Interesting Facts About Stagecoaches - Plus Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Stagecoach to Liberty, third book in the Montana Gold western historical romance series, I’m giving away to two winners their choice of a digital copy of either Hills of Nevermore (Montana Gold 1) or Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold 3). Comment before midnight, Pacific Time, January 25th on the question in this post for a chance to win. Leave your email address to be eligible. I'll contact the winner privately by January 27th. 

Interesting Facts About Stagecoaches 

There's something about a stagecoach that brings out the romantic in all of us. Picture a stagecoach pulled by a team of frothing horses and you summon the very essence of the Wild West. You imagine yourself settling back against the leather upholstery with a view of the western plains. You sigh. Romance and adventure await! Hold your horses. So do nausea and exhaustion. 

Being tossed about a coach with little or no shock absorbers took a toll on the passengers. Despite the galmourous image, stagecoach travel was pretty rough. Let's take a look at what else we might not know about stagecoaches.

Origin

The stagecoach originated in Great Britain during the 1600’s as one of the earliest modes of public transportation.

Name

Stagecoaches traveled from stop to stop so drivers could swap tired horses for fresh ones and allow passengers to purchase food and drink. The characteristic travel in stages gave rise to the term ‘stagecoach,’ or ‘stage’ for short.

Stage Stops

Passengers could alight for about 10 minutes at stage stops to stretch their legs, purchase food and drink, and attend to other necessary matters. These stops were spaced between 10 and 30 miles apart.

Speed

A stagecoach covered, on average, 5-8 miles in an hour. Rate of travel depended on condition of the road and the terrain.

Windows

The risk of breakage was too great, so stagecoach windows had no panes. Instead, thick leather curtains could be unrolled and attached at the bottom over window openings to shield passengers from inclement weather, dust, or mud.

Sleep

Exhaustion helped people fall asleep while riding in the coach, however staying asleep could be a problem due to the jostling from rough roads. Sometimes stagecoaches ran through the night. If they stopped at a roadhouse, they usually had to wake early to continue the journey.

Mail

Starting in 1785, Congress passed legislation to allow stagecoaches to carry mail. America relied on stagecoaches to transport mail through the 1840’s. Postal delivery was an important function for stagecoach lines, and often passengers shared coach space with mail bags.

A First-Hand Account

In Roughing It, Mark Twain’s autobiographical account, he describes traveling with the mail. "Whenever the stage stopped to change horses, we would wake up, and try to recollect where we were - and succeed - and in a minute or two the stage would be off again, and we likewise. We began to get into country, now, threaded here and there with little streams. These had high, steep banks on each side, and every time we flew down one bank and scrambled up the other, our party inside got mixed sowewhat. First we would all lie down in a pile at the forward end of the stage, nearly in a sitting posture, and in a second we would shoot to the other end and stand on our heads. And we would sprawl and kick, too, and ward off ends and corners of mail-bags that came lumbering over us and about us; and as the dust rose from the tumult, we would all sneeze in chorus, and the majority of us would grumble, and probably say some hasty thing, like: 'Take your elbow out of my ribs! Can't you quit crowding?'” 

Giveaway Question

Have you ever had a bad travel experience that is funny in hindsight?

Winner chooses between the following books from the Montana Gold series
Hills of Nevermore: Can a young widow hide her secret shame from the Irish circuit preacher bent on helping her survive?

Cheyenne Sunrise: A young Irish widow has no choice but to trust her half-Cheyenne guide with her life, but can she trust him with her heart?   

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres.

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.

About Stagecoach to Liberty

Can a desperate young woman trust the handsome Irish stranger who wants to free her from her captors?

Elsa Meier, a young Hessian woman newly in America, falls into the hands of soul merchants intent on forcing her into prostitution.

The last thing that Connor Walsh, an Irishman returning to his ranch after a bout of amnesia, wants is trouble, but he suspects that Elsa isn't wholeheartedly traveling with her companions.

Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, Stagecoach to Liberty explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west.

Purchase Stagecoach to Liberty

Learn more about the Montana Gold series.

Quirky Montana Historical Facts

I came across my share of quirky historical trivia while researching the Montana Gold series, set during Montana’s goldrush, a wild and wooly time in the Old Wild West. Many colorful stories attach to place names in particular. Here, for your entertainment are some of the gems I mined in my historical research. 

Quirky Montana Historical Facts 

Montana was Idaho

You read that right. Idaho Territory formed March 4 1863 and covered some of the, er, territory that would become part of southwestern Montana in the present day. Prior to that date, the land was part of Washington Territory.

Image: Idaho Territory Coat of Arms

 The borders shifted again on March 26 1864, at the birth of Montana Territory. One family living in Hell Gate (south of what is now Missoula) held an unusual claim to fame. Their three children had been born in a single house but three different territories.

Image: Montana Territory Coat of Arms

The Ruby River contained no rubies

The Upper Ruby River; image by Mike Cline [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons

Early settlers mistook the pretty red gemstones they found in the riverbed and along its banks for rubies. These were in fact garnets. The name stuck, regardless.

Hell Gate Canyon earned its name.

Hell Gate Canyon from Heaven's Gate overlook, Idaho. Image by Dsdugan [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

French trappers named Hell Gate Canyon for the piles of human bones they found within it. The Flathead tribe had to pass through the canyon to reach hunting grounds on the other side. Unfortunately, the narrow canyon entrances made ideal locations for members of the Blackfoot tribe to ambush the hunting parties.

Deer Lodge wasn’t a building.

Hot spring mound in the "Deer Lodge" prairie of the Rocky Mountains.
Color lithograph after G. Sohon. [CC BY 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Well, okay. There are buildings in the town of Deer Lodge, and Deer Lodge Valley has its share of buildings. However, both the town and the valley were named after a mound. A remarkable landmark in its day, Deer Lodge Mound has less status in modern times. A warm spring (now capped) steamed at the top of the 40-foot-high geologic formation and deposited minerals down its side. This made the mound into a salt lick for multitudes of local deer. The spring steamed in the cold winter air, reminding the local tribe of a lodge with smoke curling above it.

Tell it to the judge.

Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis in a portrait miniature by John Wood Dodge (1807-1893)
 (www.civilwar.si.edu) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Virginia City, Montana was almost named after Jefferson Davis’s beautiful wife, Varina. However, Judge Bissell, a devout Unionist, refused to approve the town charter until the name was changed. The framers of the town opted for the judge’s suggestion of Virginia City, and the charter went through.

The fort that wasn’t.

Fort Owen in Montana's Bitterroot Valley; image by Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA
[CC BY 2.0 or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Major John Owen, a retired army sutler (supply manager), settled in 1850 with his beloved Native American wife in the Bitterroot Valley and there established a ‘fort.’ Really just a trading post, Fort Owen never housed soldiers or heard a shot fired. Major Owen was trusted by the local tribe and settlers alike. He served as Indian Agent to the Flathead tribe between 1856 and 1862.

Uncovering very human stories while researching my books makes history come alive for me. I hope I have given you a small window into the past.

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres. 

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.

Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold 2)

Can a woman with no faith in men learn to trust the half-Cheyenne trail guide determined to protect her?

Young Irish widow Bry Brennan doesn’t want another husband to break her spirit. When she and her brother Con join a wagon train headed to Montana Territory, Bry ignores her fascination with Nick Laramie, the handsome trail guide.

Nick lives in an uneasy truce between the settlers and his mother’s tribe without fully fitting in among either. With no intention of dragging a woman into his troubles, he stifles his yearning for Bry.
The perilous journey throws the two together, leaving Bry no choice but to trust Nick with her life. Can she also trust him with her heart? Answering that riddle forces Bry to confront her unresolved questions about God’s love.

Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, Cheyenne Sunrise explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west. Learn more.

5 Little-Known Facts About the Old Wild West

This article is brought to you by Janalyn Voigt.

I often uncover little-known historical facts while researching my novels. The Montana Gold western historical romance series was no exception Some of the quaintest tidbits hail from the Old Wild West, an era that unfolded like a wrinkled tablecloth in a back-country saloon. Below you will find research discoveries that changed my view of the American West.

5 Little-Known Facts About the Old Wild West

1. Buffalo Weren’t Buffalo

An American Bison

The hump-backed horned creatures who grazed the western prairies were actually bison, a different animal altogether. Early pioneers incorrectly dubbed them ‘buffalo’ because of their resemblance to both the African cape buffalo and Asian water buffalo.

2. The Stetson Lost Out to the Bowler (Derby) Hat

Move Over, Stetson

The Stetson is a western icon, but it actually wasn’t the most popular hat worn back in the day. That title belongs to the bowler. Peruse period photos, and you will see what I mean. The Stetson was well-made of quality fur-felt but expensive. Bowlers cost little and stayed on in the wind. Even cowboys wore them. The bowler was so popular that American author Lucius Beebe named it “the hat that won the West.”

3. You Could Go All the Way to Northern Montana by Riverboat

Riverboat travelers faced many perils.

A prospector in a hurry to stake a claim could land sooner in the Montana gold fields by riverboat, provided he arrived at all. Riverboat travel was hazardous, but many took their chances anyway. They could ride as far north as Montana’s Fort Benton, the last fur trading fort on the Upper Missouri. To find out more about this, read my previous post, Riverboat Travel in the Old Wild West.

4. Not Every Wagon Train Carried Guns

The wagon train needed help...

During my research of Bannack, a town in Montana Territory, an original historical record described the murder of several members of the local tribe by drunken townsmen. In the aftermath, tensions arose amid fear of retaliation. Volunteers from Bannack rode out by night to escort a wagon train encamped nearby into town. This became necessary as the wagon train had no guns. The record doesn’t elaborate. I’ve often wondered who they were. Perhaps Quakers, a religious sect devoted to peace.

5. Dance Hall Girls Weren’t Always Ladies of Ill-Repute

Some dance hall girls  only danced.

Young women from Germany played the hurdy-gurdy (a stringed instrument) and danced in order to sell brooms and fly-whisks. This drew the attention of potential customers. Their fame grew, and drew a contingent determined to make a profit. The girls were persuaded to forsake their homeland for America. Hoping the girls would find a better life in America, many of their parents allowed them to go. To help their impoverished families, the girls signed contracts to entertain miners in goldrush towns. Some of the girls had hard lives and fell into prostitution, but others simply danced with the miners for a fee. The untold story of the hurdy-gurdy girls is the basis for Stagecoach to Liberty (Montana Gold, book 3), which releases in December 2018. To be notified when this book goes on presale, join the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt.

  About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres.

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.

Explore Janalyn Voigt's interactive website.

Five things you may not know about . . .

Five things you may not know about Abraham Lincoln

“I know what I know.” 

One of my Grandma’s favorite sayings . . . “I know what I know.” It’s been quite a few years since she went home to be with Jesus, but I still miss her. It makes me smile to think about her.

So, what does this have to do with history? Well, nothing, actually. But while researching, I discovered or re-discovered some things about the Sixteenth President of United States, Abraham Lincoln. Some of those things I remember from years ago, and some, even during my many years of (healthy) historical obsession, I’d never heard or read.

I know what I know, but maybe I can know more—like:

1. President Lincoln’s beloved mother died of “milk poisoning”. At only nine years old, little Abe nursed his violently ill mother to the best of his abilities, but tragically she passed away. The cause of the disease was a mystery until years later when it was discovered that folks were dying from milk poisoning after dairy cows ingested the toxic weed, white snake root.
2. Mere months after Mrs. Lincoln’s death, Abe’s father, Thomas Lincoln, left his son alone on their homestead and took a trip to town. Thomas was

   

   Sarah Bush Lincoln

   gone so long that Abraham began to worry if he would ever return. When Abe’s father finally did come home, he brought a “new” mother for Abe. Sarah Bush Lincoln loved young Abe as her own and helped to shape him into the man who would become president. 
3. Abraham Lincoln’s lanky, 6’4” frame made him a formidable wrestling opponent who is enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Abe loved to wrestle and was known to taunt his opponent by talking a little smack in the ring. Once, after a match, he faced the onlookers and according to Carl Sandburg’s biography of Lincoln, ol’ Honest Abe dared: “I’m the big buck of this lick. If any of

   

   Image from page 19 of "The heroic
   life of Abraham Lincoln the great emancipator. 

   you want to try it, come on and whet your horns.” Apparently, not one person from the audience stepped forward. Lincoln’s nineteenth-century, WWE type achievements earned him an “Outstanding American” honor in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 
4. In a strange, almost eerie coincidence, the brother of John Wilkes Booth, Edwin Booth, saved President Lincoln’s oldest son’s (Robert Todd Lincoln) life. While waiting on the train platform in New Jersey, New Jersey, the crowds surged forward and unknowingly pushed Robert off the platform, onto the tracks, and into the path of an oncoming train. At the last possible moment, Edwin Booth grabbed Robert by the coat collar and yanked him back to safety. Being one of the most revered actors of the times, Edwin was immediately recognized and hailed a hero. A few months later his brother, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater.     

   

   Edwin Booth as Hamlet

         
5. President Lincoln loved new inventions of all kinds including the newest types of firearms . . . And he test-fired them on the White House lawn. On what is now the now known as the Ellipse and the National Mall, the president would meet with inventors, gunsmiths, and iron smiths, testing out the newest repeating rifles, pistols, muskets and cannons. Though there was a strict “standing order” against firing weapons in the District of Columbia, Abe, and his love for new gadgets and gizmos, allowed the weapons display in the name of furthering the cause. 

Now, we know what we know—and hopefully, a little bit more.

Be blessed, my friends, and keep learning. Thank you for stopping by Heroes, Heroines and History. 

Michele

**Pictures courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the wrestling photo, Flickr.

    

Multi-award-winning author, Michele K. Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan while dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Michele is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

Thanksgiving History and Trivia

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.  November has always been a time to celebrate family to me.  My parents got married in November.  My husband and I got married in November.  Two f my four children were born in November.  And quite a number of members of my extended family also have anniversaries and birthdays this month.

And of course the month is always capped off with Thanksgiving, a holiday that is always celebrated, at least among my clan, with a large gathering of family and friends.  And since we're just a few short days away from Thanksgiving, I thought it might be fun to list some of the history and trivia surrounding the holiday.

• The first Thanksgiving celebration took place in 1621 and lasted three days.  It was a true festival that included games as well as food.  The menu is thought to have included  lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squash, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese.
   
• In 1789 George Washington declared November 26^th to be a national day of Thanksgiving
   
• In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation that officially set aside the last Thursday in November as the national day of Thanksgiving.  Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of The Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine and the author of the nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb, was instrumental in persuading Lincoln to do this.
   
• In 1920, Gimbel’s of Philadelphia held the first department store sponsored Thanksgiving Day parade.  Four years later Macys launched its own version and that one soon overshadowed Gimbel’s and became a Thanksgiving tradition.

   

• In 1941 Congress passed a law declaring that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November rather than the last.
  
•  Beginning in 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey to the U.S. President.   The president then ‘pardons the bird and it normally lives out its remaining days on a public farm in Herndon VA called Frying Pan Park.

Other fun facts:      

• Approximately 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US every year.
• The average American eats around 16-18 pounds of turkey each year
• It is believed that the tradition of having a ‘kiddy table for youngsters to sit at separate from the adults originated as a Thanksgiving tradition
• To determine if a cranberry is ripe enough to harvest and sell commercially, it must be able to bounce 4 inches.
• The busiest travel day of the year in the U.S. is the day after Thanksgiving
• North Carolina produces more turkeys than any other state
  

And now I'd love to hear about any Thanksgiving traditions you and your family celebrate, or any bits of holiday trivia not mentioned here.

And to all of you, I wish for you on this upcoming Thanksgiving a wonderful day filled with remembrances of all the many blessings we have in our lives, both past and present.