an envelope off the top. “El Davis dropped it off when he came to town yesterday. I told him I’d give it to ya the next time ya came in.”

“Much obliged,” Anson said and took it from him. It was probably a letter from his father or uncle. But no, it couldn’t be – the envelope had just his name on it. No address at all, not even the name of the town. “That’s odd.”

“Maybe it’s from someone in Sweetwater Springs. Ya got more horses comin’ in?”

“No, not yet. A lot depends on how sales go the next few months.” Not bothering to wait and read it in private, Anson tore the envelope open and … “Great Scott!”

Ralph’s eyes widened. “What?”

Anson slapped his forehead and pulled his hand down his face, but his shocked expression remained. “I have to go!”

“Go? Ya just got here.”

“I mean I … I have an emergency!”

Ralph’s face twisted up in confusion. “What kinda ‘mergency?”

“I … well, I sent for a mail-order bride a while back, and …”

Just then several women entered and went straight to where the fabric was hung. “You were saying?” Ralph urged. “What about your mail-order bride?”

“Mail-order bride?” one of the women said, turning to them with a smile. “Oh, how lovely!”

Anson shook his head in panic. “No, not exactly …”

“What do you mean?” another asked. The two began to approach.

Anson started to sweat. No matter how small the town, if there was one thing he’d learned over the years, it was that a woman about to be added to the ranks always caused a stir.

“Is your bride on her way?”

“What?” Anson said, his thoughts racing around in his head like a whirlwind.

“Your mail-order bride,” the first woman repeated. “If she’s here, we’d like to meet her.”

For the first time, Anson noticed her Southern accent. As thick as it was, he should have caught it the first time she spoke. Clearly he was rattled. “Uh, well …”

“Good grief, does that letter say she’s in Sweetwater Springs?” Ralph asked. He noticed Anson’s horrified expression, slapped the counter and laughed. “Now don’t that beat all! Ha! You didn’t know she was comin’, did ya?”

Anson swallowed hard. He was sinking deeper into the pit of raging gossip, and quicker than he could climb out. If he didn’t do it, though, he’d drown in a growing sea of whispers as it spread all over town. (Or worse, get caught in the riptide of his own tortured analogy.)

It didn’t matter that there were farms and ranches all over kingdom come between here and Sweetwater Springs – folks would eventually find out he had a bride. In fact, all they’d have to do was attend church in Sweetwater Springs and that would be it. Any chance of quietly sending his bride to Clear Creek to wait things out would be lost. And he needed to send her away, because if Mortimer Penworthy came sniffing around after the stolen money, he might figure out who Anson really was and high-tail it out of Montana altogether.

Author Bio:

A consistent Top 100 lists bestseller, Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, has been writing for fun all of her life. When writing as Geralyn Beauchamp, her books are epic, adventurous, romantic fantasy at its best. When writing as Kit Morgan they are whimsical, fun, inspirational sweet and clean stories that depict a strong sense of family and community. 'His Prairie Princess' is the first of the Prairie Brides books and the first in the series of a long line of stories about Clear Creek, Oregon. One of the wackiest little towns in the old west! Get to know the townsfolk in Clear Creek and come sit a spell!

Links: http://amzn.to/1oOfpnO  (as it’s kindle worlds, it’s only available on amazon.)

Website: www.authorkitmorgan.com  (social media links are there.)

 

Please tweet this blog post:

Misunderstandings make for a fun romp ANSON’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE @AuthorKitMorgan #SweetAmerSweethearts http://bit.ly/1NyDxk7

 

 

Marriage, Annulments & Bigamy

While doing research for our books, authors often stumble across information that we find interesting or unusual, which to me is one of the most exciting part of writing.

For the book I am currently working on, I needed to find out more about annulments and divorce in the United States in the 1800's.  It can sometimes be hard to find out accurate information as different sources might have differing point of view and statistics.

As I was reading through documents and websites, I came to realize something that I hadn't really thought about before...

I have always had this "everyone was wonderful and people were much better behaved back then" attitude when I think of pioneer times.  (Well, except of course for the famous robbers, gangsters and villains of the time!)

I am referring more to the "average" folk, the people who were settling the land, living in sod houses, going to church every Sunday and working from sunup to sundown to survive.
When I would think of a teenager back then, I would think they would be responsible at a young age, working hard alongside their families and not having the time to go through the usual teenage "angst" we see today.

During my research, I realized that sometimes this wasn't the case.  Sometimes, a teenager did exactly what you would expect a teenager to do - make decisions dictated by their hormones that might not be in their best interest.

I was trying to find reasons why a couple would seek an annullment, and one of these reasons actually stated that a parent would file to dissolve the marriage on the grounds that the young son or daughter were too young and had got married without their consent.
I found this interesting because often we think that people would marry back then out of necessity, or marry young to ease the burden of caring for large families.

In today's society, a young couple might just run off and live together, perhaps even have a child while underage.  They aren't as likely to marry, but back in those days, living together outside of marriage would never be considered, so they would have to actually marry.

As a parent back in the 1800's, even though children were required to grow up much faster and take on more responsibility than today, it is interesting to see that they did still have to deal with some teenage disobedience.

Another piece of information I uncovered which was interesting to me, was the fact that there were many cases of bigamy in these times.  Bigamy would be another reason for filing for an annulment.

And, it wasn't just men.  There were many women who married more than one man, and in one case I read about, the woman was married to two men.  When the second husband found out, she tried to console him by saying that she only did it because she liked him better.  So, even though she was already married, I would assume when she met this man, she liked him more so decided to just marry him too.

I can't imagine how they would keep the charade up, or the details of each case, but it was interesting to read about.  Especially since the other partner could have them put in jail for their indiscretions.

If you would like to read more about the case, and about annulments and divorce in the 1800's, the article I found the most interesting was at  http://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1261&context=faculty_scholarship

Sometimes, even though we think back on "simpler times" and imagine that everyone was on their best behavior, we should try to remember that even then, people made decisions that we would be shocked to think about.


Kay P. Dawson’s first mail order bride series, Wilder West, is available on Amazon.  Her new series, Oregon Sky, will feature the Wallace family who have settled in the Willamette Valley.  The first book in the series, “Phoebe’s Promise”, takes place over the Oregon Trail - available now on Amazon.

Find Kay P. Dawson…

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Songs of Yesteryear

by Shanna Hatfield

I had such fun reading Kathryn Albright's post about cowboy music yesterday, I thought I'd continue down a musical road today.

From the time I was five until the end of my junior year of high school, my mother carted me into town once a week for a piano lesson.

Not a particularly eager student, I begrudgingly went each week mostly because it meant I'd get some sort of treat on the way home.

By the time I hit high school, I could play fairly well, although there were no hopes on my horizon for being the next great concert pianist. In fact, I much preferred to accompany members of the choir than perform solo.

One afternoon, while my mother perused summer-weight material for a new dress at the fabric shop in town, I wandered to the music store next door to browse through the latest sheet music arrivals.

As though I could hear the tinny rag-time music calling my name, a thick book of sheet music jumped out at me.

Favorite Songs of the Nineties (Dover Publications, Inc.) offered the complete original sheet music for 89 songs popular around the turn of the 20th century.

As I flipped through the array of fascinating tunes, I wondered why my music teacher had been holding back on me so long. Forget about Beethoven and Mozart — here was the music that sang to my heart.

The staggering price of the book (when you're fifteen and still on an allowance) did little to deter my enthusiasm. I had to have it. Scraping every bit of change from the bottom of my purse, I excitedly purchased the book.

Broke but determined, I went home and spent several hours that evening acquainting myself with songs such as After the Ball, The Bird on Nellie's Hat, In the Good Old Summertime, and Waltz me Around Again Willie.

Where had these wonderful songs been all my life? I probably drove my family nuts that summer, playing those old tunes over and over again until I had the notes and lyrics memorized. (At least I was practicing the piano of my own free will — a huge change from past summers in my childhood!)

I still have that book of sheet music and it has served me well as I write sweet historical romances set in the 1890s and 1900s.

It's fun to incorporate some of these songs that have become so familiar to me into the stories of characters who have become my friends.

In my new release Bertie, I included one of my favorite songs because the lyrics are so fun and flirty and fit so well into the story.

If you've never heard Coax Me, here's a peek at the opening lyrics:
"A night in June,
A lovely moon,
Beneath the trees two dusky lovers wooing,
He softly sighs,
She rolls her eyes..."

Some other tunes from the book of sheet music you might recognize include:

Bicycle Built for Two

I Love You Truly 

In My Merry Oldsmobile

Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage 

Sweet Rosie O'Grady

Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay!

The Band Played On 

The Fountain in the Park

Waltz Me Around Again, Willie

While Strolling Through the Park One Day

 

~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic  is out to make it happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

 Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

 Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

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Cowboy Music

Cowboy/Western/Country ~ It's All Music to Me!

I come from a "musically inclined" family and some of my earliest memories are of learning songs together on our family road trips across the country. We would sing to pass the time and would often change the lyrics to amuse ourselves. Although likely unbelievable to today's travelers - our family car did not have a radio. My father was all about being thrifty and practical and promoting togetherness. The songs I particularly liked were the ones that told a story.

http://www.amazon.com/Hal Cannon

No wonder so many were Cowboy Songs!

There is a real diversity in all the music that has been lumped under the name of Country Music today Which can be a bit confusing. "Country music" originated in the southeastern United States. With the advent of the recording industry and Hollywood, all kinds of music was lumped under the umbrella of "Country Music." Appalachian hillbilly, southern country, Texas Tejano, not to mention the traditional Cowboy and Western songs. After a decline of interest in the 1960s due to Rock and Roll, country music made a comeback in the form of "Outlaw Country." (However, I submit that for those of us who love the country life, I don't think it ever went out of style!)

According to Otto Gray, authentic Western music had three rhythms, "all coming from the gaits of the cow-pony -- walk, trot, and lope." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_music]

Hal Cannon explains that traditional cowboy songs tell about ranching and the life of a cowboy. He states that today there is a growing traditionalism in western music.

Cowboy Songs --I'm talking real cowboy poetry set to music, the ballads of yesteryear--originated with the men and women who settled the west. They brought the music from their "mother-land," and so their music was directly related to the old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads. Some "American" songs are actually tunes from long ago with new lyrics. (Copyrighting music didn't start until 1837.)

[ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File%3AOh!_Susanna_1.jpg ]

One such song was The Streets of Laredo: The Cowboy's Lament. This tune started out way back in the 1600s as the Bard of Armagh ~ and Irish drover ballad. Then it became A Handful of Laurel. In 1790, immigrants brought it to America switching out the words and naming it The Unfortunate Rake. The early 1800s saw it reworded and named as St. James Infirmary Blues. In 1879, Frances Henry Maynard copyrighted the song as we know it today.

In 1848, Stephen Foster's Oh Susanna! became the song that epitomized the westward movement. The men and women of the 1849 gold rush embraced it as their song.

I've heard a few traditional cowboy songs, and owe my thanks to the music program in my grade school. We'd sing the songs as we also learned the history of our country. (We also learned a few traditional folk dances but that is another post :-)

Here are a few traditional cowboy songs from the 1800s  

How many have you heard?

"The Bravest Cowboy"

"The Brazos"

"The Cowboy and the Lady"

"Golden Slippers"

"Longside of the Sante Fe Trail"

"Mustang Grey"

"Old Paint Waltz"

"The Streets of Laredo"

"The Old Chisolm Trail"

"Red River Valley" (1896)

"Red Whiskey"

"Whoopee-ti-yi-o Git Along Little Dogies" (1880)

"Home on the Range" (1873)

"Clementine" (1884)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kathryn's newest release, His Springtime Bride, is a sweet clean western historical novella in the Western Spring Weddings Anthology from Harlequin. 

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