And what of the passengers on a California-bound ship in 1849? What could they expect? First class passengers’ fare was around $150...

So, what kind of people were sailors in the year 1849? The answer? A mixed lot. Typically, sailors were men who chose to make sailing...

Having grown up in a world where engines rule everything, the idea of being at the whim of the wind is hard for me to conceive. I’ve...

Manuscript update: I’m happy to report that I have finished the manuscript for the newly renamed, “Zephyr’s Gantlet.” I now have it out...

It’s been quite a while since I last blogged and there’s a lot to catch up on. This blog will be less historical and more biographical in...

As eluded to in the last, I was led to this “what the…?" moment by a friend of the family who has traveled extensively in Nicaragua. My...

For many on the East Coast of the United States during the California Gold Rush, sailing around Cape Horn was a very popular option...

In our modern life of being able to communicate instantly, it is hard to imagine that historically, it could take as long as six months...

I’ve touched on the political and nationalism ambitions of President Polk when he took office, especially when it came to Mexico’s...

Technology is everywhere. Most of us wouldn’t be able to function without it in our lives. As a late baby boomer, I remember the first...

I’ve mentioned, in earlier blogs, my joy when I stumble upon a new idea or inspiration befitting my story’s time period of which I was...

I’ve written some pretty heavy blogs of late so I thought it might be refreshing for all of us to explore a lighter subject, one that...

A trip to Newbu

One benefit about having our children go to college out-of-state was the opportunity to visit them when they had a break and didn’t want...

As a twentieth-century girl, seeing a woman astraddle on horseback is a common sight. But, in 1849, when horseback travel was reserved...

It is hard to imagine in our world today, that there was actually such a thing as The Cult of True Womanhood. This article, by Barbara...

In our modern time, coverture isn’t an everyday word. Its implications do still affect us but not nearly like they did in the 17th, 18th,...

In most of our lifetimes, we have had the benefit of the Federal Reserve System, created in 1913, to provide the United States with a...

Keeping in the theme of the mid-1800s western migration, there’s another migration that gets little attention now, although it was, at...

As a land steward, I understand the feeling that comes with knowing that the land you derive your living from is personally owned. No one...