Indian Summer by Cora Leland

 

Indian Summer

Cooler Temps Are Just Around the Corner

by Cora Leland, Author

Believe me, August in the Kiamichi mountains of southeastern Oklahoma is HOT! My little sister described it best.  “It’s so hot it’s scary!”

It’s nothing like Aspen, and more humid than Florida.  Compared to Little Dixie, I found the Papago Desert of the southwest to be delightful.  (I might have exaggerated – slightly – about the humidity.  Usually, we sweltered at just over 70 % humidity. With 40 days/year with temperatures over 100 degrees, a person needs a little hyperbole!)

Nor was our ranch reminiscent of Big D.  Oh! How we dreamed of our long-lost centrally air conditioned home and the ice cream truck’s cheerful music tinkling down the alley.  The sun could blaze away at 95 degrees; humidity could hover at 74%.  As luck would have it, my family had plunked down in an air conditioned world.  For people fleeing from the Dust Bowl or the still-shattering effects of the Great Depression, Dallas was a haven.

Our new home in Dallas

Forget the showy green mountains of Clayton Lake or the winding rock paths of Beaver's Bend.  Our ranch staggered up and down mountainsides composed entirely of rocks, roundish stones and square boulders.  An intelligent horse and good cowboy boots were a necessity (the horse to cleverly choose which rocks to avoid, which way was best; boots to avoid rattlesnake bites, or water moccasins in the creeks).

But nowhere topped Little Dixie for Indian Summer.  It was a swift interlude before winter’s ice storms – and much colder temperatures.  Most of us hadn’t bothered much with insulation or good heating. As long as the chinks between logs were caulked, we’d survive.  So to us, those ice storms brought unpleasant changes. Not just my father’s deer antler collection dangling from the outdoor rafters, but laundry frozen stiff minutes after we’d hung it to dry. No heaters, even the gas ones properly installed, kept us warm.

My mother had an unshakable theory:  snakes, insects and rodents (including tarantulas) were driven indoors, too.  It’s hard not to snicker over the horror-struck, civilized city folks from northern Oklahoma when they visited us.

Tulsa's historical downtown district

 But I’m afraid I gloated over our indoor plumbing.  My older sister, though, accepted it like 'who on earth could live differently?'.  (Most of our neighbors had those ‘4 rooms and a path.’) At any rate, we loved the peacefulness of Indian Summer.

Why was Indian Summer peaceful?  A break from the ruthless glare was high on my list of memories.  Lower temperatures?  Sure.  Those temps had been nightmarish.  I still gauge a location’s hot weather by how my body feels when I touch an arm. Does the skin feel hot when I touch it? Do I feel feverish? Literally cooking in my skin? If I touch my face, does it have that stale water feel?  And my forehead.  Is it ‘clammy’ too?  And of course near-nausea.  Indian Summer put the brakes on all that.

Indian Summer wasn’t something we could prepare for, like Thanksgiving.  We couldn’t exhaust ourselves baking pumpkin pies or making cranberry sauce (two kinds:  one with cranberries, the other without).  We woke up one morning to Indian Summer.  A sudden calm withdrawal from temperatures humans weren’t build to endure.  We’d done nothing.  It simply arrived, graciously relieving us. We’d sit back and accept.

Sifting through my memories, it’s hard to describe Indian Summer.  Frankly, I’d much rather rely on my recollections of that time than launch into a lot of lectures and statistics (which do validate my conclusions.  Here’s a link.  https://www.weather.gov/dtx/indiansummer.  I was surprised to see that New England claimed an important part of my growing up. I’m not sure that Little Dixie was even mentioned.)  But despite being ignored by the ‘authorities’, I celebrate this season – and all the others of my growing up – wherever I am.

I hope you’ll accept my heart-felt offering.  Indian Summer will be soon be arriving.   And those better times will keep coming – for us all!

 

THE FIRST UNITED STATES POSTAGE STAMPS By Cheri Kay Clifton

 As an historical western author, I write books that take place in the mid to latter 1800’s; consequently, I spend a lot of time researching everyday life back then.  Many of my blogs have been written about differences between common items of today and those our ancestors used in the 1800’s.  Often while going about my day, my curiosity arises about things I take for granted in comparison to what they were like in the 19^th century.

Hence, my subject for today’s blog … the postage stamp … something we all are using less in the 21^st century thanks to our cell phones, texts, fax, email, skype, social media & online bill paying.

In the 19^th century, as our nation expanded, so did the need to expand and modernize the postal service. Increased immigration from Europe as well as increased expansion westward across the American frontier prompted the United States to update the way in which written communication was delivered.

Initially, U. S. postage rates were set by Congress as part of the Postal Service Act signed into law by President George Washington in 1792. The postal rate varied according to distance zones, which was the distance a letter was carried from the post office where it started to its final destination. There were double and triple rates as a letter’s size increased.

 The U.S. issued its first postage stamps in 1847. Before that time, the rates, dates and origin of the letter were written by hand or sometimes in combination with a hand stamp device. Postage could be paid in advance by the sender, collected from the addressee on delivery, or paid partially in advance and partially upon delivery.

The first general issue postage stamps went on sale in New York City, July 1, 1847. One, priced at five cents, depicted Benjamin Franklin; the other, a ten-cent stamp, pictured George Washington. Clerks used scissors to cut the stamps from pregummed, nonperforated sheets. 

Only Franklin and Washington appeared on stamps until 1856, when a five-cent stamp honoring Thomas Jefferson was issued. George Washington has appeared on more U.S. postage stamps than any other president.

The first U.S. commemorative stamps were issued in 1893, honoring that year’s World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The subject of Columbus’s voyages to the New World and the size of the stamps were innovative, almost double the size of the previous stamps in order to properly show reproductions of paintings of Columbus’s voyages.

 

Important to note historically, the first stamp honoring an American woman was the eight-cent Martha Washington stamp of 1902. 

Native Americans were depicted on several earlier stamps, but the first to feature a specific person was Pocahontas on the 1907’s five-cent stamp. 

The first to honor an African American was in 1940 commemorating Booker T. Washington.

Not of historical importance, but I would like to add my favorite commemorative stamp, the 29-cent stamp featuring Elvis Presley, issued in 1993 on what would have been Elvis’s 58^th birthday.  The public was invited to vote for the “younger or the older” Elvis for the stamp’s design. No surprise, the youthful Elvis stamp won and it has become the best-selling U.S. commemorative stamp to date.

With advent of all the faster and easier ways of correspondence and communication, the postal system has come to be referred to as “snail mail.”  Another Internet slang term, “Papernet” has also been used for postal mail.

The handwritten note or card goes back to what often is referred to as “simpler times.” However, it is still used by many of us wanting to take the time and effort to express our heartfelt thoughts, sympathy, congratulations or gratitude to someone.  After writing the recipient’s address on the envelope, then sticking a specially selected postage stamp on the top right-hand corner and slipping the card in the mail box, we hope the delivery of our snail mail will be the next best thing to showing up in person.

Throughout the decades, the stamp program has been designed to reflect many different aspects of American culture and includes stamps honoring individuals, history, culture, sports, science and technology. The vast majority of proposals submitted, suggesting many meritorious and meaningful subjects, do not result in U.S. postage stamps.

I’ve Been Working in the Station by Zina Abbott

I started this series on railroad employees with the “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” post. To find the link, please CLICK HERE.

Today, I will be focusing more on those who worked at the train depots in the 19^th century.

Fort Edward Station

 

Station Master/Depot Agent
Oversees operations connected with railroad building adjacent to tracks, where passengers and freight may be located.

 

Baggage Handler or Clerk
The baggage handlers duties were to load and unload baggage from inbound and outbound trains. They were responsible for tagging baggage, loading, unloading and routing baggage. In small towns, the telegraph operator or station agent usually did this. In large towns, such as Omaha, it was a full time job. The baggage handler had to make sure the baggage was placed on the right train, or was transferred from an inbound train to the right outbound train.

Baggage Master
The person in charge of the baggage car. From 1840 to about 1920, passengers referred to him as the "baggage smasher." They swore he held contests with the baggage handlers to see who could stand at one end of the baggage car and hit the far wall with someone's baggage.

Passenger Director
Directs and manages passenger traffic, provides information relating to passenger travel.

Porter

Porter
One employed to carry baggage for and assist patrons at rail terminals. Although porters worked more inside as a car attendant who waits on passengers and makes up berths, they also helped passengers manage their baggage while getting on and off the train. These employees were specifically hired by the Pullman company for their Pullman Sleeper cars, also known as palace cars, which were a luxurious car for day or night travel.. Pullman hired Black men, because he wished employees in this position to be accustomed to being accommodating and serving the needs of others.

Ticket window Millbrae Station

Ticket Clerk
Stationed at the ticket window, this person provides tickets and tour information to passengers.

Here are some positions that might not be employees of a railroad but were often found at the station (depot):

Express Agent
While not actually an employee of the railroad per se, they were employed by the "Railway Express Agency," which was a private concern, and usually had an office in the depot. Their job was to ship packages, much like United Parcel Service (UPS) or Federal Express (Fed Ex) does today. Quite often, especially in smaller communities, the Express Agent was also on the payroll of the local railroad. He might have been the telegraph operator, or the ticket agent, or even the the station agent.

U.S. Mail rail car

 

RPO Clerk
Railroad postal clerk. These clerks were usually employees of the U.S. Post Office, especially if they sorted and routed mail while on special railroad cars. Others, merely picked up and dropped off bags of mail at specified locations.

Wiley Pitts, mail carrier at railroad station

Telegrapher      (Telegraph operator)

The person operating an electro-magnetic telegraph using Morse code to create audible messages sent to distant receiving instruments.

 

In my January book, Kate’s Railroad Chef, one of main characters,  Garland McAlister, was a ticket agent. One of the secondary characters was Quentin Thompson, the telegraph operator. Please CLICK HERE for the book description and purchase link.

 

A Bride for Quentin, my book most recently released, is Quentin’s romance. To find the book description and purchase link, please CLICKHERE.

 

 

 

 

Photo Gallery:

San Pablo Station

 

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RR Depot, Osceola, IA

 

Whitford Station

 

Sources:

https://www.up.com/heritage/history/past-present-jobs/index.htm

https://railroad.lindahall.org/resources/what-was-what.html

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/railroads/job.html

 

10 Things I Didn't Know About Baby Chicks

By Julia Ridgmont

Let me preface this blog post by reminding anyone who has read previous posts from me that I grew up a schoolteacher's daughter. Other than dogs and the occasional stray cat who decided to make its home with us, I didn't grow up around animals. So when my husband, who did, decided to purchase some baby chicks (pullets?) recently, little did I know I was in for a huge learning experience.

He actually bought two batches. The first looked like they would be good chickens--and then they got bigger and we realized we had five roosters and only two hens. Oh, well. They'll taste good whenever we decide to use them in our favorite dishes like pot pie or lemon chicken and rice.

The second batch is doing well, but oh my goodness, what a racket they make! They're super cute, and my kids love them, but whenever I walk past them, they panic to the point where mayhem breaks out and we have to calm them down. They're starting to look like chickens now, too. Yay! So, with that, here are ten facts I didn't know about baby chicks before I became a semi-caretaker of some. Here, my daughter holds a chick in her hands, about 3 weeks old.

1. They can fly, though not far, even at a very young age. Once in a while, we see one fly up to the top of the cardboard box we have them in and simply perch there. Never fear. The kids are always on hand to help them go back to where they need to be.

2. Roosters are instinctive creatures. I always thought roosters crowed when the sun comes up. Ha! Was I in for a surprise! Our house remained relatively dark in the corner where we were keeping them, and they still crowed at 5:30 every morning. So awesome to woken up by your roosters when you've spent most of the night writing.

3. The chicks need a heat lamp for the first 3-4 weeks until they have more feathers. Thus the infrared light.

4. Their bedding has to be changed out daily, and sometimes two or three times a day, at least until they're old enough to go outside. Thankfully, my teenage son has taken on that job.

5. As they get older, chicks establish a pecking order. Hmm. That must be where that terms comes from. Something I'd never thought of.

6. They like dust baths. Fill a shallow pie pan with clean dirt and let go at it! Ahhhh, so refreshing!

7. Supposedly, the more chicks are handled when they're young, the more "civilized" they'll be to humans as adults. Just make sure you thoroughly wash your hands and any other areas they've touched afterward to kill germs that might make you sick.

8. They provide hours of entertainment for kids. The chicks have been a nice diversion for my children as summer break from school wears on. I'm glad they're having this experience!

9. If they start picking at their feathers, they're bored or there might not be enough space for them to move around. The good news, though, is these problems are easily fixed. You can buy or build a simple obstacle course for them, which we've found they love.

10. Chicks don't do well being raised with geese or ducks. It's best to keep them with their own kind at least until they are older and well-established in their surroundings. 

As I think about the experience of raising chicks, I am reminded of how the pioneers had to practically raise their own food. If they didn't work in their fields or go hunting, they didn't eat. The women who came west with their husbands were constantly working to feed and clothe their families. Some women, I'm sure, had more difficulties in this regard to adjust to than others. My heroines in the Spinster Mail-Order Brides series, Leah and Molly, fit into this category. If you would like to read about how they grew into their new roles as wife and instant mother to some very special motherless children, here's where you can find them.

Also, you may enjoy putting this puzzle of the two book covers together. Click here to do the jigsaw puzzle: My Puzzles - Julia Ridgmont's Photos - Mail order brides (jigsawplanet.com)

A Home for Christmas: https://amzn.to/2QFCRET

A Lumberjack for Christmas: https://amzn.to/2C3vsKE

FACTUAL AND FICTIONAL PLACES IN NOVELS - AND A 99¢ SALE!

 By Caroline Clemmons

Come take a tour with me of a setting I’ve used in numerous books. It's a real place in Texas that I sometimes give a fictitious name. Both the county and county seat are called Palo Pinto and they're reached on Highway 180 heading west from Fort Worth or Weatherford. An alternate route is headed west on Interstate 20 and taking Highway 4 heading north to Highway 180. In addition to being used by the real name in my books, it’s been the towns of Tarnation, Desperation, Radford Crossing, and others. The area has been the setting for my Stone Mountain Texas series, the Bride Brigade series, and several single titles such as CHARLOTTE'S CHALLENGE.

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Longhorns in a Palo Pinto field

In addition to the fact that I think it’s a pretty (if rustic) area, it’s not that far from where I live. On several occasions, my husband and I went on the Palo Pinto County Historical Society driving tour. This included the towns of Palo Pinto, Santo, and Strawn. Also on the tour were the beautiful Belding-Gibson Ranch and Johnson’s League Ranch. I fell in love with both, especially the Belding-Gibson Ranch. I confess to having used these two ranches many times in my writing.

Belding-Gibson Ranch home side-door. This

door leads between the original cabin and the

smoke house, which have been cleverly preserved

and incorporated into rooms of the home. Even

the cold space has been preserved. Note the

use of cedar logs on either side of the door.

This area is the Palo Pinto Mountains. If (like Sweethearts member Angela Rains in Colorado) you are from a state with high mountains and you traveled through the Palo Pinto area, you would laugh at me calling them mountains. However, geologically     speaking, they are genuine mountains. To someone like me who spent most of my growing up years in fairly flat West Texas, I enjoy driving through the scenic Palo Pinto “mountains”.

Their name, according to some sources, is because the Indians called the scrub oaks “painted sticks”. In fall the foliage is colorful and I suppose the thin scrub oak trunks do resemble painted sticks.  Numerous creeks as well as the Brazos River run through the county. Some springs, like one on the Belding-Gibson Ranch, don’t dry up in summer. These constant water sources made popular camping places for Comanche and other Indian tribes.

Belding-Gibson barns

With the internet it’s possible to do research from the comfort of your home while seated at your computer. Like most authors, I also have many reference books in my office. Writers have to depend on second-hand accounts for some things. After all, I’ve never been in a coal mine (O'NEILL'S TEXAS BRIDE), never been on a sleigh ride in the snow (JAMIE and WINTER WISH), never been to Montana (but I'd love to visit), never shot a person, never been shot (I’d like for this last one to remain true!). Armed with facts and imagination, writers create settings for their stories. What’s even better, though, is having been to a place in person. I fell in love with this area and enjoy writing about it under any name.

Former blacksmith shop now part of  

Palo Pinto jail museum. Man is not part of the

display--that's just how many local men dress.

Charles Goodnight resided in Palo Pinto for a time when he and his stepbrother worked cattle. In 1857, the young partners trailed their herd up the Brazos to the Keechi valley in Palo Pinto County. At Black Springs, they built a log cabin buttressed with stone chimneys to which they brought their parents in 1858. 

You probably know Goodnight later settled in Palo Duro Canyon, but not before creating the Goodnight-Loving Trail. You probably also know that he and Oliver Loving were models for Larry McMurtry's LONESOME DOVE. The model for Deke, Bose Ikard, is buried in nearby Weatherford, Parker County, and some of his descendants still reside there. But I digressed...

Perhaps Goodnight's activity in the county is one reason Palo Pinto calls itself the "Cradle of the Cattle Industry." Located in the high desert in north-central Texas, Palo Pinto was settled by cattle ranchers in the early- to mid-1800s. Today the Old West spirit lives on in the rugged patch of hilly land. A handful of historic sites and buildings continue to draw tourists like me.

Black Springs Fort

(not affiliated with the military)

The small rock fort at Black Springs was a gathering place for area families when Comanche were raiding. The exterior appearance reminds me of a mill. Having seen the size of this building from the outside, I sympathize with those confined inside while they waited, not knowing if their homes would still be standing when they emerged. Small as it was, it provided sanctuary for families. At times the women and children waited with  only a few men to protect them while most of the men pursued the Indians.  

Front view of Belding-Gibson Ranch home

The mountains have been called a northern extension of the Texas Hill Country. Both are dissected plateaus featuring karst topography (Karst explained in next paragraph) with similar vegetation, including post oak, blueberry juniper, and mesquite. The smaller Carbonate Cross Timbers has a limestone substrate, as does the Hill Country, although the surrounding Western Cross Timbers area is underlain by sandstone.

I didn’t know what karst meant until I was researching for more on Palo Pinto County. If you're interested in specifics, karst is an area of land made up of limestone. Limestone, also known as chalk or calcium carbonate, is a soft rock that dissolves in water.  Karst landscapes can be worn away from the top or dissolved from a weak point inside the rock. Karst landscapes feature caves, underground streams, and sinkholes on the surface. 

This definition makes sense. There are a lot of caves in the area, some deep and some shallow, and I’ve used them in my writing. I really, really don’t like being in deep caves (shudder), but they’re great for creating stories. HIGH STAKES BRIDE, PRUDENCE, and DESPERATE IN DELAWARE use Palo Pinto County caves. I use caves in other stories, but they're not set in this part of Texas. I suppose my phobia with them makes caves pop up in my stories.

In front of the original jail are these

cages used to allow prisoners to get

sunlight and fresh air (shudder)

Palo Pinto County Jail

One of the oldest structures in the town of Palo Pinto, the county jail was built in 1880 and served Palo Pinto County until the building was abandoned in 1941. In 1968, it was converted into a museum. Today, the Old Jail Museum Complex is operated by the Palo Pinto County Historical Association (https://palopintohistory.com) and includes several pioneer cabins, a carriage house, the Black Springs Fort, and the actual jail and yard. The two-story, sandstone jail includes various artifacts and, topping steep iron stairs that lead to the second floor, are a hangman's noose and trapdoor (added in 1906 but never used).

One of the scarier exhibits is in front of the jail--a metal cage in which prisoners were allowed to get some fresh air (shown above).

Johnson League Ranch house

Johnson's League Ranch house from back

On a hill overlooking the ranch, this mausoleum

was built when their young son died 

Johnson's League Ranch from Mausoleum Hill

Cabins from the museum grounds

Cabin interior

Bed with ropes supporting the mattress--

that's where "sleep tight" came from. The ropes

had to be tightened periodically.

A commode chair in the Strawn museum. This

one has missing pieces: a chair seat/lid that converts

it to look like a regular chair, and a door to

conceal the chamber pot. Owning one of these

would be a luxury.

Old style storm cellar. Which is more

frightening--a possible tornado or the 

creepy-crawlies waiting in the cellar?

Palo Pinto County ranchland

As promised, I have a 99¢ sale on one of the Bride Brigade books, set in the fictitious town of Tarnation, which is modeled after Johnson's League Ranch's location. Now through July 29, JOSEPHINE is on sale. If you haven't read this series, I hope you'll take advantage of the special price and will enjoy the book. https://www.amzn.com/B015M4FJUY    

I hope you’ve enjoyed your tour of the Palo Pinto area of Texas. Y'all come back now, you hear?

Photos by the author