SO, WHAT DID THEY EAT?

Post by Doris McCraw
writing as Angela Raines

Photo Property of the Author

As I was going through some early Colorado Magazine articles I came across a short one that got me to thinking. What did they eat and what was the process for so many?

According to the article, in May of 1859 a man from Indiana had left packets of vegetable seeds for sale at the Rocky Mountain News offices. They were selling for twenty-five cents a packet.

Soon the paper was talking about the first crop of radishes and how there were several acres of corn, peak and onion that were sprouting up.  Throughout the summer there were gardens that had peas, beans onions, squashes, cucumbers, beets along with melons.

So you can see, at least in early Denver, there were fresh vegetables available. But what about flour, rice, cornmeal,etc. Those products needed to be shipped in from the 'states' or New Mexico. Prices would vary depending on where they originated from, along with the distance, etc.

The article quoted the following prices:
Flour from the states - $14 @ 16 per 100 pounds
Flour Mexican $10 @15 per 100 pounds
Potatoes 25¢ per pound
Rice 25¢ per pound
Butter 75¢ per pound
Fresh Beef 15¢ per pound
Venison $1 per quarter
Milk 10¢ per quart
Molasses $2.50 per gallon
Whiskey $3.00 per gallon
Bacon sides and Ham 35¢
Cheese 50¢

As winter approached people began preparing to put their vegetables for winter. The cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage were combined with vinegar.  There also appeared bear, turkey, grouse and duck as the winter months approached.

Early Denver Illustration
Colorado Encyclopedia

As people continued to arrive, many may have had gardens, but those in the high mountains would have had short growing seasons. The town of Guffey, Colorado in the late 1800s chose to grow potatoes to sell to the mining camps. Towns like Fountain and Canon City grew vegetables and fruit.

The Mormons who came through in 1853-54 planted gardens and while the rest of the party moved on toward Salt Lake, there were those who stayed behind to harvest the crops which the carried on to their destination.

This information is in stark contrast to an article in 1881 in the Colorado Miner where the early pioneers met and stated their 1859 menu was Beans, Dried Apples, Hard Tack, Bacon and Taos Lightning.

Which story is true? Probably a bit of each. I can see the how those away from the larger settlements would have to do with much less, but those in the 'cities' seemed to have fared much better.

So, what did they eat? Probably whatever was available. It is something to think about when writing, that's for sure. In my latest novel, "The Outlaw's Letter" my heroine eats cornbread made by the woman who is tending her while she recovers. It seemed logical for someone to eat in 1880.

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Photo and Poem: Click Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION? #writing #creativity

Post by Doris McCraw
writing as Angela Raine

As I put the finishing touches to a first draft, I thought about what inspired me to write the story in the first place.

Wooden Headstone - SilveCliff Cemetery
photo copywriten and property of the author

First. I am a compulsive reader. I have been since a very early age. If it is printed, then I pretty much have to read it.

Second, I love history. This goes along with the compulsive reading. Add to that a ridiculous joy in digging through old books, researching ancestors, and the lives of people who lived way back when and you might get a small glimpse of what whirls around in this head of mine.

Third, I am an avid movie watcher, especially the old black and whites. Give me a film noir and I'm  a pretty happy camper. A good B-Western or early Western TV show can also be great fun. How many of you ever saw the short lived Tony Young 1961 TV western 'Gunslinger'? I used to stay up and watch that show. (I had very understanding parents.) Boy did that show fuel my imagination back then.

After moving west in my twenties, all things western history took over. My friends and I, in those early days, would take off in the truck and head into all parts of the state. One of my early trips was to the Taylor Park area and the ghost towns located there. Imagine doing the polka at 9,000+ feet in the town of Tin Cup. I later did research and found out that small little 'ghost' town at one time had the distinction of being one of the roughest towns in Colorado. The story is, seven marshals were killed there in just a few months time.

Tin Cup town hall where the author went
to a dance. from TinCupCo.com

Now, I spend time reading books about the ghost towns of Colorado, both in the mountains and on the plains. I've researched early settlements, the fur trade forts, railroad history and the lives of some of the early residents.

Perhaps my greatest pleasure and constant source of research and fun is the story of early women, especially the women doctors who were practicing medicine prior to 1900. Theirs is a story that I will continue to research and write about until I can write no more.

All of these pieces come together in the stories I write and the non-fiction papers.

I've told you some of what inspires me. I can still enjoy 'The Cisco Kid', 'Have Gun Will Travel'. If an old Rocky Lane movie comes on I will try to catch it. Of the singing cowboys, I'll take Eddie Dean over any of the others. He may not have been a compelling actor, but his voice was pure gold.
Eddie Dean - Cool Water

I've re-read Louis L'Amour's "Flint" at least six times and Elmore Leonard's "Three-Ten to Yuma" story is a must.

What is your inspiration? What is your favorite TV show, favorite B-Western, or novel?

Watch for the latest Kiowa Wells story coming in April.

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

Traveling by Steamboat

By: Peggy Henderson

Before the railroads took over as the fastest way to travel west, steamboats were the premier  mode of transportation along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. In the 1820’s and 30’s, steamboats were mainly used to transport furs, lead, and army supplies to forts and encampments along the Mississippi. In the late 1840’s, settlers swarmed into the new Minnesota Territory, and for the first time, entire families could travel together.

Early settlers, however, usually did not get to travel in luxury. Only the wealthy could afford the luxurious accommodations that were available on the finer steamboats. The average settler had few comforts. The poorer passengers slept on the freight decks, which also housed the boiler, fuel, and cargo. There was little or no protection from the elements for deck passengers, who would sleep on cargo crates or bales. They were allowed to cook their own meals using stoves provided by the captain. However, it was often too crowded to even prepare a simple meal.  Otherwise, they could eat with the crew if they paid the cook. 

Those who could afford the price could travel on the upper deck in private cabins. These passengers ate their meals in the state room, and were entertained in the grand salon. Some of the finer steamboats featured grand salons that ran the entire three hundred foot length of the boat, and were considered floating palaces, with heavy wood furniture, gilded ceilings, and mirrored walls. Dining experiences rivaled the best restaurants in New York at the time. Some boats had bands or musical entertainment, and even theater performances. 

 

Traveling by steamboat was not without danger, however. Deck passengers were in constant danger of boiler explosions, or being shoved overboard. Boiler explosions were common and often disastrous. Boats were often caught on sandbars or snags, and many times the passengers were asked to get off the boat to lighten the load. Captains didn’t always return for their passengers in those instances. And, of course, the river was teeming with thieves who loved to prey on unsuspecting passengers.

Overall, steamboat travel was preferred to overland travel for its speed (up to eight miles per hour!) and comparative luxury, until the railroad’s influence in the 1860’s and 70’s.