Mac McDougall, one of the major characters in my series, is an attorney who is also an investor in many early Oregon enterprises. Although his background is convenient for the plots of my novels, many real historical figures in Oregon’s history were like the fictional Mac. As I research, I […]
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Early Railroad Bridges Across the Missouri River
Although I have a lot of editing to do on my current work-in-progress (the sixth book in my Oregon series), I am beginning to think about the next book. I’m planning for the seventh novel to be the last book in the series, but who knows? I only have the […]
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Researching an Early Oregon Murder (Again)
My current work-in-progress has a murder in it. I won’t say any more than that in this post. As I have been writing this murder into my draft, however, I have gone back to research my ancestor’s murder in 1852 Oregon again. I’ve learned some facts that cast doubt on […]
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William S. Ladd: Tycoon in 1860s Oregon
One of the story lines in the novel I am working on now involves a businessman in 1864 seeking to increase his investments in the burgeoning new state of Oregon. Readers of my earlier novels will remember Caleb (Mac) McDougall. As he explores his business opportunities, it seems that every […]
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Abigail Scott Dunaway: First Suffragette in Oregon
In recognition of Women’s History Month, this post is about the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement in Oregon, with a focus on Abigail Scott Dunaway, known as Oregon’s “Mother of Equal Suffrage.” I came across Abigail Dunaway in researching prominent women in early Oregon. Abigail was born in Illinois […]
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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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