Frontier Photographer, Solomon Butcher by Linda Hubalek

The second book in my Grooms with Honor series, Fergus' Honor, debuted recently. I sketched the main character, Fergus Reagan, after reading about Solomon D. Butcher, a well-known photographer who took photographs of Nebraska homesteaders in the 1880s.

Here's Mr. Butcher's biography and samples of his work from the Nebraska State Historical Society.

"Nebraska photographer Solomon D. Butcher produced, over the course of nearly forty years, a record of the settlement of the Great Plains that is both unique and remarkable. Born in 1856 in what was to become the state of West Virginia after the Civil War, Butcher came with his family to the plains of Nebraska in 1880.

This restless young man soon found that he was not up to the rigors of a homesteader's life. He had tasted just enough of it, however, to develop a profound admiration for those with the grit to survive and prosper on the Nebraska prairies. In 1886 Butcher was struck with an idea that was inspired.

Realizing that the period of settlement would soon be over, he set out to create a photographic history of pioneer life. Between 1886 and 1912 Butcher generated a collection of more than 3,000 photographs.

Though he died in 1927 believing himself a total failure, Solomon D. Butcher's work has survived to become the most important chronicle of the saga of homesteading in America."

"One of the more famous Butcher photographs: The Chrisman sisters, 1886. Lizzie Chrisman filed the first of the sisters' homestead claims in 1887. Lutie Chrisman filed the following year. The other two sisters, Jennie Ruth and Hattie, had to wait until they came of age to file. They both filed in 1892."

"The Shores family, near Westerville, Custer County, Nebraska, 1887. Jerry Shores was one of a number of former slaves to settle in Custer County. He took a claim adjacent to that of his brothers, Moses Speese and Henry Webb (each had taken the name of his former owner)."

"The David Hilton family near Sargent, Nebraska. Mrs. Hilton and her eldest daughter were adamant that they not be photographed in front of their sod house, because they wished to send copies of the picture to friends and relatives elsewhere and thought it embarrassing to be seen living in a house of dirt. But they did want to be seen with their new pump organ, so they made Mr. Hilton and the photographer drag the organ out of the house for the photographs, then drag it back in again. "

Butcher's photographs portray frontier life, which future generations would have been hard to imagine. I'm glad they were preserved for us to show what the homesteaders life was like starting over on the Kansas prairie.

Here's the description and order link for Fergus' Honor.  

A sweet historical romance set in 1886.

He's at the right place at the right time to save a woman from falling to her death...but she hadn't planned to survive. Can he convince her life is worth living, with him?

Fergus Reagan's fascination with photography led him to a career of recording people's lives. While in Nebraska photographing homesteaders in front of their humble sod houses, he's at the right place at the right time to save a young woman.

Iris Kerns' suicide attempt was supposed to end her engagement to an abusive man, but her rescuer shows her life is worth living when Fergus takes her home to Clear Creek, Kansas, to help with his new photography studio.

But, the past catches up with Iris, drawing danger to her, Fergus, and his family.

The Grooms with Honor series showcases the six sons of Pastor and Kaitlyn Reagan. The family was first featured in the 1873 year-based Brides with Grit series. Besides the Reagan brothers, the series features other men in their community.

"Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?"

The young men have heard Pastor Reagan say these words to many couples over the years, and they vow to treat all women this way as they walk through life.


Many thanks from the Kansas prairie...
Linda Hubalek

A wee bit of entertainment - Stereoscopes

Entertainment in the old west took on many forms. I remember my grandmother telling stories of her entire family gathering to play musical instruments and sing. There were the occasional dances and perhaps some were able to take in a play now and then, but for the most part, their brief evening entertainment consisted of conversing. The men folk might enjoy a cigar or cigarette on the front porch while the women folk crocheted, knitted or embroidered. Needless to say, without the Internet, TV, and ipods, our forefathers had to be more creative with their use of any free time they might enjoy.

 

Steroscope

Viewing images in 3D have been around since 1838 when Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the stereoscope. His utilized mirrors set at 45 degree angles and because photographs weren’t around yet, his also used drawings.

Various inventors made improvements along the way but at the 1851 Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park, London, a picture of Queen Victoria was displayed using a stereoscope and the item became an overnight success. I would imagine it was a fun form of entertainment and a lovely topic of conversation for families.

But in 1861, an American streamlined a more practical version. Oliver Wendell Holmes was best known for his writing and his work in the medical field. He advocated reform with regards infections being spread from patient to patient by doctors who did no clean their hands properly. His contribution to the design of the stereoscope became popular among fellow Americans and is often called the “Mexican Stereoscope”.  

My mother always called it a stereopticon, but this is considered a misnomer. Me? I call it ingenious. I used to love playing with the apparatus when I was younger. My mother's is vintage 1906 and of Oliver Holmes’ design.

 

Please enjoy a scene from Once Jilted:

Her eyebrows rose over wide eyes. “You want me to stay in your tent?”

“Aye.”

"Will you be moving your things soon?" She stood, wiping her wet hands on her apron.

"Nay." He quirked a brow and lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk. "Nay, I’ll just come get things as I need them. Otherwise, you’re to be making yourself at home."

"But where will you sleep?"

"Beneath the heavens." He smiled. "I’ve always enjoyed sleeping outside with nothing more than a blanket of stars."

"I think I’ll feel like an intruder."

"Well now, I’m noot givin’ you permission to snoop in me personal belongings, mind you."

A becoming blush stole over her features, and she quickly masked her pink features by stepping behind the drying clothes to hang more wet things on the line. Had the lass already done just that? Snooped through his things?

"Of course not, but there are some items that are in clear view."

"Like?"

She smiled. "I couldn’t help but admire the picture viewer."

"Ah. That’s a stereoscope, a present from me last employer." A fond memory entered his thoughts as he reminisced about the bridge they’d built in Missouri. "Joe took me under his wing and taught me a lot about the Burr-arch truss system. As for the man, he was quite the traveler. That particular stereoscope came from England."

"Are—are there more pictures for it?"

The eagerness on her face was so adorable, he laughed. "I’ll fish them out for you when I have a wee bit of time."

"Thank you."

"Well, I haven’t found them yet, lass." He stared at the puddles made by her wash water then at her soggy hem.

"No—thank you for letting me stay here, for giving me a job." She snapped another clothespin onto the corner of his long underwear, lifting off the ground just enough to show him a bit of shin.

His skin warmed. "No thanks be necessary."