Robber's Roost: Inside a Stagecoach Station

Today's post is brought to you courtesy of Janalyn Voigt. Escape into creative fiction and simple living.

Inside Robber's Roost

Time slows up a bit when you cross the border into Montana. The closer you get to Robber's Roost, the more it crawls. By the time the wooden turnstile gate swung around to admit me, I could have sworn time even flowed backward.

Turnstile gate at Robber's Roost

There I was, transported to 1863, when the logs used to build this stagecoach station were still green. Daly's, it was called, but when the reputation of an earlier outpost at this site attached to it, Robber's Roost it became. Outlaws, they were, and from that earlier building, they'd kept an eagle eye out for hapless travelers on the road from Virginia City, capital of Montana Territory, and the gold at Bannack. Pete Daly managed to survive the invasion until the Vigilantes of Montana ended the lives of many of his guests. Daly swore himself a victim, thus avoiding the noose, and rebuilt.

The new station led a quieter existence, becoming a refuge where travelers could find food, companionship, and a place to bed down.

Nowadays, visitors to this once-teaming stagecoach station are few, and most don't make it inside. The interior can be viewed only by special arrangement, using snail mail. I've wanted to explore a stagecoach station for a long time, so I took the trouble while on a research trip to Montana and now my husband and I found ourselves exploring a slice of Old West history. The member of the Virginia City Preservation Alliance who let us in the building left us for a bit so we could savor the experience on our own.

Inside Robber's Roost, looking out

The thud of our footsteps was the only sound apart from birdsong drifting in from the open doorway. the heat was oppressive but inside it was cool. I didn't know how to use my new Canon camera yet, so I snappped shots using my cell phone. There was the sense that I was capturing a moment in time that would never come again. How urgently we who love history want to preserve it so that others may touch it as we do. We explored the downstairs rooms, which were the entrance, a kitchen area with falling-down plaster, and two small rooms that probably served as bedrooms.

We then faced a daunting prospect.

I've lightened this image to show the details. The original photograph looks a lot like a dark hole with a bit of light at the top. This stairway led into an unknown darkness, and I had to steel myself to climb it. When I did, the first thing I noticed was the solid construction. This stairway would take a lot of boot heels without flinching.

At the top of the stair, I stepped onto floorboards in a huge chamber flooded with light from its many windows. I had expected something more dungeon-like, but this chamber would have been comfortable. People must have slept here, but there were no partitions, and my mind ran back over something I'd read about stagecoach travel. People slept sitting up in the coaches and sometimes on no more than a dirt floor at stations. By contrast, this would have seemed luxurious.

Upstairs at Robber's Roost stagecoach station

After we looked around upstairs, we went outside and found an old covered well.

The covered well at Robber's Roost presents an iconic image of  Wild West days.

I hope I've given you part of what was a moving experience. It's not possible to show you all my photographs of Robber's Roost in this blog post, but you'll find the gallery at my Literary Wayfarer Travel website.

I'd love to hear about your own ghost town visit or a historic site you're longing to visit. Also, remember to enter the giveaway drawing, below. You might just win a free copy of DawnSinger or one of the other great prizes in our month of giveaways. 

About Janalyn Voigt

Escape into creative worlds of fiction with Janalyn Voigt. Her unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and fantasy creates worlds of beauty and danger for readers. Tales of Faeraven, her epic fantasy series beginning with DawnSinger, carries the reader into a land only imagined in dreams.

Janalyn is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA.

When she's not writing, Janalyn loves to discover worlds of adventure in the great outdoors.

Visit the author site for Janalyn Voigt

Gold Miners - Lena Nelson Dooley - Plus Giveaway

My novel Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, which won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Excellence in Western Media for Fiction, was largely set in Golden, New Mexico. The first gold strike west of the Missippi was in Golden, New Mexico, even before the strikes in Colorado and California. Although none of the book takes place in the mines, I still had to do a lot of research about gold mining.

And Angus McKenna, the father of the identical triplets in my McKenna's Daughters series, was headed to the gold fields when he and his wife joined the wagon train on the Oregon Trail.

After gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California in 1849, many would-be miners made their way across country by wagon train while others sailed nine months from the Eastern US, around the tip of South America to the western shores of California. Both ways to get there were hard and fraught with many dangers. Some miners even braved the mosquito infested Isthmus of Panama to get to the other side of our country. The 49ers, as the miners were called, had to be a hardy lot.

And after they arrived, many of them never found a speck of gold. Others, however, quickly became extremely wealthy. I know a lady in Oregon, whose family wealth came from the early gold mines.

At first the gold fields were a lawless wilderness, but before many years, law-abiding citizens banded together to spell out the laws. They hoped to calm down much of wanton violence and greed. In many places, they were successful. In others, not so much.

Another group of people on the gold fields were those like Angus McKenna. He went to the gold fields, not to prospect for the yellow mineral, but to sell the miners what they needed. Drinking water was at a premium. Basic mining tools, clothing, food, and other essentials were the gold the storekeepers provided the miners, saloons, and eventually families that settled there.

Notices like this one brought miners thronging to the tent stores.

Some unscrupulous men started  saloons and even brothels. But many miners just yearned for a decent women.

When these women began arriving at the camp-like towns, the ratio to men to women was at least twelve men to one women. So they vied with each other for her hand. Often they were met by a number of miners who each offered a gift of gold dust that amounted to about $200 to the woman. Word reached civilized towns, and many a lonely and poor woman went to see what was going on.

A term coined during that time is still in use today, gold digger, which means a woman who is only interested in a man who has money.

Actually, in my book, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, the hero is convinced that the heroine is a gold digger, and he tries to save his friend from her.

Today, I'm going to give away a copy of that book to someone who leaves a comment. The winner will be announced tomorrow in the comments, so check back.

And I'd love for you to check out my McKenna's Daughter series as well.

I love to hear from my readers. You can find me on Facebook, on my website www.lenanelsondooley.com, and on other social media sites.

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine

By Tiffany Amber Stockton


We're about to embark on a drive to St. Louis next month, and most of my family from back East will be there. Once or twice a year, they come here to Colorado to visit. And not, that is not them in the first picture. :) That is a picture of early gold miners with their work area illuminated by candlelight.

One thing my family always does is check out one tourist spot in the area during their time here. During a previous visit, we all took a tour of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Mining was a popular industry during the mid-to-late 1800's, and it continues today...some of it in the very same mines discovered over 130 years ago!

This tour is America's longest continually operated gold mine tour. The most jarring experience is descending a mine shaft 1,000 feet in a modified open ore bucket. For those who don't know what this is, it's a VERY small cage-like container suspended on cables and secured into a mine shaft. The space is probably about 4 or 5-feet square and we managed to fit 6 full-grown adults PLUS 2 kids into that tiny space. Talk about being packed in like sardines! Yet, this is how many miners also descended and ascended every day to do their work.

Once out of the bucket cage, we had a bit more room to spread out and join the rest of the tour. And this is some of what we learned about the history of the mine itself:

Coming West to Colorado from Ottumwa, Iowa, arriving with her husband Henry, son Perry, and daughter Elizabeth, the Gortner family first settled on North Nevada Street in Colorado Springs.

In the spring of 1891 Mollie’s son Perry arrived in the Cripple Creek area employed as a surveyor assigned to map mining claims of this country’s newest and overlooked frontier. With all news of the day focused on Cripple Creek’s gold. Mollie loaded the family wagon with supplies and joined the next wagon train heading west up Ute Pass to visit her son. After a four day trip, Mollie was relieved to find Perry had completed construction of a half log half canvas field tent. Mollie waisted little time setting up housekeeping.

In September of that year (1891), Perry while surveying upper Poverty Gulch, saw a huge herd of elk. Later he told Mollie of the herd so she headed out to see for herself. As she made her way up Poverty Gulch (three hundred yards past Cripple Creek’s first gold strike--- Bob Womack’s Gold King Mine---), winded Mollie decided to rest.

Looking downward,as she caught her breath, Mollie noticed an interesting rock formation that winked back at her. Using a rock to break off a sample, she could hardly believe her eyes, the outcropping was pure gold laced in quartz.

With her heart racing Mollie nonchalantly hid gold samples amongst her clothing, she had to be calm, there were a number of prospectors in the area. Earlier that day Mollie had mingled with Bob Womack who had overlooked her find for more than a dozen years prospecting an area he had nicknamed Poverty Gulch.

By her determined act, Mollie Kathleen Gortner became the first woman in the Gold Camp to discover gold and strike a claim in her own name. This was clearly a bold move out of step with the times. Most men of the time, only named their horses, jack asses, and mines after their women, it was very uncommon to let a woman claim something of such value.

Even after her mine was in production and when visited by the National Geological Survey, it’s authors entered their report of the mine being “Discovered by Mr. M.C. Gortner” Mr. Gortner’s name was Henry --- Mollie’s name was Mary Catherine Gortner. Mollie Kathleen Gortner Died in 1917. Henry would later die of a broken heart one short year later. Perry Gortner was left 1/3 interest in his mother’s gold discovery and was managing operator of the Mollie Kathleen until his death in 1949. The Gortner family lay to rest in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO.

Amazing to think something which began in such an unorthodox manner has continued to exist and the mines in this area are still producing gold ore which funds many organizations and outreaches throughout the Pike's Peak Region.

I have a 3-book series set in Silverton and Durango, but I just might shift a little northeast and move my setting to near Cripple Creek. It would be a lot easier to do research. :) We'll have to see which region my editors prefer.

For more information on the Mollie Kathleen, visit this site.

QUESTION FOR YOU

Have you ever been down inside a gold or silver mine? Was it active at the time or merely for tourists? Where was it? And if you haven't, are there any mines near you? Or is there a mine you'd love to visit? Why?

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BIO
Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood. Today, she is an award-winning author, speaker, and brand partner with Nerium International, who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, and an Aussie/retriever mix named Roxie. She has sold fourteen books so far and is represented by Sandra Bishop of MacGregor Literary Agency. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Dirigibles, Balloons, and Flying Machines...oh my!

by Kathleen Y'Barbo

When you think of dirigibles, balloons and flying machines, do you expect to learn that these modes of transportation go all the way back to the eighteenth century? I certainly didn't!

According to my research, the Montgolfier brothers were the first to send up a balloon beyond the one-mile mark in 1783. Later that same year, a French physicist made the first manned balloon flight. To put these flights into perspective, there was no means of propulsion available to these intrepid inventors, so their balloons were left at the mercy of the wind until a steering mechanism was invented many years later.

In my latest novel, Millie's Treasure, the Pinkerton agent hero finds a pamphlet called Aerial Navigation: New York to California in Three Days among Millie's books in her library.  What readers might not know is that this pamphlet and its author, Rufus Porter, form the most interesting story I found while searching for information on these fascinating flying machines. Of course, there's nothing new about flying across the country from the East Coast to the West Coast, but when you consider that Mr. Porter was offering a chance to make this flight in 1849, that chances things, doesn't it?

So who was Rufus Porter? He was a prolific inventor who received patents for a number of inventions including a washing machine, a corn sheller, and a revolving rifle that was sold to Samuel Colt for the princely sum of $100. His idea of flying miners out to the California gold fields was one he felt would be quite successful. Porter offered space for 50 to 100 people on his Aerial Transport at the cost of $200 each. Traveling at expected speeds of 60 to 100 miles per hour, round trips to the California gold fields were projected to take a quick 7 days! Unfortunately, after three attempts that were derailed by weather and vandalism, Porter scrapped his plans. As a postscript to this story, modern scientists have since marveled over the forward thinking technology of Porter's airship, and most agree that had he actually managed to complete the building of this invention, it would have very likely performed exactly as Rufus Porter claimed it would.

Can you imagine how something like Mr. Porter's Aerial Transport might have changed history? Talk about a gold rush!

_______________________________

Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a Carol Award and RITA nominee of fifty novels with almost two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad and nominations including a Career Achievement Award, Reader’s Choice Awards, Romantic Times Book of the Year, and several Romantic Times Top Picks. A proud military wife and tenth-generation Texan, she now cheers on her beloved Aggies from north of the Red River. Find out more at www.kathleenybarbo.com.

Panning for Gold! And a Giveaway!

By Patty Smith Hall
Last month, I wrote about the beginning of the Georgia gold rush of 1830 with the promise of teaching you how to become a prospector just like Abby, the heroine in my latest manuscript. Being a hands on researcher, I knew panning for gold was going to be a wet, dirty job but I never counted on needed a bottle of Motrin!

First, you’ll need a pan. There are specialty pans made just for gold mining that have ridges along the outer edges to collect small amounts of gold dust. But you can use an old pie pan for this experiment, like the ones at the grocery store with the graham cracker crust. Any pan with a graduated lip will do though.

The best place to pan for gold is in a stream, creek or (if you’re lucky!) a river bank, preferably in the foothills or valleys far from the mountains where a large vein of gold may be embedded. Look for a bend in the river or creek, or a place where the current is not very strong. Gold is very heavy and is not easily pushed with the current in these areas.

With a small spade, dig up gravel and dirt, and place it in your pan until it’s full. Don’t worry about rocks and sticks in your mix right now. After filling your pan, immerse it in the water, shaking it slightly from side to side to help settle the gold to the bottom of your pan. Use a

lot of water during this stage--it helps carry off the lighter dirt and sticks without carrying off the gold. And be prepared--the weight of the dirt, gravel and water is extremely heavy and puts quite a strain on your upper arms and back!

Now for the hard part!  Cup one hand around the front of your pan so that you can tip the water out without losing your gold. You’ll need to continue doing this until you have a   layer of thick muck along the bottom of your pan. This is the concentrate you’ll work until   you’ve washed all the fine sand away, leaving a dark black sand or magnetite, a heavy mineral compose of iron. The presence of this is a good sign because both this iron oxide and gold are heavy, and are generally found along side each other. As you continue, you'll start to see flakes gathered along the bottom rim of your pan. Congratulations! You've struck gold!

I haven't given a book away in a while so if you leave a comment--maybe a memory of a time you might have mined for gold/gems--you'll be entered into a drawing to win an advance copy of my November release, The Doctor's Bride. Because of the cost of international shipping, continental US only.   

Sourdough Bread and Pancakes. The bread that won the west!

Hi, it's Patricia PacJac Carroll again to talk about the bread and pancakes that won the west.

Well, okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but many 49er miners and Alaskan gold hunters were fed by this extraordinary tasting bread. AND the pancakes! Love them.

Here you see me in my happy face hat knitted by one of my sweet friends.  My husband calls me 'fuzzy'  lol. Not bald but I do resemble baby bird fuzz.

So I started my Sourdough starter May 30th.

I tried to start a starter on my own earlier but managed to only make smelly cement.

So I bought San Francisco Sourdough Bread Starter.  The real deal.

Here are the ingredients - all purpose flour - white or wheat
water and the starter. Mix it up and now I wait for the little beasties to grow.

So while we wait - a little history.  Sourdough, if you can believe this started way back in 1500 BC in Egypt.  Just doesn't have the same ring as San Francisco Sourdough does it?

It gets it's sour taste because of the lactobacilli wild yeast that forms lactic acid. Different areas apparently make a different taste from the strain of wild yeast.

There are strains from way back in 1849 still actively being used.

                                                                Here's my starter on day one  >

.

 Success! See the bubbles and how the starter has grown?
So I fed it flour and water and let it grow some more for my pancakes the next morning.

I was sure to put a cup of starter away in the fridge. And then made my pancakes.

Yummy  light and fluffy. I enjoyed them.




If you'd like to order the starter $9.99 I think it was.
Here is the link

San Francisco Sourdough Starter

Maybe next I'll try the Sourdough bread.  : )

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Patricia PacJac Carroll has one book on Amazon -kindle and print.

Link to Amazon  Liberty Belle