Female U.S. Deputy Marshals of the Old West

By Kristy McCaffrey

The first female U.S. deputy marshal was Phoebe Couzins (born in 1842). Phoebe learned public service at a young age from her parents. After the Civil War, Phoebe and her mother joined the St. Louis Woman Suffrage Association, an organization promoting the rights of women to vote and hold political office. This led to Phoebe pursuing a law degree from the Washington University Law School in St. Louis. Upon graduating in 1871, Phoebe became the first female law graduate of the school. After passing the bar exam, she devoted herself to the women’s suffrage movement. She traveled the country giving speeches about women’s rights.

Phoebe Couzins

In 1884, Phoebe’s father was appointed U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri, and he made her one of his deputies. When her father died in 1887, she was appointed as interim U.S. marshal by President Cleveland, making her the first woman to serve in that position, but it only lasted two months before she was replaced. Phoebe passed away in 1913 and was buried with her U.S. marshal badge.

F.M. Miller was appointed a U.S. deputy marshal out of the federal court at Paris, Texas, in 1891. At that time, she was the only female deputy to work in Indian Territory, part of what was known as the Twin Territories which also included Oklahoma Territory.

Ada Curnutt moved to Oklahoma Territory with her sister and brother-in-law shortly after the area opened to settlers. The young woman found work as the Clerk of the District Court in Norman, OK, and then as a deputy marshal under U.S. Marshal William Grimes. Her most famous arrest occurred in March 1893 when she brought in two fugitives wanted for forgery. She was twenty-four years old.

Two additional women served as deputy marshals in Oklahoma Territory between 1897 and 1902. S.M. Burche and Mamie Fossett worked mostly in the office, but they also served writs and warrants, as well as making arrests. They were described in the press as an adventurous class of female, young, well-educated, fearless, and independent.

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A side character in THE SWAN, Dolores Walker (Anna's cousin), is an undercover U.S. Deputy Marshal.

I've also slightly changed the blurb now that the manuscript is in editing. I've included it below.

 

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(it will also be available at Kobo and in paperback on release day)

Twin Territories
November 1899 

Dr. Anna Ryan has been spurned by the Dallas medical community for the simple reason of being a woman. Wanting more than a rural practice alongside her mother, also a doctor, Anna accepts an invitation from a mentor to join a private hospital for disabled children in Oklahoma City. But when she falls in with a band of women attempting to protect the rights of Chickasaw orphans, she’ll need more than her medical training to survive.

Malcolm Hardy has skirted the line between lawlessness and justice since escaping the mean streak of his father and his no-good half-siblings a decade ago. In Oklahoma Territory he created enough distance from his family name to find a quiet purpose to his days. But then Anna Ryan walks back into his life, and his hard-won peace is in jeopardy.

The last time Malcolm saw Anna, she had been a determined girl he couldn’t help but admire. Now she was a compelling woman searching for answers that could lead straight to him. But one thing was clear—Anna’s life path was on a trajectory for the remarkable while Malcolm’s was not. Surrendering to temptation would only end in heartbreak.

Anna is the eldest daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.

The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk
Book Eleven: The Swan (Coming Soon) 

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The Cherokee Strip

By Kristy McCaffrey

The Cherokee Outlet was established in 1835 as a piece of land accessible to the Cherokee Nation as part of their move to a reservation in what is now northeastern Oklahoma. The Outlet was 225 miles long and 60 miles wide.

Due to a survey error, a 2.5-mile-wide tract of land that buffered the Kansas state line became known as the Cherokee Strip, and the entire Outlet was often called the Strip.

At the end of the Civil War, a new treaty with the Cherokee allowed several tribes (Ponca, Osage, Pawnee, and Nez Perce to name a few) to settle on the eastern part of the Strip. This was punishment for the Cherokee for siding with the Confederacy during the war. It also cut off their access to the western part of the Strip.

In 1880, the Cherokee Strip Livestock Association was formed and proceeded to lease the western portions for cattlemen from Texas to graze their herds, netting a steady income for the Cherokee. But due to pressure to open up the lands for white settlement, all leases were nullified by Congress in 1890, forcing the Cherokee to sell the land to the U.S. government at well below asking price. (As a side note, actual payment for this land didn’t occur until 1964 when Cherokee claims were finally settled in court.)

In September 1893, the Cherokee Outlet was opened for Oklahoma’s fourth and largest land run. It was inadequately run and chaotic, resulting in massive fraud, widespread suffering, and several deaths with over 100,000 pioneers pursuing 40,000 homesteads. Immigrants from almost every part of the U.S. and many foreign countries participated.

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Pre-Order THE SWAN

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(it will also be available at Kobo and in paperback on release day)

Oklahoma Territory
November 1899 

Dr. Anna Ryan has been spurned by the Dallas medical community for the simple reason of being a woman. Wanting more than a rural practice alongside her mother, also a doctor, Anna accepts an invitation from a mentor to join a private hospital for disabled children in Oklahoma City. But when she falls in with a band of women attempting to liberate a town of innocents, she’ll need more than her medical training to survive.

Malcolm Hardy has skirted the line between lawlessness and justice since escaping the mean streak of his father and his no-good half-siblings a decade ago. In Oklahoma Territory he created enough distance from his family name to find a quiet purpose to his days. But then Anna Ryan walks back into his life, and his hard-won peace is in jeopardy.

The last time Malcolm saw Anna, she had been a determined girl he couldn’t help but admire. Now she was a compelling woman who needed his help to find The Swan, a mysterious figure with a questionable reputation. But one thing was clear—Anna’s life path was on a trajectory for the remarkable while Malcolm’s was not. Surrendering to temptation would only end in heartbreak.

Anna is the eldest daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE. 

The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk
Book Eleven: The Swan (Coming Soon) 

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Cowboys, Romance, and Spooky Tales

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

It’s October, which means sweaters, hot drinks, and getting cozy with a good book!

If you’re in the mood for cowboys, romance, and stories with a chill, then I’ve got TWO for you, and both are on sale in eBook for the entire month.

The Crow Brothers Collection is perfect for the Halloween season. Three Old West short novellas set during Hallowtide with medium spice romances.

The Crow and The Coyote
Among the red-rock canyons of the Navajo, bounty hunter Jack Boggs—known as The Crow—aids Hannah Dobbin in a quest to save her pa's soul during Hallowtide.

The Crow and The Bear
When no one will help Jennie Livingstone enter a haunted ravine to find her papa, she must accept the aid of enigmatic bounty hunter Callum Boggs, sometimes called The Crow. 

A Murder of Crows
Eliza McCulloch is determined to reclaim her family book of spells, and her only hope is Kester Boggs, a manhunter named The Crow.

Grab a copy here

Into The Land Of Shadows, is a full-length western romance that blends humor, a high-stakes romance, a protective wolf named Bart, and the exorcism of an evil spirit. Yes, I went there lol. This is a standalone book and includes one of my favorite scenes I’ve written. Keep reading for a sample!

The eBook of Into The Land Of Shadows is at a reduced price of $2.99 for October.

Rancher Ethan Barstow is weary of the years-long estrangement from his brother, Charley. Deciding to track him down is easy; riding in the company of Kate Kinsella, Charley’s supposed fiancée, proves to be anything but.

In this first-kiss scene from Into The Land Of Shadows, Ethan Barstow and Kate Kinsella have been fighting an attraction as they team up to find Ethan’s brother, Charlie, who’s disappeared. Charlie happens to be Kate’s “fake” fiancé, and while she has her reasons for not telling Ethan the truth, it puts Ethan in a dilemma regarding his feelings for her.

As this scene unfolds, Kate has escaped her captors—three bumbling ruffians who are using Kate to lure Charlie and his potential copper mining location into the open. There’s no question in Ethan’s mind that he would rescue her.

Setting is Tuba City, Arizona Territory, 1893.

Kate moved around a trading post but sensing a presence from behind, she jerked her head around and stared. A four-legged creature ran past, disappearing.

With a hand on her chest, she struggled to calm her breathing. It was just a dog.

She peeked around the building and saw Clive walking down the street carrying his gun. Rufus wasn’t in sight. She needed to find a place to hide but most establishments looked closed.

Movement to the left caught her eye. Joe Tohonnie? Maybe she hadn’t dreamt him after all.

The shadow moved across the street and disappeared behind a blacksmith building. Kate ran to the other side of the street, hunching over to hide herself. Once she made it to the blacksmith, she glanced around.

“Joe?” she whispered. “Mister Tohonnie? Is that you?” 

No answer but the wind. Kate began backing up toward the rear of the building, dread gripping her stomach. She swallowed hard, feeling uncertain. Staying close to the structure, her heart wouldn’t stop pounding and her hands were clammy from fear. She swallowed hard again then turned to run but was caught short, letting out an involuntary gasp when the four-legged creature cut her off with a growl.

The animal’s yellow eyes glowed by the light of the moon and he watched her with rapt attention, his body poised for attack.

A wolf.

Another low growl emanated from deep in the animal’s throat and Kate fought the urge to flee. The wolf’s head easily came to her chest; he would have no trouble chasing her down and ripping her to pieces. The gash on her face would pale in comparison to what he would do to her.

A commotion from behind startled her. Someone grabbed her, and in a frenzy Kate fought back, kicking and straining against the iron grip the man exerted around her waist. His hold loosened and Kate fell to the ground. She grabbed a loose board, and screamed as she swung it around, hitting the man’s leg. But he didn’t go down. She scooted backward and scrambled to her feet. The man grabbed her this time, facing her. Thinking it was Clive or Rufus, she continued to struggle.

“Katie! Katie! It’s me. It’s Ethan.” He held her tight against the building. A sob escaped from deep inside her throat, a maelstrom that matched the wind roaring in her ears, and then Ethan’s mouth was on hers.

Hot, insistent, devouring. She molded into him, her lips and tongue hungry for the sudden and consuming contact. She pushed her body against his, clinging to his broad shoulders, desperate to be closer still.

He didn’t abandon me.

His mouth crushed hers and she felt on fire, head to toe.

“Rufus, you find her?” Clive yelled in the distance.

Ethan broke the kiss, and Kate reeled back against the building. “Let’s go,” he said and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind the blacksmith building.

“Wait.” She tugged his hand to stop him. “There’s a wolf.” Her voice shook—either from the men chasing her, the wolf challenging her, or the man who had just devastated her defenses with one kiss. She could take her pick. She’d had a busy day.

“He’s with me,” Ethan said quietly.

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Mary E. Walker: Medal Of Honor Recipient

 

By Kristy McCaffrey 

Mary Edwards Walker was the second female doctor in American history, graduating from Syracuse Medical College in 1855. (The first was Elizabeth Blackwell six years prior, attending Geneva Medical College in Geneva, New York.) She was also the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

Dr. Mary E. Walker

Walker came from a large family of seven children. Her parents encouraged her to think freely and allowed her to dress in men’s clothing. They also believed their daughters should be equally educated alongside their sons.

After Walker graduated from medical school, she married Albert Miller, another medical student. During the ceremony she refused to “obey” her husband, wore a short skirt with trousers, and kept her maiden name. Together they began a medical practice in Rome, New York, but it failed because the public wouldn’t accept a female doctor. After a ten-year separation, Walker and Albert later divorced on the grounds of his infidelity, and she was pegged as anti-marriage and anti-family for the remainder of her life.

During the Civil War, Walker worked as an unpaid volunteer nurse for the U.S. Patent Office Hospital because she wasn’t allowed to serve as a medical officer (or a surgeon, for which she was trained) due to her gender. But finally, in 1863 her request to practice as a surgeon was accepted. She became the first female U.S. Army surgeon for the Army of the Cumberland.

U.S. postage stamp from 1982

She often crossed battle lines and in 1864 she was captured by Confederate troops as a spy. She was imprisoned for four months at the notorious Castle Thunder prison near Richmond. She was released as a part of a prisoner exchange with other medical doctors. When the war ended, she was awarded the Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service by President Andrew Johnson.

In 1916, the Medal of Honor was taken away from Walker and many others after a government review deemed them ineligible. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter legally restored the Medal of Honor to Walker’s name. She is the only woman to ever receive the award from over 3,500 recipients.

In 2024, Mary Walker was recognized on a new
U.S. quarter

Beyond her medical work, Dr. Walker espoused progressive values and viewpoints. She was an advocate for women’s rights and fought for the right to vote, as well as for the right to dress how she wished. She passed away in 1919 at the age of 86.

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Kristy writes historical western romances with courageous women and the brave men who love them. Learn more about her books at her website.

Women Editors of the Old West

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Between 1854 and 1899 there were almost three hundred women who were editing publications in eleven western states in the U.S.

While the records of women’s contributions to newspapers and periodicals wasn’t always well documented, the first female western editor was likely Sarah Moore Clarke, who published The Contra Costa in Oakland, California, in 1854. The purpose of her weekly paper was, “to do service as a ladies’ paper, as well as in the drudgery of a general news organ.”

 

Female editors were diverse, from thirteen-year-old Katherine Bragg, who published The Bug-Hunter in 1891, in Tombstone, Arizona, to Mary Hayes-Chynoweth, who edited her church’s magazine, The True Life. Most of the women were from middle-class backgrounds and had several years of schooling.

For the most part, female editors worked independently. When they had co-editors, their partners were likely to be a female related to them or a spouse. Their careers were usually short-lived, lasting on average two years. However, Emmeline B. Wells had a thirty-seven-year career as editor of the Woman’s Exponent in Salt Lake City, Utah, taking it over in 1877.

 

Most women edited small-town weeklies, but many publications ran the gamut of subject matter: Western Society, Salt Lake Sanitarian, Temperance Star, Indian Advance, and Out of Doors for Women were just a few of the periodicals and newspapers available at the time.

In the book Equal to the Occasion by Sherilyn Cox Bennion, she writes, “Perhaps the acceptance of women as journalists, and particularly as editors and publishers, had something to do with a subconscious perception that women and the press shared certain common functions. Women, after all, brought civilization to the frontier, at least in the eyes of those who accepted the traditional ideas of a woman’s place. They initiated the recruiting of teachers and preachers and organized literary societies and amateur theatricals. Newspapers, for their part, brought the printed word. … Woman may have seen the editorial role as compatible with their natural tendencies, and communities may have accepted them because that perception was shared.”

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In my upcoming book, THE NIGHTHAWK, Sophie Ryan has come to Jerome, Arizona Territory, in 1899 to work as a reporter for the Jerome Mining News. While her employer is the elder Hayes Bromley, it’s actually his daughter, Olivia, who runs the paper. Pre-order THE NIGHTHAWK now!

Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.

U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.

Come along with Sophie and McKay as they find adventure, mystery, and love.

Sophie is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.

Coming July 17, 2024

Pre-order at

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Walnuts in American History

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Walnuts are the fruits of the walnut tree. They ripen from September to November in the northern hemisphere.

Pecans are the only indigenous nut in the America’s, but walnuts were first planted by Franciscan monks in the 1700’s. Walnuts rose to importance in America in the 1840’s, first in San Diego and then Los Angeles. Russel Heath was the first to plant a commercial walnut orchard in Santa Barbara County in the early 1860’s. By the 1880’s, he had one of the largest walnut orchards in the country. Walnut production thrived in Southern California due to its similar climate to the Mediterranean.

Back then, ranchers sold their crops to brokers, who then sold to wholesalers, but in 1896, the ranchers formed a cooperative to sell directly to wholesalers. The ranchers would send their crops to a packing house where the walnuts were graded according to size bleached to improve appearance, dried, and packed in 100-pound sacks for shipment.

While many of the health claims of walnuts have been deemed inconclusive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, may lower blood pressure, and may improve cognitive health—they are filled with good polyunsaturated fats, B vitamins and magnesium, as well as many other vitamins and minerals.

In my upcoming book, The Canary, walnuts play a role in the story.

Coming July 25, 2023

Arizona Territory 1899 

Sarah Ryan grew up in Texas digging up animal bones and potsherds, but she always dreamed of searching for the extraordinary dinosaur fossils in the American West. When a wealthy benefactress gives her the opportunity to join the team of esteemed paleontologist Dr. Allan Brenner, she eagerly accepts. But when she arrives in the wild and wooly town of Holbrook, Arizona Territory, ready to start digging, she’s faced with the very real obstacle of being a female in a world dominated by men. 

Dr. Jack Brenner is looking for his father who disappeared into the Painted Desert two months ago. Assuming leadership of his father’s expedition has Jack suddenly saddled with Sarah Ryan, a young female paleontology student. When his guide refuses to let Sarah accompany them into the wilderness without a chaperone—and a colleague threatens her—Jack finds himself in a pretend marriage to protect the determined woman whose passion for paleontology was something he once possessed. But he has bigger problems than his beautiful new wife—someone has been stealing fossils and selling them illegally to collectors, and Jack fears it might be his father. 

Sarah is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.

Pre-order THE CANARY at Amazon, Apple Books, and Nook.

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Free The Writer

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

While not everyone is set on writing the next great western novel, we all want to tell our stories. A wonderful book to help get you started, or to reignite a passion that may have become stagnant, is Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. First published in 1986 and rooted in Zen methodology, her advice is simple: trust in what you love, trust in your own mind, and everything else will follow.

“Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”

Goldberg points out that people often write from a mentality of poverty, thinking they need a teacher to tell them what to do or how to do it. The opposite is generally true. We learn writing by doing it. And to write well one must read a lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot.

 

We live in a society that rewards being busy, but that often isn’t fruitful or soul-fulfilling. Beware of monkey mind, says Goldberg, since it likes to create busyness that can keep us from our true heart. She believes that everyone has talent, but it’s obviously easier for some to tap into it than others. Human effort is necessary, so don’t shy away from doing the work. But it’s also more than just the work, it’s allowing and recognizing that the effort has awakened us. This lets a writer become aware and mindful, to shape the talent into something useful, something that resonates.

“Finally, one just has to shut up, sit down, and write. That is painful. Writing is so simple, basic, and austere.”

Develop a writing practice, a writing workout each day. A runner doesn’t improve without consistent running. The same is true for a writer. So, carve out this space, but know that it’s okay to write without a destination. Expectation can freeze the process. It also takes time to reflect on certain ideas, certain experiences, before they can be put down on paper. Goldberg refers to this as composting. These things can’t be rushed, so best to cultivate patience and acceptance. It can make the writing life less anxiety-provoking.

 

She offers techniques to stop fighting yourself (and the endless distractions that keep you from writing) such as: give yourself free time in the morning to do whatever, but at 10 a.m. you must sit down and write something; or you must fill at least one notebook a month, not with quality but quantity; or, as soon as you wake up, go directly to your desk and write (eating and teeth brushing can wait). Another technique is timed writing and first thoughts. This can remove the critic filter than often shoots down an idea before it can be fully crafted.

Need a writing prompt? Take five minutes to write down your deep dreams. And then? Don’t ignore what you wrote. Actually, it will likely be difficult to avoid your thoughts now that they’re laid out before you. Simply said, it will change your life.

This book can be read straight through, or sporadically when needed. I guarantee that at least one of Goldberg’s many suggestions and insights will spark something inside yourself and may just lead you to write down the bones.

 

Kristy McCaffrey is the author of the award-winning historical western romance series, Wings of the West. Learn more at her website.

National Novel Writing Month and The Canary

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Last month was National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. During November, writers from around the world try to write a 50,000-word novel. I signed up to punch out a first draft of my next Wings of the West book, The Canary, and I’m happy to report that I made it to 50k. Is the manuscript readable? Well, kinda ….

This is the fourth time I’ve participated in NaNo, and after much revising I’m happy to say the previous three projects all went to publication (The Blackbird, Deep Blue, and The Starling). The Canary will also need some work, but I’m pleased with what I have.

For previous NaNo’s, my goal was to get to some version of the end of the story, because it often helps to know the ending in order to fine-tune the beginning. This means skipping interior scenes, since my books usually fall between 75-85k.

For this NaNo, however, I changed my method. When I hit 40k, I realized I didn’t like my first chapter. I was working with a fake marriage trope between the main characters, Sarah Ryan and paleontologist Dr. Jack Brenner, but the initial setup left me feeling lackluster. In the first one, Sarah pretends to be married to Jack because she’s run into one of her professors who’s been harassing her, and she’s frightened to be in the Arizona desert with this man. But as I kept writing this premise, I felt it weakened Sarah’s character.

So, for the last 10k of NaNo, I rewrote the first five chapters from scratch, using a different approach to get Sarah and Jack “hitched,” and I like this one much better. I’ll have to tear apart the rest of what I have and repurpose it, but this is how I generally work anyway.

I have a few other projects I must return to, so I’ll start revising The Canary in February. This will allow me time to do more research, which is challenging when trying to write 2,000 words every day. (If you write each day of November during NaNo, you only need 1667 words, but I overwrote so that I could take time off around Thanksgiving).

I will say, though, that the more I read about the dinosaur fossils in the Painted Desert in the late 1800’s, the more intrigued I become.

I’m very excited for this book, and I hope the readers will love it too.

You can pre-order The Canary now at Amazon, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble. (It will also be available at Google Play Books and Kobo but closer to the release date of July 25, 2023.)

Would you like a Christmas card from me for 2022? Fill out this Google doc and I’ll add you to the list.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

 

The Origin of the U.S. Marshal

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

In 1789, President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act into law, providing a charter for the federal judicial system by specifying the jurisdiction and powers of the district and circuit courts, and the qualifications and authority of federal judges, district attorneys, court clerks, U.S. Marshals, and Deputy Marshals.

Washington wrote to Edmond Randolph, the first Attorney General, “I have considered the first arrangement of the Judicial department as essential to the happiness of our Country, and to the stability of its political system; hence the selection of the fittest characters to expound the laws, and dispense justice, has been an invariable object of my anxious concern.”

The United States Marshals would help to define, administer, and enforce the growing body of federal laws. By their actions, these men would determine the boundary between federal authority and local autonomy.

The first generation of United States Marshals appointed by Washington proved their commitment to the new nation in time of war, yet their strong ties to their local communities ensured their respect for the individual states.

The sixteen men who composed the first generation of United States Marshals set a number of precedents that have been followed with relative consistency down to the present day. They were loyal, dedicated men who had served their country in the past and were prepared to serve it again. Most were prominent in their communities and had strong political connections. Most were members of the president's political party, loyal and sympathetic to his programs, and opposed to his political opponents. Consequently, most lost their job as Marshal when another party came to power.

For 195 years, Marshals and Deputies have performed the duties originally assigned them by the Judiciary Act of 1789. Their history is also the story of a nation's unending attempt to balance the need for law and order against the demand for individual freedom and the rights of the states.

Kate is searching for her fake fiancé, Charley. To find him, she must travel with Ethan Barstow, Charley's brother. In the home of the Navajo, spirit and legends run deep. Can Kate and Ethan find love as they travel into the land of shadows?

To download a free e-copy of this standalone novel, click here.

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Gambling in the United States

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Games of chance first came to the American colonies with the first settlers and lotteries were often used to help raise money to establish universities and secondary schools throughout the 18^th and 19^th centuries. As America grew, lotteries continued to be used at the state and federal levels, while privately owned gambling businesses began to develop.

 

New Orleans became the epicenter of gambling but in the mid-1800’s a backlash formed, and gambling was pushed from the Mississippi River toward the less-regulated western territories, as well as to Mississippi River boats. Anti-gambling forces in the northeast brought most state-sponsored lotteries to an end, while the California Gold Rush spurred San Francisco into a gambling mecca.

 

Reconstruction after the Civil War saw a brief return of lotteries as a way to generate revenue, but by the beginning of the 20^th century, gambling was almost uniformly outlawed in the United States. This created many forms of illegal gambling, especially among organized crime syndicates.

 

The stock market crash of 1929 and the building of the Hoover Dam led to the legalization of gambling in Nevada. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Las Vegas saw rapid growth and development. In 1977, New Jersey legalized gambling in Atlantic City, and in 1979, the Seminole tribe opened the first reservation-based commercial gambling. Today, gambling is legal under U.S. Federal Law.

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Don't miss Kristy's Wings of the West series - historical western romances with honorable heroes and courageous heroines.

Coming August 2, 2022

Pre-order now

Colorado 1899 

Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime.

Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy cattleman Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way.

Kate Ryan is the daughter of Matt and Molly from THE WREN, and THE STARLING is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series.