I’m trying to find business interests for one of my characters in my next Oregon historical novel. The novel is set in 1864, and Oregon didn’t yet have any railroads, other than a few small portages around falls on the rivers. But there was active steamboat competition along the Columbia […]
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Southern Oregon and Forest Fires: Then and Now
I spent many weeks (and even months) in Klamath Falls, Oregon, during my early childhood, but I don’t know a lot about Southern Oregon in general. I’ve been to Crater Lake several times, and I remember that my grandfather’s machinery company did business with a sawmill in Medford. But otherwise, […]
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History of Smallpox in Oregon
As I research my next historical novel set in 19th Century Oregon, one issue I am looking into is when smallpox epidemics occurred. Some of my characters contracted smallpox in 1849 in Now I’m Found, and these same characters will be seen again in my next book, which will take […]
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Lake o’ the Woods
This is another post about lakes. Throughout my life I have vacationed on many lakes, most notably Coeur d’Alene Lake and Priest Lake in Idaho, Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake in Missouri, the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, and the Door County peninsula on Lake […]
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Random Photos: A Summer Trip with the Grandparents in Simpler Times
This set of random photos came from an envelope my father labeled “Cannon Beach.” Most of the pictures in the envelope were of a trip my parents took with my kids to Cannon Beach, Oregon. I’ve written before about other trips to Cannon Beach—most recently we were there for a […]
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Memories of a Flat Tire
I’ve written before about the odd things that can trigger memory. I had another such experience last week. I drove to a meeting on a foggy morning after a snowstorm past a grove of red cedar trees. They are called red cedars, but they are actually members of the juniper family. […]
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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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Writing Historical Fiction: My Odd Research Topics, Including Murder
Many authors these days have very strange browsing histories. Writers of thrillers have to research espionage, weapons, and clandestine operations. Fantasy writers delve deeply into the legends of wizards and dragons and vampires (not my cup of tea). As for me, in addition to the basic timelines and geography of […]
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Where Did 1850s Oregon Farmers Get Their Water?
As I am finishing my current novel, it dawned on me that I have not focused on how the settlers in Oregon obtained their water. I’ve just assumed they had plenty, mostly from creeks or springs near their cabins. This is probably a reasonable assumption, but I decided I should […]
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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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