COLD FOOD IN HOT TEXAS by Marisa Masterson

 There is one invention in my kitchen I particularly enjoy. Not my dishwasher, though I wouldn't want to live without it, or my stove. No, my favorite invention is my icemaker. It's built into the door of my fridge and even crushes the ice that I add to my glass of Dr. Pepper.

Believe it or not, I have access to that wonderful icemaker because of the beef industry. Inventors had already worked to develop commercial refrigeration. It was Andrew Muhl, though, who created the first commercial ice-making machine in San Antonio, Texas in 1867. 

Before that, ice had to be harvested from lakes and rivers. These blocks would be stored in ice. This was done in the North. 

During the American Civil War, the supply of ice was cut off. Necessity leading to invention the way it usually does, Texans saw a need and led the way in developing a means to create artificial ice. They had Texan beef to maintain and transport. 

Speaking of transport, even before the war a Texan envisioned a way to keep meat cold while ships moved the meat.

 

In 1834, Henry Peyton Howard of San Antonio became the first person to use mechanical refrigeration to keep beef from going bad during transit. Cattle lost 40% of their weight if shipped while still on the hoof, so to speak. Sending it by the halves or quarters in a refrigerated compartment saved money and meat both.

Fresh hamburger, crushed ice, and my Dr. Pepper. Lots to thank Texas for when I visit my kitchen.

Last Day for the Sale! Only $.99.

With a new name, Grace Winkelman fled west to teach in a small town. How could she anticipate her past following her that far?

Errol Marsden wandered for years, taking his cobbler's wagon from town to town fixing shoes. His heart broke with the sudden death of his young wife almost four years before. He's shocked to glimpse her on a street in Fort Bridger and follows her to Belle.

Will he get the answers he needs to understand why she faked her death? When the couple is drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Grace's aunt, will they work together or let old lies stand in their way?

A RURAL BALLROOM by Marisa Masterson

 When I think of regency novels, a ballroom comes to mind. Wealthy women creating a rainbow as they twirl past on the parquet dance floor. Men in fine black coats and crisp white shirts. In the background an orchestra plays a waltz, perhaps by Strauss.

A beautiful scene. No wonder the poorer classes wanted to imitate the experience. Because of that, the tradition of barn dances was born in Scotland in the nineteenth century. With the high number of immigrants coming to the United States during the last half of that century, this imitation of the celebrations amongst the wealthy classes came along with Scottish newcomers.

For some today, mention of a barn dance brings to mind a hillbilly with a corn cob pipe blowing on a moonshine jug and an equally hick man playing a harmonica. I only have to watch something like Looney Tunes to see this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP-FfzjeuVY&ab_channel=MarkBlair

Actually, that image is far from the truth. Since barn dances were meant to bring the ballroom to the rural setting as well as to be celebrations, rural folk would change into their best clothes. A caller would dominate the night to guide dancers through the steps of songs. The most talented musicians available played, filling the night with popular tunes as well as commonly recognized folk songs.

Growing up on a farm, I've wondered where the people actually found room in a barn to dance. Picture a typical barn or stable. Stalls dominate the space. Perhaps a hay mow could be used, but if the people held the dance in honor of the harvest, that would be filled. 

From what I can tell, any open space in a barn was used. So, as a farm girl, I image couples dancing down the aisle with the stalls on each side. I can see why they would take advantage of a brand new barn with it's empty space to have a dance. 

Many barn dances were done in sets of people. That makes sense if they are perhaps pushed to find space to dance in an empty stall.

Whether to celebrate a harvest, a holiday, a wedding, or a barn raising, the idea of a barn dance continues in our cultural memory. When I think of the pioneers and the westward expansion, I always imagine communities celebrating with this type of party. So, grab your partner, join my set, and dance in a square with me while I celebrate September and the beginning of harvest.

Want more barn dance? Here's one of my books with a key scene happening at a barn dance.

With a new name, Grace Winkelman fled west to teach in a small town. How could she anticipate her past following her that far?

Errol Marsden wandered for years, taking his cobbler's wagon from town to town fixing shoes. His heart broke with the sudden death of his young wife almost four years before. He's shocked to glimpse her on a street in Fort Bridger and follows her to Belle.

Will he get the answers he needs to understand why she faked her death? When the couple is drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Grace's aunt, will they work together or let old lies stand in their way?

This is a sweet, American western historical romance and mystery. 

GO WEST YOUNG WOMAN, GO WEST! by Marisa Masterson

Late Nineteenth Century Classroom

You don't need training. You don't need materials. Wyoming needs you.

That seems to be the idea after 1870 in Wyoming. The area had been a territory for a year and already people in every small town and even rural areas wanted  a school for their children. In fact, Wyoming passed a law requiring every child between the ages of seven and sixteen to attend school at least three months each year.

Rollins House, used in 1869 by the legislature.

To help attract both settlers and teachers, lawmakers met in 1869 and passed a resolution that granted women the right to vote. They also guaranteed female teachers the same salary as male educators. While those salaries were meager, at least opportunities for women to be independent existed in that state.

Women voting in Cheyenne, WY 1888

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/History_of_Wyoming/Territorial_Days:_Railways,_Suffrage_and_Cattle,_1868-1890

photo titled "Fairly Determined"

What most interested me about teaching in Wyoming at this time was the teacher convention. Each year, teachers banded together to put on teacher institutes. They'd share ideas which they'd learned would work in the classroom. It didn't end there, though, They explored new methods being used back East. Even if some of these teachers were poorly trained before coming to Wyoming, other educators helped them in this way to become better at their new craft.

By 1870, females experienced another first in Wyoming. The first women ever to sit on a jury did so in Wyoming. The judge praised women jurors as being more honest, I found in my research. Unfortunately, the practice didn't continue and women would wait decades to become jurors again. Remember that the next time you get a jury summons if you're female. It's a fairly new privilege for women.

One more thing. If you'd like to learn more about the Wyoming schoolhouse of yesteryear, there's a fantastic video available--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK_tILS_WGc

In my newest novel, the heroine is returning from the annual teacher institute. With a new name, she's fled west to teach in a small town. How could she anticipate her past following her that far?

Errol Marsden wandered for years, taking his cobbler's wagon from town to town fixing shoes. His heart broke with the sudden death of his young wife almost four years before. He's shocked to glimpse her on a street in Fort Bridger and follows her to Belle.

Will he get the answers he needs to understand why she faked her death? When the couple is drawn into a mystery surrounding the disappearance of Grace's aunt, will they work together or let old lies stand in their way?

This is a sweet, American western historical romance and mystery. Each story in this collection stands alone, though common events and characters appear in the novels.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TSG28HM