Reindeer Facts and Mythology

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Reindeer originally came from Europe and Asia, not the North Pole. The first reindeer in North America were brought over by Icelandic settlers around a thousand years ago, settling in Canada. They were also successfully introduced to Alaska.

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are a member of the deer family, which also includes elk, moose, and caribou. Unlike their cousins the white-tailed deer and mule deer, both males and females grow antlers, the only deer in which this is true. The woody part of the antlers is called “velvet” and is covered in tiny blood vessels. These vessels help to supply nutrients to the growing antler. Once the antlers are fully grown, the velvet dies and is shed. Antlers are typically larger on males.

Reindeer is the European name and is an adapatation of an Old Norse word knowns as hreindyri. The word dyr means animal and hreinn references a horned animal. The horns found on both male and female reindeer are important features to the survival of the animal.

Reindeer have gold eyes in the summer and blue in winter, and they can see light within the ultraviolet range. This helps their survival in the Arctic as many objects blend into the snowy landscape. It also improves their vision during continuous darkness and helps spot predators.

Reindeer are the only deer species to have hair completely covering their nose. Their specialized nose helps to warm incoming cold air before it enters their lungs, and it's also an excellent sniffer. Their good sense of smell helps them find food hidden under snow, locate danger, and recognize direction.

The first mention of Santa’s reindeer is in the 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore. He lists Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Rudolph wasn’t added until 1939.

Since rutting season is in September and October, the males have lost weight and are exhausted by Decemeber so their antlers fall off to save energy during the hard winter months, meaning Santa’s reindeer are all female.

Reindeer symbolize wisdom, resourcefulness, and cleverness.

If you love reindeer, don’t miss Kristy’s Christmas novella, A Mirthful Wish, along with a prequel short story, The Reindeer That Got Away. Enjoy the holidays with these tales of small-town magic and romance.

A Mirthful Wish by Kristy McCaffrey

The Thatcher-Adler feud goes back generations. Despite this, Ellie Thatcher befriended Liam Adler when she was a girl. She even managed to get a job at the Adler Reindeer Farm while in high school, the very farm that had once belonged to her family. Now, with college and a stint working overseas behind her, she’s returning home to Reindeer Pass to open a photography studio. But the feud has been reignited, and Ellie and Liam are about to get dragged into the middle of it.

Liam Adler has returned to the Colorado town where he grew up to take over the family business after the sudden death of his father. It wasn’t the life path he’d planned, and now he must convince old Eustace Hapgood to sell his land to the Adlers and not the Thatchers. And his opponent is none other than Ellie Thatcher—no longer the sweet and funny little girl he remembers, but all grown-up and strikingly beautiful.

Years ago, Eustace told a young Ellie and Liam about the Legend of Reindeer Pass, where a rare Arctic reindeer herd is rumored to have lived since the first Thatcher and Adler men settled in the valley in the 1800’s. When Ellie and Liam appear before the old man, Eustace tells them he will sell to the first to see the Vaadin, the largest of the elusive female reindeer. But there is more to the legend … only the pure of heart are presented with such a gift. And to a special few, true love is granted.

An excerpt from A Mirthful Wish

Without warning, Ellie kissed Liam, bold and hungry. Wrapping his arms around her, he shifted her out of sight. There was nothing soft and chaste about them finally coming together, the contact escalating quickly to a heat level he was unprepared for.

He’d anticipated this going differently—slower and more private—but nothing with Ellie ever seemed to go to plan.

Ellie broke contact first, her breath fast and hot against his lips. A lingering taste of marinara sauce and sexy Ellie remained.

He didn’t know what to say.

“There was mistletoe,” she whispered, looking as stunned as he felt.

Her eyes flicked upward. A green sprig hung from a hook above their table.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, then left him standing alone in the nook, too shocked to speak, a cold wave engulfing him after the loss of her heat.

Liam scrubbed a hand down his face, waiting for his heartbeat to slow to a reasonable rate.

When Ryan joined him, his brother frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’ve underestimated Ellie Thatcher.”

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Railroad Freight Yards by Zina Abbott

 

My upcoming book in the Old Timey Holiday Kitchen series features the third sibling of the Jewell family, the brother of two sisters, who already had their own romances published. In prior books, I identified him as having a railroad job in Kansas City, where the family came from before everyone but him moved to Colorado. Rather than being a ticket agent, baggage handler, or rail maintenance laborer, I decided he should work with managing freight. Thus started my quest to learn the ins and outs of how rail freight was handled in the 1880s.

 Although possibly a decade or two later than the setting of my story, this photograph is of the Kansas City freight yard. Note that many of the cars appear to be made of wood. There is also at least one gondola (like an open wagon) and a few metal tank cars. These cars get moved around the freight yard and from one railway's freight yard to another by using smaller locomotives designated for use strictly in a company's own freight or repair yards. 

Do not trust the inforation you receive from AI on a Google search to be infallible. When I specifically asked about the Kansas City freight warehouse in 1885, I was told the freight for all the companies were handled together and managed by one freight terminal. Then, after stumbling onto a Facebook Kansas City historical group, I searched back through several years of entries and found this 1884 map of the Kansas City rail yard. There were five railway companies that used the Kansas City Union Depot (orange), the passenger terminal located in what is called the West Bottoms district (note the names of some of the neighborhoods) part of Kansas City. However, only three--Missouri Pacific (maroon), Union Pacific (blue), and Missouri River, Fort Scott, and Gulf (green) had freight depots there.

At the time this 1881 map of Kansas City and eastern Kansas was drawn, it appears the only section that was identified as Kansas City, Kansas, then was the little lip of land west of the straight north-south Kansas-Missouri border, east of the Kansas River, and south of the Missouri River. The smaller communities to the west of the state line--Wyandotte, Riverview, Armstrong, Armourdale, and Argentine--were not absorbed into Kansas City, Kansas, until a later time.

The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway did have rail access to the Kansas City, Missouri, depot (orange next to the yellow-green arrow), but its freight yard was located in Argentine, Kansas (blue circle). 

 

 Here is a map of another freight yard. Kensington, Michigan, was a hub for two rail lines, the Illinois Central Railroad and the Michigan Central Railroad and Belt Railway Connection. It appears both rail lines shared a passenger depot (red). However, the bottom-right of the map shows the roundhouse (blue), the freight house (green), and thirteen and a half miles of track that is part of the freight yard (orange) of the Michigan Central Railroad.

 

The situation is slightly different for a town like Salida, Colorado, the city on which I based my hypothetical town of Cleora. In 1885, Salida was a connection station. It had two spur lines, but all three lines were part of a single rail company, the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. On the birdseye view map drawn in the nineteenth century, the depot was identified, as was the roundhouse. I know there was a machine shop, but the other buildings were identified as workshops. With all the silver mining and agriculture in the area, I am sure the Salida station managed its fair share of freight. However, I have found almost no information about it.  

In the image above, No. 6 is the Kansas City Roundhouse. No. 5 is the freight yard.

 

The possible reason I had difficulty finding pictures of freight yards might be due the fact that most of them are not pretty. Railroad depot buildings and train platforms are designed to be visually appealing to passengers. They are similar to nicely landscaped front and back yards, intended to delight the homeowners and impress friends and neighbors. Freight yards (also repair yards) are more like a residential side yard--that six-foot space between the garage and the fence where people keep their garbage cans, water hoses, and miscellaneous junk that does not fit inside the garbage can, so they store it there until they collect enough to justify a trip to the dump.

 

Here is the Pennsylvania Lines Great Freight Yard at Conway, PA. Look at the coal cars waiting to be shipped in all directions.

 

And, when one is talking about Kansas City's Kansas Pacific /Union Pacific Railroad's freight yard, let us not forget the closely related stockyard with the Cattle Exchange building next door. Some cattle might have been sent to local meat packing plants, but the majority were loaded onto cattle cars and transported north by other railroads to places like Chicago.

 

Stollen by Stella is not currently on pre-order but will be published in December. 

Book description:

     Stella Jorgenson struggles to enjoy the holiday now her father’s new job meant moving away from extended family and friends. She does not look forward to spending Christmas dinner with her father’s boss and his family, including the son scheduled to start working on her father’s crew—all strangers. Hopefully, baking her late mother’s traditional Stollen to share will inspire the spirit of Christmas.

     For Thomas, the one bright spot about moving home with his parents was both his sisters were married and out of the house. Unfortunately, along with his new foreman and the man’s daughter, his persnickety, former schoolmarm older sister and pesky, trouble-making younger sister will be home for Christmas. Perhaps he could convince himself to look forward to being with family and merrily celebrating the holiday if being here was not a constant reminder he had been forced out of the job he loved.

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Leadville, Colorado the two mile high city

 

    Leadville, the highest incorporated city in North America, even the name sounds dangerous, and the town was. Fortunes were made and lost in a heartbeat. And some heartbeats were cut short by mine cave-ins, gun fights, starvation, and cold weather. 
    The characters in my book A Cowboy’s Fate, take an 1800’s road trip from Denver to Leadville. Despite being occasionally called Cloud City, it was a rough and tumble place, with flashes of cultural enlightenment and high living.  

                  

 The town definitely had its ups and downs. In 1860 gold was discovered, but that played out quickly. Then in 1877 silver became the magnet drawing thousands back up the mountain. 
  During its peak, Leadville bragged over 30,000 residents. It became the second largest town in Colorado. With 100 saloons and gambling places, multiple daily and weekly newspapers, and 36 brothels. It was even slated at one time to be the capital.

 

 Hardscrabble miners, and ruffians of every nature “settled” the town, but the wealth amassed soon drew all manner of folk to the city, both the famous and infamous. They made the daunting trip by foot, by mule, and finally by train. 
   The Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railway still follows the headwaters of the Arkansas River route.

And the French Gulch Water Tower is still standing, amidst terrific views of Mount Elbert, Colorado's highest snow-capped peak.

   One of the most famous stories associated with Leadville is the saga of Baby Doe Tabor, and it reads like a tragic soap opera. 

  Previously married and divorced, Elizbeth (Lizzie) McCourt, had already acquired the name Baby Doe and when Horace Tabor saw her, he was enchanted.                    

   Tabor built a grand theater in Denver, and an opera house in Leadville. 

    The Leadville structure was touted as being the best between Chicago and San Francisco. 

                       

  John Phillips Sousa performed there, Jack Dempsey boxed on the same stage...the stage which still features a trap door Houdini allegedly used during his famous disappearing act. Susan B. Anthony and Oscar Wilde also tread the boards.

                                       

 Infamous characters like ...Doc Holliday, Frank and Jesse James, Buffalo Bill, Tom Horn, Bob and Cole Younger and the Daltons passed through Leadville. And stories of Wyatt Earp shooting a marble off the piano at the famous Pastime Saloon (still in operation) are a part of what has made Leadville one of the last remaining authentic early western towns.

  With the repeal of the Silver Act and the panic of 1893 the Tabor’s fortunes were wiped out. Horace died in Denver. Baby Doe returned to Leadville, and although she found religion, she could find no investors for the Matchless Mine.                                   

                    

 Out of sheer guts and determination, she survived another 35 years, visited only on occasion by her two daughters. During the winter of 1935, after a severe snow storm, she froze to death, surrounded by her ramblings and journal entries. Some called her a madwoman—she was definitely a woman from which legends are born, and Leadville claims her as their own.

                                         

  In 1895, in an attempt to draw tourists to their town to bolster their flagging economy, Leadville constructed a mammoth ice castle. It opened January 1st 1896. Encompassing 58,000 square feet, it was dubbed the Crystal Palace. The palatial building included an ice skating rink, a merry-go-round, a toboggan run, and several social enterprises, including gambling, restaurants, and dance rooms.   

 Unfortunately, Leadville had a very early thaw in March, which destroyed the most magnificent ice palace in history.
  

  Today, one of the winter attractions in Leadville is ski-joring, where they close off main street, build terrifying ski ramps, and pull fearless skiers behind a horse running at full-gallop.    

  For those who prefer summer sports, there is
 pack burro racing....up a mountain.                                 

                   

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I hope my characters, Cody and Britania lived a long and happy life in Leadville. A town where, if you're lucky, dreams can come true. 

Blurb: Colorado, 1880

   Kicked out of England for offending the Royal Family, Britania Rule heads for Leadville, in the Colorado backcountry. Passing herself off as a highborn lady, she pursues her dream of opening a parlor of spiritual enlightenment. 

  Cody James, her guide, thinks he must be half-crazy to hire-out to a female. But his luck at the gaming tables has run dry, and she’s his meal-ticket out of town. Betrayed by the only woman he ever loved, and shot and left for dead by a man he once called friend, Cody declares himself a loner. 

   Traveling side by side, they deny their desire for one another, but the Tarot cards say otherwise—and their hot night of passion confirms the prediction. Will love be waiting at the end of the trail? Or could Cody’s past destroy their future? 

Excerpt:

   Cody burst out laughing, this time even harder.  

   Glancing around the back of the wagon, the reason became clear and Britania gasped in alarm. One of her trunks had burst open, spewing lacy be-ribboned undergarments hither and yon. These were not items worn by the type of lady she pretended to be. They were outrageous dainties, a jezebel’s delight, couture de jour for a whore. 

  “Oh, bloody `ell.” 

   She clamped a hand over her mouth wishing she could call back the words as her upper-class accent gave way to East End twang. On hands and knees, she scurried around gathering up the incriminating garments and stuffing them back into the trunk.

     Using only thumb and forefinger, Cody carefully disengaged a pink rosebud-covered corset dangling off the back of the wagon. “Interesting choice of underclothing, Miss Rule. Can’t say as I’ve seen such pretties outside a bordello.” He offered up the garment, the garters taunting and swinging back and forth in front of her nose.

   “They were gifts, if you must know,” she said, wresting it from his grasp, “going away presents from my girlfriends. And since I nearly met my death a moment ago, I would think you would be more worried about me, rather than the contents of my wardrobe.” 

   “Sorry,” he said, his tone indicating he wasn’t—his half-smile reinforcing the point. 

     He rummaged around in another pack, and extracted a bottle of liquor. “I guess you being such a lady, it would be foolish of me to offer you a snort of whiskey. I know I could sure use one.” Uncorking it, he took a large swig.

   Her mouth watered. She had done her share of elbow bending, and right now, a drink sounded just the thing.

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My Stories: 

Western Romance: Break Heart Canyon * Undercover Outlaw * Cowboys, Cattle and Cutthroats * A Cowboy’s Fate*Special Delivery. 

Contemporary Romantic Thriller: Fatal Recall

Medieval Romance: The Dragon and The Rose * Iron Heart *Promise Me Christmas. 

Victorian Romance: Lady Gallant * Victorian Dream 

Romantasy: The Fae Warriors Trilogy: Solace * Bliss * Portence 

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The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, California

According to research, Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens 1835. He was the writer and journalist who became a member of the Sagebrush School, and was later known as its most famous member. Twain's first important work was "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," published in the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865 and credited to helping launch his writing career. Books he wrote include, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberryfinn, and The Innocents Aboard to name a few. He was a master of colloquial speech and helped to popularize a distinctive American literature built on American themes and language. 

 One of the longest running fairs in California, is the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. It is a four-day event draws participants from towns not only all around the country, but also all around the world, held the 3rd weekend in May each year.

It is located in the beautiful rolling foothills of California’s Gold Country just outside the quaint Gold Rush town of Angels Camp, and is a blend of old-fashioned fun and literary history. The Jumping Frog Jubilee commemorates the story that launched Mark Twain’s career, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County published in November,1865.

How to train your frog: Did you know you can train a frog? That’s right! It’s up to contestants and their frogs teach the frog to go the distance. Professional Frog Teams travel from all over the world to compete. Each contestant will place their frog on the starting lily pad and sing, leap, dance, whistle, stomp, yell, or blow to get their frog to begin jumping–but whatever you do, remember that in order to qualify, once your frog is on the starting lily pad, you cannot touch your frog.

In 1986 Lee Guidici whose frog Rosie the Ribiter, jumped 21-feet, 5-3/4 inches. He was the world-record holder and receive international media attention and a $5,000 cash prize. However, but you would also receive a brass plaque in the Frog Hop of Fame.

Angels Camp was part of the gold rush and besides the gold, many semi-precious stones were also found in the area.  

Turquoise

 In My Country Heart, Book 4 in Sierra Creek Series, the characters take a trip to a small imaginary town of  Calaveras City, to hunt for stones.  

“If you love small towns, second chances, and real-to-life characters, the Sierra Creek books are for you!”

There are new people in Sierra Creek, a small town in the California foothills, including a jewelry designer and a firefighter. Lauren Walsh is in town to work with a renowned silversmith. Chance Williams is the new fire chief. A jewelry designer and a firefighter have little in common. Still, forced to live in close quarters, sparks fly.

The engaging characters in the other Sierra Creek books return for another heartwarming read. Find out how Amy, Vanna, Sophie, and their partners are doing. Also, a mystery is an added ingredient in book 4. Buy Link My Country Heart Sierra Creek Series

Excerpt: My Country Heart byReggi Allder

 A car’s horn honked and Laurie ran out onto the cottage’s porch as a Jeep pulled up the driveway and stopped. Chance learned out of the driver-side window. “Ready to go?”

“Be right there.” She ran back into the living room and grabbed her leather bag and a jean jacket.

Holding the door for her, Chance stood aside and she hopped into the passenger seat. “Your car. Right?”

“Yeah. I don’t use it much these days. I keep it in a garage at Smithy’s place.” He glanced at her. “You look great, Laurie.” He backed out of the drive and headed toward the local highway. “That yellow shirt brings out the gold in your hair.”

“It’s just plain brown.”

“Laurie, nothing about you is plain.” He hesitated. “Your hair sparkles in the sunlight.”

“That’s the nicest thing anyone ever said to me.”

They rode in silence. The scenery changed from barren hills to more woodland with a proliferation of black oaks. On the small two-lane highway, they met only two vehicles, both of them going in the other direction.

“Not much action around here.”

“Tranquil country.” He agreed. “Must make a teenager growing up here long for the big city.”

“Probably.”

A faded sign appeared on the road. It read, Calaveras City Pop. She could only guess the number as someone had used the plaque for target practice. She could only observe it had three digits.

In a little while, the insignificant hamlet of Calaveras City came into view, a monument to a time gone by. Nearly empty enough to be called a ghost town, rather than a city, the limited population carried on.

Near the end of October, a banner celebrating Summer Gold Rush Days still hung across the street.

“I wonder if it stays up all year to advertise the festival?”

“I’m told the shindig is known as a way to drink and have a good time without worry. Guess the resulting profits keep the town going until the next time.”

Lauren surveyed the area. “I’m glad the retail stores are open.”

Though there were few patrons on the street, clerks stood at the entrances of their outlets, most likely to greet anyone who might be cajoled into coming in to browse.

“Chance, search for a sign that says, The Rock Hound.”

He glanced at her, then back to the main street. “There.” He pointed to a blue and white sign over a building. By the architecture, back in the day, it might have been a one-room schoolhouse.

He parked in front and she saw “open” written on the door.

“Thank goodness. I thought it might say gone fishing or some such thing.” She laughed.

“You wouldn’t be too far off the mark. Except I think it is hunting season at this point.”

“Couldn’t prove it by me.”

They entered and she found the retail space was larger than expected. Rows of tables filled the room. Each presentation was marked with the names of the rocks being displayed. She stopped and took a deep breath.

“Hello,” a middle-aged woman with greying hair and thick glasses called.

“Hi, this place is amazing,” Lauren answered. “I don’t know where to begin.”

“Well, everything is marked with the name and where the samples were dug up. I’d be happy to try and answer any of your questions.”

“Thank you.” Lauren turned to Chance. “Hard to believe this is here in such a small town. It’s a candy store for me. Rocks to you.” She smiled, and then gasped. “You should see this amethyst!”

She roamed the room choosing items that would work with her designs and found a piece of flawless cut crystal. Gorgeous. The stone could be placed in a creation she’d wanted for her brooch. She shook her head and put the crystal back on the table.

“You don’t like it?” Chance held the gem up to catch the light.

“I love it.” She leaned closer and whispered. “Too expensive. Anyway, I’m here on business, not to buy something for me.” She moved toward a table marked turquoise.

In thirty-five minutes, Lauren had the stones she needed, including the turquoise and a card from the store’s owner. The woman promised to ship other stones to her as needed and would give her a dealer discount.

Chance asked to pay, but Lauren declined. “This is a business expense.” Still, she kissed him. “Thanks for the offer.”

Links: 

 Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Reggi-Allder/e/B00G05PJRS/ 

Check out my Sierra Creek Series starting with Her Country Heart 

For romantic suspense try my Dangerous Series Dangerous Web book 1 of 4

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https://www.bookbub.com/profile/reggi-allder

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Blog
http://reggiallder.blogspot.com

 Come by and visit the Christmas Party on December 3rd for a chance to win an eBook and or and an Amazon gift card.  12-03-25 12:15 Central time.zone.

 

 

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