The Kentucky Derby: 148 Years Strong

 By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I share some fast facts about Kentucky with some amazing yet fun tidbits. If you missed that post, you can read it here. This month, we're taking a closer look at The Kentucky Derby, which is close to celebrating it's 150th anniversary (in 2024).

KENTUCKY DERBY

It has been heralded as "the greatest two minutes in sports," and it's the longest continuously-running sporting event in the country. The event dates back to the very first race on May 17, 1875. Today, it is run on the first Saturday in May every year. What started as a 1.5 mile race is now a 1.25 mile race run by three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is the first leg in the challenging and coveted Triple Crown series of events, although that name didn't become widespread until the 1930s. Out of those three, the Kentucky Derby has the highest attendance.

This event began because of efforts from Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the grandson of explorer William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark team who mapped out the land from the Louisiana Purchase. After traveling to Europe in 1872, Clark, Jr. (known for throwing elaborate and extravagant parties and inspired by the races he attended in England and France) returned home to Kentucky and founded the Louisville Jockey Club. He used the club to raise money to build a racetrack on land donated by his uncles, William and John Churchill.

Organized by the 12th Earl of Derby, England's Epsom Downs racecourse had been the home of the Derby Stakes since 1780. That location became the primary influence behind Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Clark wanted to bring a certain level of class to his track by attracting an upscale crowd, thereby improving the image of American racetracks everywhere. If anyone remembers the memorable eyebrow-raising scene at the racetracks in My Fair Lady, you can envision the social atmosphere at the Kentucky Derby. It resembles a high tea event, complete with mint juleps, flamboyant head ensembles, and a collective singing of "My Old Kentucky Home" as the racehorses parade in front of the attendees before each race.

A mint julep is a famous drink which originated in the South. As a sign of wealth, it was served in a silver cup. It is made of what else but bourbon, sugar, mint, and crushed ice. Sounds delicious! I've never had one, but I'm going to be on the lookout for a good one. Guess I'll have to learn the lyrics and music to "My Old Kentucky Home" now too! The 19th century ballad by composer Stephen Foster was reportedly first played at the Derby in 1921 and remains a part of the Derby traditions to this day.

In 1902, new management took control of Churchill Downs and plucked the Derby out of the local fame it had enjoyed, turning it into America's most iconic horse race. The first race in 1875 boasted a little over 10,000 attendees who came to watch fifteen (15) thoroughbreds run the distance. They were primarily the city's most stylish residents, and the event became THE social event of the season--a place to see and be seen.

With the advent of the radio, measures were taken to broadcast the Derby across the airwaves. Although some thought it would detract from the event's solid attendance, the first network radio transmission in 1925 only sparked more interest. 1949 marked the Derby's first television broadcast locally, and in 1952, it made its debut on national television. Today, over 160,000 people come from around the world to attend the Kentucky Derby. Tens of millions watch it on television. It is THE signature event in the state of Kentucky, brimming in abundance with traditions, legends, and icons...and of course the bourbon-based mint juleps!

My daughter has inherited my love of all things horses, and I promised her a visit to Churchill Downs. There is a phenomenal Kentucky Derby Museum on the grounds, and a lot of additional features you can add to your museum ticket. I definitely look forward to making that trek.

As a little teaser for my May post, the area where I now live is called Tattersall Estates, named after the world-famous London horse breeding venture and auction, Tattersalls. Every street here is named after a famous racehorse or connected to a term from horse racing. I live on Secretariat, the record-holder since 1973 for the fastest time in all three of the Triple Crown races. I'll share more next month.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Do you know any famous horses who have won the Kentucky Derby (or the Preakness or Belmont Stakes)? Who are/were they?

* Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby? Or have you ever visited Churchill Downs at any other time of the year?

* Are there any horse races anywhere else in the U.S. that you have attended? Where are they?

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. Come back on the 9th of May to learn more about famous Triple Crown racehorse winners.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also an advocate for literacy as an educational consultant with Usborne Books. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, two dogs, and two cats in Kentucky. She has sold twenty-four (24) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The Shooting of Meriwether Lewis

 

Fort Clatsop, OR, site of Lewis & Clark Expedition

Elaine Marie Cooper

 

 

The famous expedition of Lewis and Clark from 1804 to 1806 was remarkable for many reasons. Not only did they and their group of 33 members of the Corps of Discovery carry out a successful trek to the Pacific Ocean from St. Louis, they managed to avoid any bloodshed along the way. That is, until an accidental shooting of Meriwether Lewis took place within a month of returning to St. Louis.

 

The incident occurred August 11, 1806 when Lewis went on a hunting trip with Pierre Cruzatte. Why Cruzatte was chosen to accompany Lewis seems impractical at best and possibly deadly at its worst, since the man was blind in one eye and near-sighted in the other. 

 

Lewis was intent upon finding elk to bring back as food for the main party with whom they would rendezvous at the junctions of the Missouri & Yellowstone Rivers. Lewis and 9 other men in the Corps of Discovery had temporarily split off so they could explore as much territory as possible. But explorers have ravenous appetites and Lewis hoped to find some elk that lived in the Crow Hills of North Dakota.

 

He spotted one among the willows along a river and put to shore from their canoe. Taking aim at the beast, Lewis suddenly felt burning pain in his left thigh. A bullet had shot clear through from the back to the front of his thigh, barely missing his hip bone. The lead ball left a 3-inch gash. Assuming Cruzatte mistook him to be an elk (he was wearing leather) and had accidentally fired at him, Lewis cried, “D…n you, you have shot me.”

 

When Cruzatte did not respond, Lewis then feared Indians were attacking them and had likely kidnapped Cruzatte. The wounded hunter hobbled his way back to the canoe and managed to reach the rest of the party. Lewis told them they were under attack, but the others went to search and found no evidence of any attacking party. And Cruzatte was with them, unharmed. He denied shooting Lewis and said he’d not heard Lewis shouting for him. 

 

Lewis’ wound was tended by himself and Sgt. Gass, who helped the patient remove his breeches and fill the large holes, both front and back, with lint. “The wounds bled considerably but I was happy to find that it had touched neither bone nor artery.” He was fortunate indeed as either could have caused life threatening complications. 

 

He spent the next 10 days or so in pain and with a fever, lying face down in the canoe that would transport them to the Clark group. By September 8, the group was reunited into one party and Lewis had recovered sufficiently to accompany William Clark to the site upon which thy had started in 1804. 

 

The joyous celebration for the successful journey became the focus upon their return. But Lewis recalled the shooting incident in his journal: “I do not believe that the fellow did it intentionally but after finding he had shot me was anxious to conceal his knowledge of having done so.” 

 

When removing his clothing after the shooting, Lewis found the bullet in his breeches and it was of the same type used in the military weapon carried by Cruzatte. But the man denied being responsible for the injury the rest of his life. 

 

 

 

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that released in 2019: War’s Respite(Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. This series will re-release with a new publisher beginning in 2021. Love's Kindling is a finalist in the 2020 Selah Awards.

Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and HomeLife magazine. She also penned the three-book historical series, Deer Run Saga. 

Her upcoming release, Scarred Vessels, is about the black soldiers in the American Revolution. Look for it in October 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

 

 

 

 

 

Camas Roots: How Early Nez Perce Women Built a Business Empire

by Misty M. Beller

As I've been researching for my current Call of the Rockies series, I've had the pleasure of diving deep into the culture of the Nez Perce tribe. I found it interesting that one of the primary food sources of The People (as they called themselves) was camas roots.

But what really drew my notice was how the women would cultivate entire fields of camas root, store what they needed for their family through the winter, then use the extras for bartering. Some savvy women would become quite wealthy from their business dealings!

Nez Perce woman named I-ah-to-tonah (or Little Woman Mountain) and her son, ca. 1909. She might have acquired many of these possessions through the trade of camas route.

Why camas root? 
The bulbs of the camas plant are full of calories and nutrients, and each fall, Nez Perce families would travel to their particular camas meadow (a section of land whose camas rights had probably been passed down from generation to generation within their family). Many of these meadows were located near present-day Weippe, Moscow or Grangeville, where the onion-shaped bulbs grew thickly.

Edible Camas Plant. Photo courtesy of Walter Siegmund (public domain)

Women used pointed wooden tools to harvest the bulbs, and could often gather over 50 pounds a day, satisfying their full winter's supply within just a few days.

The Nez Perce are known for their detailed knowledge of the plant life around their region, which was helpful because there was another type of camas that sometimes grew in the same area as edible cams. This other type was called death camas, and the results that came from accidentally eating that bulb are self-explanatory! The two are easy to tell apart by flower color—edible camas is blue, the other creamy white. But since harvest occured after flowering was over, this color cue would not be present. The Nez Perce women had to know their camas roots!

Camas bulbs were cooked to improve taste and food value. A carbohydrate in camas called inulin is difficult to digest, but after cooking for up to two days in a carefully tended pit oven, the inulin converts to fructose, which is more easily digested and tastes sweet, almost like a sweet potato. When Lewis and Clark's expedition spent time in the Nez Perce camps after almost starving to death passing through the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains, they were initially excited to have camas roots to eat. Until the stomach upset started! 

Camas bulb

Baked camas can be eaten right away. For long-term storage, though, the cooked bulbs were sun-dried, pounded into a flour, shaped into a flat loaf, and baked again.

To remain productive, camas meadows need to be open and sunny, free of encroaching tree growth. Fire was used as a tool to accomplish this. Camas bulbs themselves were tended, too. During harvest the bulbs were sorted by size: large ones were collected but smaller bulbs or bulblets were put back into the newly worked-up soil for next year.

A Business Empire

Native American peoples who ate camas include the Nez Perce (Nimíipuu), Cree, Coast Salish, Kalapuya, and Blackfoot, and Yakama, among many others. Not all of these people groups harvested camas themselves. Instead, many relied on trade in order to procure it. Trade networks were established all the way from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, and a shrewd businesswoman who tended her camas meadows well could provide everything her family needed and more!

***

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Her latest release, Hope in the Mountain River, is an epic journey along the path taken by the Lewis and Clark expedition—an epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, lives will never be the same.

For a limited time, you can get one of Misty's bestselling novels free here: https://www.subscribepage.com/s8n2o1

Little Known Details of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

by Misty M. Beller

I'm excited to join the blogging team on the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog! My books are frontier westerns set in the Rocky Mountains during the 1800s, so I'll be sharing with you lots of fun historical details I learn through my research. I can't wait! 

My newest series follows much of the trail Lewis and Clark's expedition took across what would become Montana and into Idaho. I have to confess that I couldn't remember many details from when I learned about the expedition in school. As I began to research, I've been amazed at how fascinating their journey was. 

The expedition was known as the Corps of Discovery and consisted of 38 capable enlisted men, in addition to the leaders, Captains Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. I love what Captain Clark wrote in his journal on March 31, 1805: With such men, I feel every confidence necessary to insure success.

As I've read and re-read the journals of the captains and sergeants from those two adventurous years, I've been surprised by so many details. Here are a few of my favorite facts!

Only one person died throughout the entire journey
Sgt. Charles Floyd died of appendicitis on the westward trip in what is now Floyd’s Bluff, Iowa. Throughout the entire journey from St. Louis to the Oregon coast and back, over land no white man had ever trod, while meeting hundreds of Native American tribes, none of the party died through violent means. 

Sergeant Charles Floyd, photo by Benjamin Trott - images.metmuseum.org

Sometimes talks with the Native Americans had to go through five different interpretations

Lewis and Clark hired two interpreters to travel with them, but speaking with the natives still wasn't easy. In one council with a Salish tribe (Nez Perce), the conversation had to flow from English to French to Hidatsa to Shoshone to Salish. Then back. 

Salish Village. Courtesy Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images.

Finding a water route to the Pacific Ocean was only one of the goals of the expedition

They were also tasked by President Jefferson with establishing peaceful relations between Native American tribes and their "Great White Father" back in the States, as well as classifying the flora and fauna of the new lands now owned by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. 

Map showing lands that were part of the Louisiana Purchase in white. By William Morris. Wikimedia, Public Domain.

Those are just a few interesting tidbits I've learned, and I'll be sharing more in future posts. 

In the meantime, are you a history buff about the Lewis and Clark expedition? If so, share some facts we may not know! Or are you like I was, with only a vague memory of what the Corps of Discovery actually did? 

***

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Her latest release, Freedom in the Mountain Wind, is an epic journey along the path taken by the Lewis and Clark expedition—an epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, lives will never be the same.

For a limited time, you can get one of Misty's bestselling novels free here: https://www.subscribepage.com/s8n2o1

Dismal Nitch

With Nancy J. Farrier

Looking across the Columbia River from Oregon
toward Dismal Nitch, Washington

Imagine that you have been traveling for months. You are out of fresh food. The clothes you have with you are falling off your back. You have a deadline, and if you don’t make the rendezvous you won’t be able to resupply—or to fulfill your mission.

These conditions are what Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, along with their Corps of Discovery, experienced in November of 1805. They were dispatched in 1803 by President Jefferson and had traveled hundreds of miles through uncharted territory. By late 1805 they were on the lower Columbia River, on the last leg of their destination to reach the Pacific Ocean, trying their best to meet the last of the trading ships before the winter weather became too severe. If they met the ship in time, they could send their journals and collected items home to the President. They would also have the chance to resupply using the letter of credit President Jefferson had given them before they departed. They could charge enough food and clothing to last them until they could return back east.

Looking across the Columbia River

What they didn’t count on was the fierce winter storm that moved in before they could meet the ship. Lashing rains and high winds made continuing on too precarious. The only place close to them, a steep, forested area that had a series of coves and nitches, provided meager protection. As the weather worsened,

they took shelter just upriver from the modern day Dismal Nitch.

Dismal Nitch Rest Area

That night they were battered by the weather. Soaked and freezing, the next day they faced thunder, lightning and hail. Clark wrote of their experience, "As our situation became Seriously dangerous, we took the advantage of a low tide & moved our Camp around a point a Short distance to a Small wet bottom at the mouth of a Small Creek (Megler Creek), which we had observed when we first came to this cove…"

The storm continued to batter the small party. They became discouraged with their circumstances and the possibility they would find no relief. Finally, on November 10^th, Clark woke to calm weather. He describes their exodus in this way, "About 3 oClock the wind lulled and the river became calm, I had the canoes loaded in great haste and Set Out, from this dismal nitch where we have been confined for 6 days…"

Lewis and Clark, as we know, made it to the Pacific Ocean. Their journey is documented and they were hailed as some of the greatest of the early explorers. After they rendezvoused with the ship, only eleven of their men continued on with them to reach the ocean. Their forced stay at Dismal Nitch proved too disheartening for many of the party.

Bridge to Dismal Nitch

Today, there is a 4.1 mile bridge spanning the Columbia between Astoria, Oregon and the Dismal Nitch Rest Area on the Washington side of the river. The scenery is beautiful. Many people enjoy bird watching, hiking or observing the ships that run up and down the Columbia River. The Lewis and Clark National Park encompasses parts of both sides of the Columbia River.

Bridge Looking to Oregon Side

The day we came across the Dismal Nitch Rest Area, the weather was a bit dismal. Cold rain lashed the landscape, but didn’t detract from the beauty. However, we were in a car, protected from the elements. As I studied the story of Dismal Nitch, I thought about those men who spent days in miserable conditions. Their bravery and fortitude in the face of difficulty is to be commended.

Have you ever been discouraged by a trip going awry? Did you continue on? I recall a time when our five kids were pretty young and we went on a vacation only to have one thing after another go wrong. At one point, my husband and I stepped aside and considered giving up and going back home. We decided to continue on. I don’t recollect all the discouragements of that trip, but I do remember some of the delights. I’m very glad we didn’t give up.

Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children and one grandson. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Karen Ball of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

A Big Fair by Janet Chester Bly

Lewis & Clark Centennial Overview

Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition 1905 by Janet Chester Bly

Check end of article to participate in book giveaway ...

The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition* happened June 1 to October 15, 1905 in Portland, Oregon. 

The theme suggested by the Oregon Historical Society  centered on the 100-year celebration of the explorers' Meriwether Lewis and William Clark 1805 crossing the U.S. to the Pacific Ocean. But finances originally spurred the project.

Oregon suffered from the nationwide Long Depression of the 1890's. The state's business leaders tried to devise ideas for boosting their economy. An international fair was suggested and a Board of Directors established with Henry W. Goode as president. Other board members included Portland's wealthiest and most powerful men.

Lewis & Clark Centennial Lake View

After funding received by personal investments, government backing,and citizens who purchased stock certificates, they searched for a site. They finally chose the Guild's Lake area at the edge of Portland. Guild's Lake provided groves of trees, acres of pasture, and 220 acres of shallow water at the center. Also the marshland sprawled with dogwoods, maples, blackberry vines, and flowering currants.

John Olmstead, the landscape architect, prepared the layout to imitate the "White City" of Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The vast majority of the structures overlooked Guild's Lake. A wide staircase led down to the lake and a myriad of amusements. Beyond that scene rose four snow-clad mountain peaks: Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, and Mount Hood. To the west was the Cascade Range through which Lewis and Clark made their trip to the Pacific Coast.

The majority of the buildings resembled Spanish Renaissance style, decorated with flourishes such as ivory

Lewis & Clark Centennial Federal Bldg

white domes, cupolas, arched doorways and red-colored or moss green roofs. The massive Federal Building "looked like a cross between a railroad depot and a Mexican cathedral." (Oregon Historical Society).

Other architecture formed the massive colonnade entrance.

Lewis & Clark Centennial Colonnade Entrance

Exhibits and Parks 

Exhibits included agriculture, technology, and music themes and featured The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and various other concerts, the Smithsonian Institute, and artist displays such as Claude Monet. An amusement park included a Ferris wheel. The sidewalks teemed with sideshows. There were novelties such as free motion pictures and blimp excursions. Every night fireworks displays lit up the skies.

Sacajawea in WA Park

Numerous marble statues dotted the grounds and experimental gardens. Alice Cooper's Sacajawea sculpture is now erected in Washington Park. Over 100 thousand light bulbs outlined the buildings, bridges, and statues for a spectacular nighttime view.

Adjacent to Vaughn Street Park, usually a baseball stadium, the Lewis and Clark Centennial sponsored the National Track and Field Championships. The site also became finish line for nation's first Transcontinental Automobile Race.

Plywood was introduced at the Fair which featured many of the latest innovations of the day. The elaborate, but temporary buildings largely constructed of plaster over wooden frames were eventually dismantled and torn down. Not even Guilds Lake remains today. Over the years it was filled with dirt and covered with industrial buildings.

The major exception to this was the Swiss Chalet-styled Forestry Building dubbed the "World's Largest Log

Lewis & Clark Centennial Forestry Bldg

Cabin." Constructed of 54 long unhewn logs, three stories high, with rustic tree-lined interior, it was 200 x 200' wide x 200' long and 72' tall. The building remained until destroyed by fire in 1964. The World Forestry Center, a replacement museum, was erected in Portland's Washington Park.

Other buildings still in existence from the fair include the Fairmount Hotel, the American Inn (the only on-site hotel and now converted into condos), and the NCR Building (St. Johns Theater and Pub).

Some controversies surrounding the Lewis and Clark Centennial:

* Many of the speakers advocated support of women’s right to vote.
* A Philippines display showed tribal native people preparing and eating dog meat.
• A Chinese exclusion order was discussed.
• In Portland, the Cooks and Waiters Union asked union members to boycott restaurants employing Chinese cooks.

Lewis & Clark Centennial Oriental Palace

Vice-President's Speech

On opening day, Vice President Charles Fairbanks announced a theme for Oregon’s new century.
“The future has much in store for you. Yonder is Hawai’i, acquired for strategic purposes and demanded in the interest of expanding commerce. Lying in the waters of the Orient are the Philippines which fell to us by the inexorable logic of a humane and righteous war. We must not underrate the commercial opportunities which invite us to the ‘Orient.’”
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* The official name was Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair. The "Oriental Fair" reference added mostly to take advantage of tax shelter providing for trade with the Far East.

For more info about the Lewis and Clark Centennial 1905, check out: The Great Extravaganza: Portland and the Lewis and Clark Exposition (Portland: Oregon Historical Society, 1981)
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Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition played an important part in Stuart Brannon's Final Shot, my husband Stephen Bly's last novel that I and my three sons finished for him. Selah Award Finalist. Read that story here: http://www.blybooks.com/2012/03/coping-with-loss/

To find Stuart Brannon's Final Shot click here: http://www.blybooks.com/product_category/historical-western-novels/

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