Much like the current pandemic, the California Gold Rush started at a specific epicenter and spread across the world. We’re all familiar with the term “Forty-Niners” which originated with the hordes of people flocking to California in 1849 to seek their fortunes in the gold fields. I’ve described in previous […]
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Research for My Next Historical Novel: Oregon in 1864
One of my goals for 2020 is to research Oregon history for my next historical novel. The characters of the book I’m planning will be the same families as in my earlier Oregon Chronicles novels, though I’m sure new characters will demand to be included as well! Part of the […]
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September 11, A Generation Later
A few days ago the topic of September 11 came up during a conversation with a friend. “Can you believe it’s been eighteen years?” she said. “My grandchildren don’t remember it. The youngest one wasn’t even born.” Few days live in infamy across our entire nation. Pearl Harbor, which was […]
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Historical Aspects of My Work in Progress
In February 2018, when I began writing my current novel, I speculated about what historical events might be featured in the book. I’m now in the polishing phase, and this post is an update on what has in fact made it into the novel’s plot. The Oregon Land Donation Act […]
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My 750th Post and an Update on Early Guest Bloggers
I was surprised to get a notice from WordPress.com recently congratulating me on my 9th anniversary on the site. I guess I did register with them back in 2010, though the first blog I kept was anonymous, and has since been taken off public view. I started my current blog […]
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The Kansas Museum of History in Topeka
Earlier this month I had a day by myself in Topeka, which is just over an hour’s drive from our home. I’d accompanied my husband when he had an all-day conference there, but I had no obligation until his group dinner that evening. So I designed a day to suit […]
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Reflections on Past and Present (and Future) After a Visit to the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
One of the places that my husband, mother-in-law, and I visited in California in June was the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, where Nixon was born. None of us had been there before, and we spent a pleasant half-day going through the exhibits. The topics covered […]
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Early Roads and Railroads in Oregon in the 1850s
As I write my fourth historical novel about the West, I’m finding more and more things I need to research. Researching travel along the Oregon Trail itself was easy by comparison—all I needed to do was to decide on a route, describe the landmarks and the difficulties of daily life, […]
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The Santa Fe Trail at Stanhope, Missouri: Historical and Family Significance
A few weeks ago, my husband and I were driving through Saline County in the farmland around Marshall, Missouri. His family owns land in the county, and although they have lived in town for a couple of generations now, they still speak of “going to the country” when they drive […]
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Oregon History: On Cattle Men and Government
I’ve written before (see here and here) about Jesse Applegate, who was part of the Great Migration of 1843. Jesse Applegate had the distinction of leading the “Cow Column” on the first large wagon train to Oregon. Several thousand head of cattle accompanied the wagons and emigrants of the Cow […]
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