Many of the scenes in my current work-in-progress take place in a Methodist parsonage in Albany, Oregon. The minister, his wife, and their young daughter live there in 1867. Albany in 1867 was a small town, though it was the county seat of Linn County, Oregon. I envisioned a small […]
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Liveries in the Mid-19th Century United States
Writers of historical fiction often chase down rabbit holes of research they do not anticipate. In my current work-in-progress, I need my male protagonist to have a business. He is interested in caring for animals, but veterinarians schooled in how to treat animals were not common in 1867. So, my […]
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Albany, Oregon, and Abigail Duniway — Setting for My Work-in-Progress
I posted last year about Abigail Duniway, a historical figure I found while researching Safe Thus Far. Abigail played a very minor role in that novel, but she will feature more prominently in my current work-in-progress. In fact, I have set part of the book in Albany, Oregon, because Abigail […]
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Summer of 1864 and the Overland Campaign
In 1864, after three bloody years of frequent battles and stalemates, the Civil War slowly turned in favor of the North. President Lincoln gave General Grant command of all the Union armies, and Grant assumed the role of general in chief in Washington, D.C., in March 1864. Only after Grant’s […]
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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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Alien Terrain on Earth: Craters of the Moon National Monument
Six years ago in late April, my husband and I drove from Washington State to our home in Kansas City. I had decided to buy my father’s car from his estate, and we needed to get it across country. We drove much of the Oregon Trail route—in reverse, from west […]
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Random Photo: Spring Tulips and a Birthday Clue
I had no good ideas for a post today, so as I sometimes do, I looked through old photographs for inspiration. This time, I was looking for something spring-ish. And I found a snapshot of my brother and me examining spring tulips. I didn’t remember this picture, but it was […]
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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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Colonel Charles Drew and the 1864 Treaty With the Klamath Indian Tribes
My current work-in-progress is set during the Civil War in Oregon. The Civil War was a factor in Oregon politics, but of more pressing concern to many of the citizens of Oregon were conflicts between whites and Native Americans. As emigrants to Oregon moved from the Willamette Valley into other […]
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When Did Slavery End? The Answer Varies
The novel I’m writing now takes place in 1864 Oregon. The Civil War was the biggest news of the day, though other issues were also important to Oregonians of the period. I’ve been researching what happened during the Civil War in 1864, and when news of these events reached Oregon. […]
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