Seeing the Elephant

 

Last month, Captain Cavedweller and I stopped by a museum where we heard a phrase that was quite popular with miners during the gold rush, the Civil War, and pioneers on the Oregon. 

That phrase was "Seeing the Elephant." 

Have you heard it before?

It was new to us, so I did a little research.

The phrase is labeled as an Americanism, referring to gaining experience at a significant cost. The phrase gained in popularity in the mid 1800s and lasted through the late 19th century. 

Journals and diaries made not of "seeing the elephant" which was often to say they had been filled with excitement and anticipation only to find great disappointment in the end. 

“I have just returned from the diggings a wiser if not a sadder man. I have ‘seen the Elephant’ and am now returning to the regions of civilization with a trustful hope that greed of gain will never tempt me again to endure hardships and dangers.”

Miner, 1849

The exact origin of the phrase is somewhat murky. Some historians claims it goes back to an Asian elephant display in New York City in the late 1700s which was reportedly the first live elephant exhibit in America. It drew visitors from all over who were anxious to "see the elephant." 

Others claim the phrase originated in a Philadelphia theatre where a makeshift elephant with a man inside to control the movements gained a popular viewing. One night, as the story goes, the man got so drunk, he walked the elephant off the stage and into the music pit, which earned much laughter with people asking their friends if they had "seen the elephant?"

Another story goes back to the time of Alexander the Great's Macedonian warriors who defeated an elephant mounted army in the Indus Valley. It's thought that "seeing the elephant" referred to exotic experiences and journeys in far-off places. 

And a fun origin story is about a farmer who, upon hearing the circus had come to town, set out in his wagon with a load of vegetables and eggs to sell. Along the way, he encountered the circus parade led by an elephant. The elephant terrorized his horses so badly, the bolted and overturned the wagon, scattering his goods in the roadway. According to lore, the farmer picked himself up and said, "I don't give a hang, I have seen the elephant." 

Whatever the origin, the phrase was especially popular with those traveling the Oregon and California trails. The elephant was "seen" during bad weather, after wagons ran over family members, when people died, at river crossings, and when the pioneer had their first glimpse of the trials ahead. The elephant was discussed in terms of their excitement for outcome of the journey.

The elephant was "seen" at river crossings, during bad weather, after wagons ran over family members, after deaths, and especially at a pioneer's first glimpse of one of many roadblocks in the trail ahead. The emigrants discussed the elephant in terms of their excitement for the outcome of their upcoming journey.

I think I need to find a way to incorporate this phrase into one of my historical books. 

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West.

Romance at Rinehart's Crossing

 

I've been working on a new book that takes place in a town that really was a stop on the Oregon Trail. 

Back then, the town had a variety of names, but was often known as Stone House, for the two-story sandstone house that rose out of the sagebrush not far from the banks of the Malheur River. 

Built in 1872 for Lewis and Amanda Rinehart, the house opened on New Year's Day in 1873 with a grand ball. Soon, the upstairs ballroom was sought after for various functions, while the rooms below were used as a stage stop, and even a refuge during the Bannock Paiute uprising in 1878. 

A few people even referred to the growing community as Rinehart's Crossing, since there was a ferry crossing there (as well as hot springs!). Eventually, the town was incorporated as Vale. 

Today, the Stone House still stands, and is open as a museum. 

You'll get to read about the Stone House and some of the residents in my soon-to-release sweet romance titled Romance at Rinehart's Crossing.

It's part of the Regional Romance series releasing September 17 with new books by Kari Trumbo, Kit Morgan, and Peggy L. Henderson. Each book features three complete stories. 

Life on the Oregon Trail will never be the same . . .

Tenner King is determined to make his own way in the world far from the overbearing presence of his father and the ranch where he was raised in Rinehart’s Crossing, Oregon. Reluctantly, he returns home after his father’s death to find the ranch on its way to ruin, and his siblings antsy to leave. Prepared to do whatever is necessary to save the ranch, Tenner isn’t about to let a little thing like love get in his way.

♥ Austen – After spending her entire life ruled by her father, Austen Rose King certainly isn’t going to allow her bossy older brother to take on the job. Desperate to leave the hard work and solitude of the Diamond K Ranch, she decides a husband would be the fastest means of escape. If only she could find a man she could tolerate for more than five minutes.

♥ Claire – Two thousand miles of travel. Two thousand miles of listening to her parents bicker about the best place in Oregon to settle. Two thousand miles of dusty trails, bumpy wagons, and things that slither and creep into her bedding at night. Claire Clemons would happily set down roots that very minute if someone would let her. What she needs is her own Prince Charming to give her a place to call home. When a broken wagon wheel strands her family miles from civilization, she wonders if handsome Worth King, the freighter who rescues them, might just be the answer to her prayers.

♥ Kendall – Anxious to escape her mother’s meddling interference, Kendall Arrington leaves her society life behind, intent on experiencing a Wild West adventure. Hired as the school teacher in a growing town on the Oregon Trail, Kendall hopes to bring a degree of civility and a joy of learning to the children of Rinehart’s Crossing. However, the last thing she expects to find is a cowboy with shaggy hair, dusty boots, and incredible blue eyes among her eager students.

Will love find the three King siblings in Romance at Rinehart's Crossing?

Read all the books in the Regional Romance Series featuring historic locations, exciting drama, and sweet (yet swoony) romance!

Tenner looked at Austen, then at Worth. “There’s going to be some changes around here. Starting tomorrow, you two are going to help get this place whipped back into shape. I don’t want to hear any whining or excuses. If we hope to make it through the winter, it will take all of us working together. Is that understood?”

Worth glowered at him, but finally nodded in agreement.

Absorbed in the newspaper, Austen acted as though she hadn’t heard a word he said.

“Austen Rose! Are you listening?” he asked, perplexed by his sister’s odd behavior.

“Yes, yes, whatever you say, Tenner.” She sighed dreamily. “I wish I could meet B.K. Kendrick. He writes the most wonderful poems.”

Worth snorted. “If you like drivel written by a sissified dandy with cotton for brains.” He snatched the paper from Austen and stood, acting as though he intended to stuff it into the stove.

Austen jumped up and grabbed it from Worth, then meticulously smoothed the creases from the paper. “It isn’t drivel. It’s moving. His poetry inspires romance and love and—”

“Stupid, silly girls to grow addlepated at his ridiculous rhymes about birds and breezes,” Worth taunted.

Austen looked like she might reach across the table and slap Worth, so intense was her fury. “He writes beautifully. Something about his style makes me think of Mama and the poems she used to read to us.”

Taken aback, Tenner stared at his sister. “You remember that?”

Austen nodded. “I loved to listen to her. We all did. We’d sit on a rug by the fireplace and eat popcorn and listen to her read on cold winter nights. In the summer, after the work was done, we’d gather on the porch where there was a breeze and sip lemonade while she read. I miss those times. I miss her.”

“I do, too, Austen.” Tenner reached out and placed a big hand over his sister’s small fingers. “Would you like to hear one of the poems you and Worth used to beg her to recite?”

At the excited nod from his sister, Tenner began:

       Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward …

Echo

by Shanna Hatfield

A few weeks ago, I made a little trip for research to the town of Echo. Oregon.

Population around 700, the is just a few minutes from a busy freeway. But it's also located at the historic crossroads of Indian trails and the Oregon Trail on the Umatilla River.

Emigrants on the Oregon Trail diverged from the main route near present-day Pendleton and traveled through the area as they followed the Umatilla River to the mighty Columbia River in the early 1840s. In 1847, a group of emigrants crossed the river here and opened what became the Columbia Plateau Route of the Oregon Trail, which became a primary route known as Lower Crossing.

The Utilla Indian Agency for the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes was built here in 1851 by Anson Dart, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon. A post office operated from here and it served as a trading post along the Oregon Trail. The agency was destroyed in 1855 during the Yakama Indian War. The Oregon Mounted Volunteers immediately built Fort Henrietta, a cottonwood stockade on the site. A year later, it was abandoned, although it was an archaeological site excavated from 1985 until 1990.

Then settlers began moving into the area, making it one of the first agricultural sites in Umatilla County. Ditches dug by hand insured water was available to grow alfalfa, corn, and other crops.  A ferry was established in 1861 to carry passengers across the Umatilla River at Lower Crossing and served until a bridge was later constructed.

In 1880, a man named James H. Koontz moved to the area from Umatilla Landing on the Columbia River. He platted the town and named it after his daughter Echo. The town was officially incorporated in 1904. Today, Echo Koontz Miller's image is on the city's logo.

The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company built a railroad through Echo in 1883, making it a prosperous and successful town. It became a major shipping point for grain, wool, sheep, and cattle. Sheep were a major part of the agriculture industry for many years. Today, cattle ranching has surpassed raising sheep.

Although the town is small, it strives to preserve and promote its historic features. Ten buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and others have historical significance. Echo is also an official Tree City USA and works to promote the natural environment as well.

Echo is also the setting of my latest Rodeo Romance  story, set to release Nov. 7. 

Here's a little excerpt from Keeping Christmas:

There were times she felt like the more mature of the two, but Trevor was six years older and ten times more stubborn, at least about most things.

“Who is it you want me to see?” she asked, straightening his covers again in an effort to keep from smacking the triumphant smile off his face.

“Gage Taggart. You remember him, don’t you? He worked at the ranch one summer. Weren’t you about nine or so?”

Tally had no intention of telling her brother she’d been twelve. Her young, almost teenage heart had nearly beaten its way out of her chest any time she got within ten feet of Gage. He’d been the same age as Trevor, eighteen, fresh out of high school, and so hunky that summer he worked on the ranch, she’d practically fainted with every smile he sent her way. Trevor had teased her about having a crush on him, but she’d denied it. Dad had noticed her interest, too, but he never said a word about it. From the time she’d first met Gage Taggart, she’d been in love him, even if she’d never confess how many of her childhood hours were spent pining after the bareback rider.

“I remember Gage,” she said, wondering if he’d changed much since then. Would the man he’d grown into be so very different from the boy she’d adored?

“It really would be a help if you’d take it to him, Tal. Please?” Trevor gave her another one of those looks that made her heart pinch.

“I don’t have anything to change into, Trev. And I wouldn’t have time to run home and change.” She glanced down at her scrubs. Since it was the week of the fair and rodeo, Tally and several others had worn farm-themed scrubs. Although her navy pants were plain, her pale blue top featured horses, sheep, cows, chickens, and pigs. “Surely, you don’t expect me to go like this.”

“You look great,” Trevor said in a weary voice. Now that he’d gotten his way, his eye lids drifted down, like he couldn’t hold them open any longer. She could wait him out, until he fell asleep, but she hated to disappoint him.

“If I do this, and that’s a big if, you realize you are going to owe me at least a huge favor, or six, don’t you?”

“I am aware of that and will gladly pay up. Please, Tally? Take my phone and text Gage that you’ll meet him there. You don’t have to go to the rodeo if you don’t want to. If he’s nearby, you could even meet him at the gate and won’t have to go in.” Trevor’s tone softened as he fought sleep.

Tally leaned over and kissed her brother’s cheek. “The things I do for you, big brother.”

“You’re a good kid, Tal. Thank you.” Trevor sighed and closed his eyes.

Find out more about Keeping Christmas or pre-order your copy today!

After spending her formative years on a farm in eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky heroes.

When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Newsletter | BookBub | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter

Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple | Audible