Outlaw Bill Tibbetts

Bill in his 20's courtesy of Canyon County Zephyr 

Outlaw Trail wasn’t exactly a trail, but a string of hideouts stretching from Montana through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and into Mexico. Robber’s Roost is probably the most well-known of the hideouts, and less famous outlaw Bill Tibbetts knew that part of Utah well.  

James William (Bill) Tibbets was born on March 23, 1898 on the south side of the Utah’s La Sal Mountains. His parents, Bill and Amy, were ranchers, and as luck would have it, Amy went into early labor while Bill was out on the range. Amy’s brother, Ephraim, rode to a neighboring ranch to fetch a female cook to help with the birth, but the woman was gone and wouldn’t return for a few days, thus Ephraim delivered his nephew. 

La Sal Mtns Wikipedia 

Bill Sr. filed for the homestead where Bill Jr. was born in the 1880’s. He picked a prime piece of land and hired Amy Moore from Moab to cook for him. She was 20 years his senior, something that wasn’t uncommon in those day. They fell in love, married and started a family. Bill Sr. was known to help his neighbors, including a woman whose husband repeatedly beat her, but the last time Bill intervened, the woman’s husband killed Bill that night. Amy wanted to keep the ranch, but with two small sons and debts she didn’t know Bill had, she was forced to sell and move back to her family home in Moab, where she remarried. Bill Jr. grew up missing his father and hating his stepfather, who was strict and didn’t’ hesitate to whup Bill for his disobedience.  

During his younger years, Bill earned a reputation of the toughest kid in school. Fighting and intimidation became the norm for him, as well as working his grandparents’ farm. There he became an accomplished horseman and hired on with Moab based Murphy Cattle Company at a young age. Through working on the range for the cattle company, Bill learned how to dig out water holes in the desert and how to make small earth dams to catch runoff water for the cows, the layout of the land and how to live off of it, all of which proved beneficial in his late teens when he and some friends decided to round up horses left behind in the Robbers Roost area. Rumors abounded the outlaws were gone and the teens made money selling the mounts to settlements in Iron County. Later, he enlisted in the Army, returned after the war and partnered with his mother and uncle in the cow business.

Bill tried to run his cattle in the canyon lands. They were open lands for anyone to use, but bigger outfits running their own herds on the open land didn’t welcome Bill, or any other newcomers. Bill spent many years waging war with these outfits and running from the law when framed for crimes and atrocities he didn’t commit. Sometimes, he was successful and out maneuvered the bigger outfits. Other times he lost, and through it all he earned himself a notorious reputation.

Utah's Canyonlands 

Later in life, the law finally caught up to him and he was thrown in the Moab jail alongside his friend Tom on a series of charges, some legit and some not. The two had their say in court and lost, and were sent back to jail where they escaped into the canyon lands of the Colorado River from the help of friends and Bill’s brother. With supplies left at various locations, they drifted along the Colorado to the Green River, but the sheriff and small posse caught up to them. They were able to take cover in Standing Rock Canyon and held off the sheriff in a round of gun fire. Under the cover of darkness, they stole the posse’s supplies and the next day Bill convinced the lawmen that the heat and mosquitos wasn’t worth them staying and trying to arrest him and Tom. For whatever reason, they agreed and left.      

Tibbett's Arch courtesy of Canyon County Zephyr 

Bill and Tom enjoyed a few days as free men before the posse returned. Low on supplies and food, forced to eat grasshoppers, Bill and Tom were able to lead the posse on a merry chase through desert and canyon land, with Bill knowing every crook and crevice. They made it to Elaterite Basin and found the supplies uncle Ephraim was known to keep hidden. Since the lawmen didn’t know this particular area of Robbers Roost, Bill and Tom were able to escape to a cave, where they spent the winter. (It’s this cave that hikers accidentally happened upon years later and found Tibbett’s carved name.)

Bill & Jewel courtesy of Canyon County Zephyr

Bill eventually left Utah and married Jewel Agens. They moved to Santa Fe, along with Tom, and both mend found work with the New Mexico State Police breaking horses. No one with the police department suspected they were fugitives. Eventually the Statue of Limitations attached to their names expired, and Bill and Jewel moved back to Moab with their sons. Tom opted to stay in New Mexico. So much in love, Bill and Jewel bought the Horsethief Ranch in 1959, which was special to Bill because he and a friend had been the first to discover a spring on the property back in 1924. Sadly, Bill and Jewel were killed by a drunk driver south of Moab in 1969.

I’ve only scratched the surface of Bill Tibbett’s life and the canyonlands of Moab and Robbers Roost. To learn more, read Last Of The Robbers Roost Outlaws by Tom McCourt. Bill’s was a fascinating life and something everyone who adores the old west should know.

Mr. McCourt’s book is available at Amazon.

www.amazon.com/dp/0937407151

Bill's name in the cave courtesy of C.C. Zephyr

Old Spanish Mines

By Kristy McCaffrey

Long before the westward expansion of the United States, the Spanish were present. Markings on a canyon wall in central Utah consisting of a cross symbol bear the date ‘1667’. Hieroglyphics and pictographs originally thought to be placed by Native Americans are actually markers along the Spanish Trail, which led from Mexico to the Uinta Mountains (in Utah) and beyond. This trail was the main link between Mexican and Spanish outposts, and it’s posited that they were religious outposts. The Spanish presence lasted well into the 1800’s, when packs of Mexicans were reportedly leaving the Uinta Mountains laden with gold.

The Uinta Mountains of Utah.

Until the 1800’s, the tales of the Spanish gold mines were the subject of Native American history, with few white men knowing of the mines. The Spaniards used the Native Americans as slave labor, and after many years of oppression it’s believed that they revolted and killed most of their Spanish captors. Supposedly the Native Americans returned the gold bullion to the earth and sealed it in the very mines from which it had come.

Thomas Rhoades

Thomas Rhoades, a close assistant to Mormon Church leader Brigham Young, was one of the first white men to fully understand the implications of the Spanish mines. Young had become a religious mentor to a Ute Indian named Chief Walkara, who spoke of a secret cache of gold in the Uinta Mountains. The chief agreed to give the gold to the church, and Rhoades was selected to transport it to Salt Lake City.

Unfortunately, the Indians refused to remove the gold, believing it to be cursed. But it was easy for Rhoades to transport since it was already mined and left in bullion form. His first trip was said to have lasted two weeks, yielding more than sixty pounds of pure gold. For several years, Rhoades continued to transfer gold until, in 1887, he discovered additional mines located off Indian ground. This spurred interest in the lost Spanish gold mines, since it appeared there wasn’t just one mine to be found but many.

Searching for the mines could be deadly. In the early years, stories circulated of prospectors being shot and killed, often by Native Americans protecting the sacred mines. Even as recently as 1990 there have been reports of modern-day prospectors being fired upon as a warning by Native Americans who protect the land near historic mining operations.

Old-timers in the Uinta Mountains have claimed there are seven mines lined with pure gold that supplied the Aztecs, serving as the basis for the seven golden cities of Cibola sought by early Spanish explorers.

In ROSEMARY, Book 11 of the Widows of Wildcat Ridge Series, Rosemary goes in search of the fabled Floriana mine in the wilderness of the Utah Territory in 1884. While The Floriana is a fictitious mine, I based it on tales of the time.

Rosemary Brennan is recovering from the loss of her husband five months prior in a devastating mine accident that took the lives of nearly all the men in Wildcat Ridge. The mine owner, Mortimer Crane, has given the widows an ultimatum—find husbands or he will evict them from their homes and businesses. Desperate to keep the assay office that her deceased husband had managed, she heads into the hills in search of an old Spanish mine called The Floriana in the hope she can lay claim to a bonanza of gold.

Ex-U.S. Deputy Marshal Miles McGinty arrives in Wildcat Ridge to pay his respects to Jack Brennan’s widow. He and Jack had a history, and Miles is heartsick over the loss of the young man he had come to think of as a brother. When he learns of Rosemary’s problems with the piggish Crane, he will do anything to help her—even offering marriage. But when it becomes clear that Crane knew of Jack’s criminal past and was blackmailing him over it, Miles must decide whether to tell Rosemary the truth, because doing so may drive her away. And to his surprise, Miles has fallen in love with his new wife.

A sweet romance set in 1884 Utah Territory.

Available at Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

Connect with Kristy

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Newsletter

The Four Corners Area of the United States

By Kristy McCaffrey

A popular tourist destination is the Four Corners area in the southwestern U.S. Here, one can occupy Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado at once.

My husband and I at Four Corners on a chilly New
Year's Eve.

Within this expanse are four prominent landmarks: Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, the Painted Desert, and Shiprock.

Monument Valley is located on the Arizona-Utah border on the Colorado Plateau, and the Navajo have preserved the area as a vast tribal park. The iconic sandstone buttes and spires rising from the ground have become famous worldwide, due in part to filmmaker John Ford who featured the area in many western movies in the 1940's and 1950's.

Monument Valley 

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced 'de shay') National Monument is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Rock art and other excavations reveal human habitation for at least 4,500 years, encompassing not just the Navajo but the ancient Anasazi as well. In the 18th century this became a major stronghold of the Navajo—the high canyon walls offered protection and the streams helped grow corn crops and peach trees. Today, Navajo still live here.

Canyon de Chelly

The Painted Desert, approximately 120 miles long and 60 miles wide, is composed of stratified layers of easily erodible siltstone, mudstone, and shale. The layers of rock contain an abundance of iron and manganese, which cause the varied colors of the region. This area also includes the Petrified Forest National Park, a landscape frozen in time for more than 220 million years, revealing colorful petrified wood and animal fossils. How does wood become petrified? Long-ago floods carried timber onto a plain, then, over time, minerals in the water replaced the wood cells, filling the spaces with quartz and jasper crystals.

The Painted Desert

Petrified Forest National Park

Located in northwestern New Mexico, Shiprock rises 1,583 feet on a desolate plain and is visible in all directions for many miles. It has great religious and historical significance to the Navajo people.

Shiprock

~ Now Available in Print and Digital ~

Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico Vol. 2

Haunted tales of romance set in the Old West

Includes my short story

"The Crow and the Coyote"

In Arizona Territory, Hannah Dobbin travels through Cañon de Chelly, home to the Navajo, in search of a sorcerer who murdered her pa. Bounty Hunter Jack Boggs is on the trail of a vile Mexican bandito, but with the shadows of Hallowtide descending, more dark magic is at hand than either of them know.

What better way to spend Halloween than with some handsome cowboys and feisty heroines who are determined to fall in love despite their supernatural powers—or lack thereof. Halloween's a good time to take a chance on love—and to see what these Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico Vol. 2 stories might reveal to the unsuspecting reader—YOU!

Cheryl Pierson's Spellbound will have you on the edge of your seat as safecracker Brett Diamond and witch Angie Colton take on a border gang leader who is pure evil. Can Angie's supernatural powers save them? No matter what, Brett and Angie are hopelessly spellbound.

C. Marie Bowen's Hunter and Lily Graham is an unforgettable tale of a beautiful school marm's love for her children that surpasses all. When a Cajun bounty hunter known only as "Hunter" shows up, Lily knows he, and no one else, can help her save a young girl.

Have Wand—Will Travel is Jacquie Roger's offering about a handsome young mage, Tremaine Ramsey, who has a wand and knows how to use it...sometimes. Will his magic be strong enough to pull off a daring rescue of his father from the evil Gharth? Or will he need the warrior Nora's love to help him see his Fate through?

Will Kaye Spencer's character, Mercy Pontiere, be able to break a centuries-old curse and find true love all at the same time? It all depends on Reid Corvane and what he'll do For Love of a Brystile Witch.

In Kristy McCaffrey's story, The Crow and the Coyote, Hannah Dobbin is after an evil Navajo sorcerer who murdered her father, and she's determined to see him dead. But she'll need a bounty hunter—The Crow—to help find this vile man. With Hallowtide upon them, more evil is afoot than they can handle; but love will find a way.

A failed bank robber, Tombstone Hawkins, along with a fake gypsy fortune teller, Pansy Gilchrist, set out to make both their deceased fathers proud in one final spectacular heist. Family Tradition is Kathleen Rice Adam's tale of the discovery of true love amid the commission of a crime—or the failure to commit a crime—while being overseen by the ghosts of the couple's fathers. How can there be a happy ending? It's Halloween, and anything can happen!

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Smashwords | Trade Paperback

Happy Halloween!!

Utah's Infamous Emma Mine

This month I'm going to talk about mining in Utah. Rather than go into a lot of detail, though, I'll give you a little historical background, then focus on the Emma Silver Mine and one of the most notorious mining scams in the Old West.
<><> <><><>  <><>

The Emma Silver Mine

In the early days of Utah Territory, aka Deseret, mining was frowned upon by Brigham Young and the Mormon elders. They believed searching for gold and silver would distract their people from agricultural pursuits and the building of their promised land. The one exception was iron, which had practical uses and was expensive to ship into their mountain kingdom from the east. In the early 1850s Mormons followed Brigham Young's call for an "iron mission" in southern Utah (now Iron County). Unfortunately, their search for iron didn't pan out.

In October 1862, Colonel Patrick E. Connor led his California and Nevada Volunteers into the Salt Lake Valley, where he founded Camp Douglas overlooking Salt Lake City. Many of his soldiers were experienced prospectors and, with Connor's encouragement, they prospected for silver and gold in the nearby Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains. The first formal claims were established in 1863 in the Bingham Canyon area.

Connor started a small newspaper, The Union Vedette, and promoted Utah’s mineral riches to the outside world. Prospectors and miners trickled in and with the blessing of their leaders, many Mormons joined in the search for mineral riches. Later, with the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad, fortune seekers poured in by the thousands. Like a silver carrot dangled before them was the Emma, the most famous and infamous mine in the history of Utah.

<><> <><>

Little Cottonwood Canyon

The Emma was located in Little Cottonwood Canyon, above the mining camp of Alta, on the western face of the Wasatch Mountains. Discovered in 1868 by two men named Woodman and Chisholm, it was christened "Emma" after a woman one of the men had known in San Francisco. Having no capital to develop their claim, Woodman and Chisholm sold a one-third interest in the mine to a speculator named James E. Lyon. The miners sank a shaft and during 1868-69 some 100 tons of silver ore were extracted.

Senator W.M. Stewart

In 1870 a large body of ore opened in another diretion. Woodman and Chisholm then took on several other partners and attempted to oust Lyon from the company on the grounds that since the silver vein had changed direction, Lyon no longer had any claim upon it. Lyon filed a lawsuit, with W.M. Stewart, Senator from Nevada, serving as his lead attorney. A great deal of legal maneuvering followed which resulted in the investors being reorganized as the Emma Silver Mining Company of New York.

Around the autumn of 1871, the owners decided they would try to sell the mine in London, relying upon its production record to promote it. The number of miners, previously about 100, was reduced to 10 and a new superintendant appointed -- said to be the best man to "prepare" a mine for inspection by engineers prior to a sale. Guards prevented anyone from entering the mine without written permission. A British miner who worked in the Emma at that time later reported seeing silver ore "plastered or engrafted" onto the limestone rock. In other words, they salted the mine to make it look like there was still a rich vein of silver to be extracted when, in truth, it was nearly worked out.

Hyperbole flew like wildfire: “. . . after the discovery of the great Emma silver mine mass of ore, mining and prospecting in Utah took a sudden leap; prospectors spread out in all the mountains; and the result today is, that Utah gives promise of soon being as largely silver bearing and silver producing as Nevada. English and eastern capital is now freely flowing there, and the great yield of those rich mines will enable Utah to take high rank in the production of silver bullion.” ~~ from a Report by the United States General Land Office

British investors paid some $5,000,000 dollars for the Emma. A short time later the vein played out, and those investors furiously cried "Swindle!". Bitter accusations flew back and forth. Both the British and U.S. governments  became involved, nearly going to war before the brouhaha finally ended. After the Emma scandal, British investment in Utah mining virtually stopped. In fact, all investment in Utah mines dried up except for a few well known, trusted operations, crippling Utah mining pursuits for decades.



Eventually the industry did recover, thanks to local and American investors, and mining proved to be a vital part of the Utah economy. A report issued by the Salt Lake Mining Review stated total mining production between 1865 and 1917 came to over 800 million dollars. Not bad!

The Utah silver boom plays a crucial part in Darlin' Druid, book one in my Texas Druids series. I hope you'll give this award winning novel of the Old West a try.

http://www.amazon.com/Darlin-Druid-Texas-Druids-ebook/dp/B004ASNDES

Sources:



http://www.scribd.com/doc/6966696/The-True-History-of-the-Emma-Mine

http://www.miningutah.com/id66.html

http://www.miningswindles.com/html/emma_mine.html

Riding the Rails in Old Utah

Last month, I promised to talk about mining and railroading in Deseret (territorial Utah). After giving it some thought, I decided to split the subject in two. This month I'll concentrate on Utah's early railroads and save mining for next time.

Replicas of UP No. 119 & CPRR No. 60 (the Jupiter) meet at the
Gloden Spike National Historic Site.

Train travel across Utah began with the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory Point on May 10, 1869. Hammered in by Leland Stanford, head of the Central Pacific RR, that last spike linked the CPRR with the Union Pacific RR, completing the nation's first transcontinental railroad. The windy spot where the rails met was more than sixty miles northwest of Salt Lake City. Both the Mormon capital and Denver, Colorado -- the two largest cities in the mountain west -- were bypassed by the historic route. Feeder lines would need to be built to both cities.

Railroad construction workers in northern Utah

Ironically, Mormons made up most of the Union Pacific work gangs who blasted and tunneled a path through Weber River Canyon and laid track to Promontory. Latter Day Saints President Brigham Young had won a contract with the UP, employing Mormons to build the route in Utah. Church elders were lukewarm about railroads entering their domain, but Young realized train service would make it easier for new converts to "gather to Zion." It would also help their economy by increasing the flow of trade with the outside world. In 1867, Young said, "This gigantic work will increase intercourse, and it is hoped, soften prejudices, and bind the country together."

However, when the decision was made to bypass SLC in order to cut 76 miles and many steep grades from the route, and save 2.5 million dollars, Brigham Young was furious. He threatened to withdraw his support but in the end he accepted the inevitable and sent Mormon laborers to help. Some 4,000 men answered his call.

At the same time, plans were soon drawn up for the Utah Central Railroad, which would run from Salt Lake City to Ogden, where it would connect with the transcontinental route. Incorporated in 1869 and built by Mormons, this vital feeder line was completed in January, 1870. The two hour trip from Ogden to Salt Lake City cost $2, equal to about $55 in 2012.

In May of 1871, construction began on the Utah Southern, running south from SLC down the Jordan River Valley. This road eventually reached 105 miles south to Chicken Creek (Juab, Utah). Meanwhile, work also began on the Utah Northern RR from Brigham City to Ogden, and in 1874, the Utah Western got underway. Workers laid narrow guage tracks west from Salt Lake City, completing the route near Stockton in 1877. These "Mormon Roads" formed the basis for a network of rails intended, not for profit, but to connect the smaller Mormon settlements they served. Of course, there were some drawbacks. As early as the 1870s, air pollution became a problem. Smoke from trains and smelters (more about those next month) damaged crops, and together with coal smoke from home and commercial heating, made Salt Lake City air unhealthy to breath.

 A railroad groundbreaking was an exciting event, as shown in this news article: "Editor News -- Ground was broken for the Utah Northern Railroad, this evening, by moonlight. The dedication prayer was offered by Lorenzo Snow. John W. Young broke ground, and a portion of the grade was begun and completed, by shovel, pick, plow and scraper, amid the firing of cannon and ringing of bells. A great number of people were present to witness the ceremony. The brass band and Professor Fishburn's choir were present." (Deseret Evening News, August 28, 1871)

<><>

CPRR Groundbreaking Ceremony, Scramento, CA, Jan. 8, 1863 -- G.J. "Chris" Graves Collection
(Sorry, I couldn't find a picture of a Utah railroad groundbreaking. Darn!)

All of the above mentioned shortline railroads came under the control of the Union Pacific by the late 1870s to early 80s. However, another line, the Denver & Rio Grande Western, entered Utah Territory in 1881. The D&RGW rails approached from Denver via the Price River Canyon, reaching Salt Lake City in June, 1882. By purchasing several shortlines, the company swiftly began collecting revenue, giving the Union Pacific competition.

That's it for now. Next month I'll delve into mining in Utah, and how the railroads influenced the mining industry. Now here are two brief excerpts from Darlin' Druid, showing how I imagine an Old West train depot, c. 1872:

Outside Omaha’s Union Pacific Station, Captain David Taylor awaited the westbound train. Tired of the wait, he paced to a corner of the building, crossed his arms and leaned back against the yellow frame wall. This new depot was a far cry from the rickety old Riverside Station he’d passed through some years ago, he mused. Built on landfill, the new structure stood near the Missouri River Bridge, which had recently replaced the slow ferry service David recalled with distaste.

Admiring the bridge, he did his best to ignore the passengers and baggage crowding the station platform. He loosened his collar and tugged his campaign hat lower against the hot noonday sun. Barely June but summer was already here . . .

And:

She [Jessie] fished a handkerchief from her reticule and patted her damp forehead. The depot seemed to grow hotter by the minute and the smell more revolting. Craning her neck, she looked through the window again, still seeing no sign of Tye. He’d best return soon or they would miss their train. The great iron beast had pulled up outside and now sat building up steam.

With a sigh, she eyed the crowd on the platform. It was a mixed group. There were settlers with children in tow and all their worldly goods heaped around them. Others, well-dressed easterners, might be journeying west for business purposes, Jessie supposed, or simply to see the land in all its glory. She also saw buckskinned westerners, going home perhaps.

Four such men, more dirty and rough looking than most, caught her eye. She watched them pass a whiskey jug back and forth between them and heard the muffled sound of their raucous laughter. They appeared to be well into their cups. Wrinkling her nose, she sincerely hoped they would not be traveling in her coach.

Reference sources

Union Pacific Country by Robert G. Athearn

Mormons and Gentiles, A History of Salt Lake City by Thomas G. Alexander & James B. Allen

Pioneering the Union Pacific by Charles Edgar Ames

http://www.utahrails.net/
http://cprr.org/Museum/First_Rail_Laid_1863.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_spike#.22Golden_Spike_Days_Celebration.22_.281939.29 

Deseret, Land of the Honeybee

Part of my first book, Darlin’ Druid, is set in Utah, c. 1872. This required a lot of research, especially because I’ve never been able to visit the Beehive State in person. Today I’d like to share a smidgen of what I learned from books, internet sites and the Utah State Historical Society.

When Brigham Young first looked upon the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, he is supposed to have said “This is the place.” It’s hard to imagine why he chose such a dry, inhospitable spot for his people to settle, but history has proven him right. Within a few decades, the Mormons turned that dry valley into fruitful farm land and Salt Lake City into a thriving community. 

 The early pioneers had few material resources. Thus, they had to rely on their own ingenuity and hard work – their industry – to survive. Think of a colony of bees working together, building a new hive, and you’ll know why the beehive became the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848. The symbol was retained along with the word "industry" on the state seal and flag after Utah was granted statehood in 1896. “Deseret” is reportedly a word for honey bee in the Book of Mormon. The honey bee was named official state insect in 1983, thanks to the lobbying efforts of a fifth grade class.

Crofutt’s Trans-Continental Tourist Guide, 1872 edition, describes Salt Lake City: “This is one of the most beautiful and pleasantly located of cities.” Situated at the foot of a spur of the Wasatch Mountains to the east, and extending onto the uplands that unite valley and mountains, the city boasts a dramatic setting that impressed the writer of the tourist guide. “The lofty  range of the Wasatch forms the background, lifting its rugged peaks above the clouds. Piles of snow can be seen in the gorges where the warm sunlight has not the power to melt it.”

From those snowy gorges, the Mormons drew life-giving water via a clever irrigation system, allowing them to turn the desert valley into rich farm land. They brought water to Salt Lake City in the same way, laying out irrigation channels along the streets, which naturalist John Muir describes this way: "The streets are remarkably wide and the buildings low, making them appear yet wider than they really are. Trees are planted along the sidewalks -- elms, poplars, maples, and a few catalpus and hawthorn . . . ." Muir goes on to complain about the irregular size of trees and buildings, and disapproved the Latter Day Saints' stand on polygamy. Yet, from his description, it's plain to see the Saints planned their city with an eye for beauty as well as practicality.

The following is an excerpt from Darlin’ Druid in which my heroine, Jessie, marvels at her surroundings while out for a Sunday afternoon stroll.

A short while later, she paused beneath a leafy elm tree and fished a handkerchief from her reticule. As she had many times before, she blessed the city’s Mormon founders for planting so many trees along the broad streets. Their shade was a godsend in this heat.

Patting the dew from her forehead and upper lip, she smiled at a group of youngsters frolicking in a small peach orchard across the street. The city abounded with fruit trees – apple, plum, but most of all peach – and a variety of grapevines. Most every gray adobe or white clapboard house also displayed a vegetable plot and flower garden. All thanks to the Mormons’ ingenious irrigation system, a necessity in this hot, dry valley.

There were even lilac bushes. Although long since done blooming for the year, they still reminded Jessie of home. Her mother had loved lilacs, and she’d planted several bushes around their cottage. Every spring their radiant purple blooms had filled the air with a heavenly scent – before the fire had swept them away along with the house and everything else, leaving only destruction behind. And nightmares.

Salt Lake City in the old days (photos from Utah State Historical Society) 

First South, 1872, with Salt Lake Theatre on the left. Built in 1861, the theatre staged plays, hosted dances and concerts. Brigham Young often attended.   One guest said, "At the time of its erection, it was not surpassed in magnitude, completeness and equipment by any other existing house." Each event opened with prayer; no smoking or drinking allowed. *Notice trees lining the street.     

 

Temple Square, 1882, showing left to right, partially completed Temple, Assembly Hall, and the Tabernacle.

 

 

 

One of the city's largest hotels was the Salt Lake House, where Jessie dines with an admirer. Run by a Mr. Townsend, a Mormon convert from Maine, the hotel stood on Main Street. Notice the stagecoach out front.

 

Businesses and wagons loaded with goods. By 1870, a number of gentile (non-Mormon) businesses were in operation.







Most Mormon merchants belonged to Zion's Co-operatice Mercantile Institution (Z.C.M.I.) and displayed the sign of the all-seeing eye.

Modern Salt Lake City

 

                    The Great Salt Lake in daylight                   . . . . And at sunrise

Next month I will dig into mining and railroading in Utah. Hint: Nevada and Colorado weren’t the only western states to experience silver booms.

http://cprr.org/Museum/Crofutt_1872/index.html
http://pioneer.utah.gov/research/utah_symbols/insect.html
Mormons and Gentiles, a History of Salt Lake City by Thomas G. Alexander & James B. Allen
History of Utah,1540-1886 by Hubert Howe Bancroft
Utah, the Land of Blossoming Valleys by George Wharton James
Steep Trails  by John Muir

Author, Marie Higgins Asks...

Western town – or not?

From this description, would you think you were reading about the Wild West?

The early settlers wasted no time. August Nelson planted cottonwood saplings and Joseph F. Doxford even organized a martial band. A temporary bowery was built. Early in 1865 about 100 more families arrived. In February 1865 the first schoolhouse was built; the first teacher in the school was Hans P. Miller. A fort was started in the fall of 1865; each man who owned a city lot was required to build one rod (16.5 feet) of wall.

In 1864 Nelson Higgins was selected as temporary president of the settlement. In 1865 Black Hawk and his band of Indians took ninety head of stock, killing two settlers. Other attacks followed. Three settlers, Jens Peter Petersen, his wife Amalia, and Mary Smith were killed by Indians on 21 March 1867; this became a deciding factor in the evacuation of the settlement, which was completed by April. In 1871 many of the former settlers returned and took up their old homesteads. By July 1872 there were 150 families in the area.

The town this above article describes even talked about springs and fertile (rich) soil for planting. This town has a dry stretch of plains…even has the cactus and tumbleweed that go along with it. If you were reading a story like this, would you think it was in the Wild West? 

Would you think you were reading a western if the hero in the story talked like this:

“How do you feel, Summer?

The soft baritone voice rumbling in his chest seemed oddly familiar. Summer frowned and took a second peek at his hair and his mouth. He gave her a full smile. Awareness tugged at her memory and a large knot formed in the pit of her stomach. When recognition came, it struck like a thick piece of wood right between her eyes. She jerked, moving off the comfortable nest she had made of his chest.

“Jesse Slade?”

A crafty smile claimed his face. “The one and only, darlin’.”

She widened her eyes. “Darlin’? I’m not now, nor will I ever be your darling, Jesse Slade.” She couldn’t believe her rotten luck. She fought to move from his grasp, batting his hands away. “Get your hands off me.”

“Be still Summer, or—”

“Let me go,” she demanded.

“Tarnation, Summer.” His hands moved to her waist. “You’re as slippery as a wet weasel.”

“Quit touching me and put me down.”

Although he tried to hold onto her, she managed to slither from the horse.

“Of all the confounded foolish female stunts.” He pulled the horse to a halt and dismounted.

The moment her feet touched the ground, dizziness overtook her and she plopped down on her bottom. When Jesse reached for her, she slapped at his hands.

She glanced up at him from her undignified position and clenched her teeth. “You. Of all people, it had to be you.” Holding onto a stirrup, she pulled herself to her feet and gazed into the heavens. “Why Lord? Why me?”

“There’s no need to get your feathers ruffled.” Jesse looked at the blood oozing from her shoulder wound. “Look what you’ve done. You’re bleedin’ again.”

She glanced at her injury. It was worse than she thought, but she’d die before admitting it to him. She was not riding into town perched on Jesse’s lap for the whole town to see.

“It’s just a scratch.” She lifted her skirts, grabbed an edge of her petticoat, and ripped off a piece. It was bad enough that he had to rescue her, but why did he have to look so handsome? This certainly wasn’t the skinny, ill-tempered Jesse Slade she remembered. Well, the ill-tempered part still fit.

Jesse stood by the horse, arms folded across his chest as he tapped his foot. Summer brought up the strip of fabric between her free hand and chin and awkwardly fashioned it around her shoulder. Her head pounded worse than ever. She kept on, but the makeshift bandage tore apart. Out the corner of her eye, a self-assured grin stretched across Jesse’s mouth.

“Oh!” She stomped her foot, causing another burst of pain in her head.

“Would you like some help?”

Jesse gave her a grin she’d liked to slap right off his face. She knew he enjoyed every second of her struggle, but she just couldn’t ask the arrogant no-good for help.

“’Course, I’d have to touch you,” he said, needling her.

Well…I’ll tell you where my story, Heart of a Hero takes place. RICHFIELD, UTAH. No, do not adjust your computer screen, you read correctly. UTAH!

So, why am I a guest blogger on “Cowboy Kisses”? Because my hero is a cowboy. He’s a US Deputy Marshal. He rides a horse and does everything a western cowboy does – except live in the West. Although my story takes place in Richfield, Utah, you wouldn’t know this wasn’t a western town. While growing up, my uncle lived in Richfield. He, his wife, and daughters lived their (and some still do!). And…they all have an accent! I honestly thought my uncle, aunt, and cousins had lived in Texas. lol

Regardless of the location, my story reads like a western… 1880’s.

Watch book trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIi2QOi2g4&feature=player_embedded

There's a new hero in town . . .

When Summer Bennett returns to Richfield after a five-year stint at her aunt’s finishing school, she discovers a lot has changed. Her father has suffered a crippling injury, and Summer is desperate to get the money to pay for surgery that could allow him to walk again. She hears of a reward offered for the capture of a cunning gang of bank robbers, and her years of etiquette training fall by the dusty roadside.

What Summer doesn’t count on in her quest to capture the bandits is the competition from her family’s longtime friend, Jesse Slade. Now a deputy marshal and local hero, Jesse keeps thwarting Summer’s plans, just like he did when she wore pigtails. She would like nothing more than to use Jesse’s head for a slingshot target, but soon Summer finds her aim shifting from his head to his heart. Problem is, Jesse is engaged to her sister Violet.

For seven years, little Summer Bennett was the burr under Jesse’s saddle. Now he feels a different irritation as Summer is always on his mind—whether he wants her to be or not. But Summer’s father expects him to marry Violet, and he won’t let him down. So why does Jesse find himself encouraging Summer’s attentions, and why do sparks fly every time they are together?

My book is available for Kindle & Nook readers – or at your local store.

Kindle link – http://amzn.com/B0051UT9M4

Nook link –  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-a-hero-marie-higgins/1027196546?ean=2940012812810&itm=8&usri=marie+higgins

About the Author:

Marie Higgins is a multi-published author of romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who makes your heart melt to the feisty heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults. Visit her website / blog to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com