Henry Plummer remains one of the most enigmatic and debated figures in Old West history. Born in Maine in 1832, Plummer headed west during the California Gold Rush, where he quickly made a name for himself--first as a lawman, then as a man with a darker edge. By the early 1860s, Plummer found himself in the lawless gold camps of Montana Territory, where he was appointed sheriff of Bannack. Tall, well-dressed, and well-spoken, he seemed the very image of frontier justice. Yet whiskers began to spread that the lawman might also be running with--or even--leading the very outlaws he was sworn to stop.
Those whispers soon turned into accusations. Locals claimed Plummer was the head of a ruthless gang known as the "Innocents," responsible for dozens of stagecoach and gold shipment robberies, as well as cold-blooded killings. Tensions ran high, and with no formal justice system in place, vigilante committees took matters into their own hands. In January of 1864, without a formal trial, Plummer and two of his deputies were hanged by the Vigilantes of Montana. According to some reports, Plummer pleaded for time, promising to whistle in the rest of his gang if they spared him--but it fell on deaf ears.
To this day, debate rages over whether Henry Plummer was truly an outlaw kingpin or simply the victim of frontier paranoia and mob justice. Some historians argue that evidence linking him to the Innocents is thin and largely circumstantial, while others believe he played both sides of the badge to enrich himself. Whatever the truth, his story captures the raw tension of the Old West--where the line between lawman and outlaw could be no thicker than a drawn gun.
Where should we go on vacation? In 2016, my husband and I decided on Montana.
Internet research revealed The Covered Wagon Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. They offered a non-rider rate, perfect for my husband. So we made reservations for July and planned our trip. OMG! It was fun—two days on horseback riding into the mountains, gourmet meals prepared by a chef and eaten in a rustic dinning room with other friendly “dudes.” The owners, wranglers and staff were just as friendly. We felt like we’d come home.
On the trip, I saw firsthand the mountains, canyons, and valleys that make that part of Southwestern Montana so beautiful. Sagebrush is real. And so are lodgepole pine trees and aspens with their silver leaves shimmering in the wind.
I took notes about things on the guest ranch that being a city dude I didn’t know:
Cowboys hang hats on antlers or posts when they come in for dinner.
The dude ranch is family-oriented with many returning guests.
Fishing is a big thing in Montana.
One wrangler is hired only to break and train young horses.
Some horses are allowed out at night to graze around the cabins. All the ranch is fenced in with log fencing.
Horses are run up to high pasture for two days a week to allow them to graze and be horses.
Special attention is given to the care of horses, so they won’t sour. Horses have a long season. Horses go in the winter to lower pastures.
Rides are arranged every morning depending upon what guests want to do.
Sack lunches are provided for daylong rides.
One female wrangler came from Oklahoma and got the job via the Internet
Before a ride, horses are sprayed with fly spray.
Besides the saddle, a horse carries a saddlebag for water bottles and lunch, and a rain slicker. Wranglers put a rope halter on the horses and leave it on.
Wranglers carry bear spray.
Horses are branded with the ranch brand.
Returning home, I brought together what I’d learned with my imagination and created a romantic mystery series called Ghost Mountain Ranch.
You will find these books as eBooks, a paperback set, and audio books.
Will the revelation of more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future? The Ghost Mountain Ranch is a 3-book series blending mystery and romance.
In 2016 when my husband and I began to discuss summer vacation, I suggested Montana.
Internet research revealed The Covered Wagon Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. They offered a non-rider rate, perfect for my husband. So we made reservations for July and planned our trip.
OMG! It was fun—two days on horseback riding into the mountains, gourmet meals prepared by a chef and eaten in a rustic dinning room with other friendly “dudes.” The owners, wranglers and staff were just as friendly. We felt like we’d come home.
On the trip, I saw firsthand the mountains, canyons, and valleys that make that part of
Southwestern Montana so beautiful. Sagebrush is real. And so are lodgepole pine trees and aspens with their silver leaves shimmering in the wind.
I took notes for any future books, things that being a city dude I didn’t know:
Cowboys hang hats on antlers or posts when they come in for dinner.
The dude ranch is family-oriented with many returning guests.
Fishing is a big thing in Montana.
One wrangler is hired only to break and train young horses.
Some horses are allowed out at night to graze around the cabins. All the ranch is fenced in with log fencing.
Horses are run up to high pasture for two days a week to allow them to graze and be horses.
Special attention is given to the care of horses so they won’t sour. Horses have a long season. Horses go in the winter to lower pastures.
Rides are arranged every morning depending upon what guests want to do.
Sack lunches are provided for daylong rides.
One female wrangler came from Oklahoma and got the job via the Internet
Before a ride, horses are sprayed with fly spray.
Besides the saddle, a horse carries a saddlebag for water bottles and lunch, and a rain slicker. Wranglers put a rope halter on the horses and leave it on.
During the last full week of April, I watched The Fivewhen a segment came on about the harm of taking showers. Of course, the majority of The Five went off on the topic. No way, they said. So, I looked up the source.
“Experts say the daily shower has no proven health benefit, dismissing the dousing as a socially accepted practice geared toward staving off accusations of funkiness — as A-listers like Jake Gyllenhaal and Mila Kunis admit they’ve been saying no to the nozzle.
‘Why are we washing? Mostly because we’re afraid somebody else will tell us that we’re smelling,’ environmentalist Donnachadh McCarthy told the BBC.”
“In 2021, researchers at Harvard Health found that 66% of Americans shower every day, while a 2005 report claims that it is common for Brits to shower once or twice per day.”
For me, taking a bath went out with childhood; I love my shower! Whatever these experts say, I’ll continue to do my daily thing.
I know I’m lucky to live in the 20th and 21st centuries! I wouldn’t like living in any other time.
“If Manifest Destiny had a smell, it would surely stink of rotting garbage, excrement, and a heady whiff of BO. Literature and film have cultivated in the American imagination a highly romanticized take on the Old West, but they’ve necessarily left out some of the crustier details of day-to-day hygiene.”
The point is that our Western romance novels leave out the grittier parts of living in the 19th century.
Earlier this year, I transcribed the handwritten memories of my mom mainly so they wouldn’t be lost for my children and grandchildren. Nancy was born in 1918 and died in 2004. She was a young woman during WWII. Here she describes what her life on a Kentucky farm was like in the 1920’s:
My mom
“When very young we wore white dust caps all day long (cloth but made like a shower cap). It was warmer and supposedly kept our hair clean.
We took a bath every week. In winter we wore long underwear and long stockings. We washed our hair every 2 weeks, rinsing it in vinegar water. I don’t remember a toothbrush. We made tooth brushes out of gum tree twigs. We always washed our hands before eating and washed our faces each morning before going to school.”
It hasn’t been very long when humanity has felt the importance of cleanliness. Convenience is one reason. Plus, as the New York Post article said, we don’t want other people to think we smell!
So, when you read a romance novel set in the Old West, remember you may be getting a “clean” version of reality.
Once again, I looked for inspiration for this blog from a website called Think Like a Horse. I found a page about Cowboy Wisdom that had a list of horse quotes.
I really liked the one about viewing the world through the ears of a horse. It reminded me of a Facebook group I belong to called Between the Ears. Because of it, I’ve viewed photos of folks riding their horses in all kinds of places around the world. For example, some of the countries and states have been Missouri, Bavarian Forest (Germany), Ontario, Bodega Bay, CA, Idaho, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Iceland, Texas.
It's fascinating to see how many people own horses and use them for trail rides or sporting events. Some people even post pictures of other pets. One was a kitten’s ears. The kitten was looking out the window into its back yard.
I posted a couple of photos from my 2016 trip to the Covered Wagon Ranch in Montana.
Here I am on the back of Mr. Black, a Tennessee Walking Horse. I also took a picture of the valley and mountains in the distance. It was an exhilarating experience to trust another creature to safely carry me up a steep mountain and then back down.
So, if you get the chance to view the world from through the ears of a horse, I’d say go for it!
My Ghost Mountain Ranch series took its inspiration from that trip to the dude ranch in Montana.
Before writing The Dawsons of Montana, I surfed the Internet for the setting and found a dude ranch in Southwestern Montana near Yellowstone National Park. I had also researched professional bull riding for an earlier book. Most of the setting for my fictitious dude ranch was made up and, of course, so were the characters.
When my husband and I had a chance to go out west in 2016, I wanted to go to a dude ranch. After Internet research, I discovered The Covered Wagon Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. We made reservations and planned our trip for three days in July.
OMG! It was fun—two days on horseback riding into the mountains, gourmet meals prepared by a professional chef eaten in a rustic dining room with other friendly “dudes.” The owners, wranglers and staff were super friendly. Like many of the returning guests, we felt right at home at the ranch.
And yes, there were real working cowboys, men and women who make a living wrangling horses and caring for us city slickers. Their knowledge, love and respect for the land, and their devotion and caring for the horses impressed me.
I was given my own horse for the two-day stay. He was a six-year-old Tennessee walking horse named Mr. Black. He didn’t trot but performed a running walk. We never got up enough speed to go that fast because we were climbing up the sides of mountains! The view from the top looking down over the ranch property was scary. Believe me!
I could have had more fun trail riding but acquired a case of altitude sickness. The 6000+ feet of southwestern Montana mountains were very much higher than the 500 feet Ohio Valley where I live. I began to feel better on the second day, just in time to leave.
We also took a day trip to Paradise Valley, the actual setting of the Dawson ranch in my series, and ate lunch at a place called Chico Hot Springs near Emigrant, Montana.
On the trip, I got to see firsthand the mountains, canyons, and valleys that make this part of Montana so beautiful. Sagebrush is real. And so are lodgepole pine trees and aspens with their green and silver leaves shimmering in the wind. Of course, I came home pondering another Western series set in this beautiful part of the United States of America.
If you were going to research and write a Western novel, where would you like to visit?
As we near the end of summer, I've been thinking a lot about traveling. It's not too late yet to head out west and enjoy a bit of old-fashioned cowboy fun. And what better place for it than a "dude ranch".
For history buffs, let me say that the word "dude" has quite an interesting meaning. It's been around since the days of "Yankee Doodle" who stuck a feather in his cap, as you might remember. Ever wonder why he called it "macaroni"? Well, just so you know, macaroni was the precursor to today's bling, and a "doodle" was a fellow who didn't keep up with the latest trends in fashion. Eventually, doodle turned to dood and soon both dood and its alternative spelling, dude, came to refer to any fellow who didn't have a clue -- such as those "city slickers" who thought they could run a ranch.
Now, of course, dude is used to refer to anyone of the male persuasion, and dude ranches are friendly places where anyone can saddle up, ride out on the trails, and find out what the ranching life is really all about.
I've done quite a bit of browsing, looking for some of the best dude ranches in the west, and I've come up with information on how to plan a dude ranch vacation, what to expect, and how to make the most of the experience.
What You'll Get
The ranches I've checked out -- in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming --- all provide many different activities to enjoy. In addition to food and lodging, you can take part in daily horseback rides, and on working ranches, you can actually ride out with the ranch hands and participate in their activities.
For more "vacation" and less "work", most dude ranches also provide opportunities for fishing, trap-shooting, swimming, boating, rafting, and canoeing.
Special Events and Programs
Many ranches offer special programs for guests as well as the daily routine activities. Children and teenagers can take part in special educational programs, and ranches sometimes also provide overnight camping expeditions, evening entertaining, and even real cattle round-ups.
You'll want to plan on spending a week at a ranch, if possible. If you can't get away for an entire week, some ranches will arrange for shorter stays. Of course, every ranch is different, so you'll want to be sure you choose one that's right for you, for your family, and for your expectations.
Ranches range from rustic to luxury. Here's a quick breakdown:
Rustic ranches are the least expensive to visit. These don't have fancy accommodations and luxury rooms, but are usually working ranches with traditional ranch amenities. If you're looking for a true "hands-on" experience, a rustic ranch would be ideal.
Guest ranches are designed with a bit more comfort in mind. These cater to tourists and usually feature family programs, such as trail rides and family-friendly entertainment.
Dude ranches also focus on kid-friendly, family-friendly activities, but with more luxury accommodations -- and for a higher price. If you're looking for comfort as you learn about "the ranch life", a top-of-the-line dude ranch will offer all you desire. They cater to their guests and strive to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.
Regardless of what type ranch you choose for a vacation, you'll want to consider the total number of guests it can handle. Smaller ranches will handle 10-12 vacationers; large ones might accommodate as many as 60-65 guests. You'll find hospitality a staple in all the old west ranches, but a different atmosphere from one to another.
Before you embark on a dude ranch vacation, of course, you'll want to get first-hand information, browse the various locations, and see what most appeals to you. Are you looking for scenic views? Wanting a taste of old-fashioned life? Do you want to spend more time on horseback? Or do you want more time to explore and enjoy all the ranch has to offer?
Here are some of the online sites I've found that will help you choose the perfect ranch vacation:
