Pioneer Meals ~ Julie Lence

 

Courtesy Modern Pioneer Mom

 ‘What’s for dinner?’ It’s the phrase everyone across the globe utters daily. Italians are mostly likely serving pasta. The night’s menu in Mexico might include tamales, while over in the Caribbean, folks could be frying fish. In the U.S., dinner ranges anywhere from fast food to chicken & dumplings, to steak & potatoes. At the end of this month, most Americans will sit down to a feast of turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. With today’s modern stoves,  microwave ovens, gas grills, and deep fryers, preparing a large meal isn’t too difficult or time consuming. Back in the day, it was both. Pioneer women and chuck wagon cooks stood over the fire from sun-up to sun-down cooking the day’s meals. They kneaded dough and churned butter without the help of today’s appliances, and woke early the next morning to start all over again.

Ever wonder what those women and chuck wagon cooks were serving up?

With flour, sugar, corn meal, potatoes, beans, and fruits and vegetables such as pears, squash, corn, and pumpkin filling home larders, pioneer women served a breakfast of coffee, bread & butter, cold meat from the day before, and corn cakes. Lunch was the main meal and included dried pumpkin, beans & butter, turnips, fruit, and some sort of meat (deer, rabbit, turkey, pork, beef, buffalo, and chicken). Supper was a lighter fare of porridge or bread and milk. Molasses or sweetened water was used if milk wasn’t available.   

courtesy YouTube

Chuck wagon cooks dished up meals of beans, fresh beef, dried fruit, biscuits, bacon, potatoes, eggs, and salt pork to cowboys. Saloons served pork & beans with bacon, pickled eggs, and pretzels. And in those lunch pails children carried to school were cornbread and syrup sandwiches, bread with lard, or bread and bacon. To keep meat from spoiling, pioneers often had a smokehouse on their property where early November they would erect a low-burning fire and hang meats to cure. (This process took several weeks and once complete, the meat kept well into the following summer.) Vegetables were canned and fruits were dried.

Cooking and storing food to last throughout the year wasn’t easy. As much as I adore the wild west, I prefer cooking on my electric stove and gas grill and having a refrigerator to keep fruits and vegetables from spoiling.   

Judge Roy Bean

 Judge Roy Bean, often dubbed the "Law West of the Pecos, was one of the Old West's most colorful and controversial figures. Born in Kentucky in 1825, Bean drifted westward, living a rough-and-tumble life that included gunfights, smuggling and gambling. By the late 1880s, he had set up shop in Langtry, Texas, running a combination saloon and makeshift courthouse. From behind the bar, Bean dispensed his unique brand of justice--often guided less by the letter of the law and more by his own notions of fairness, profit, and frontier practicality. His rulings were swift, unpredictable, and occasionally laced with humor, all while he sipped whiskey and kept an eye on the poker game.

Bean's court was far from ordinary. He held trials in his saloon, the Jersey Lilly, named after the British actress Lillie Langtry, with whom he was infatuated despite never meeting her. The "courtroom" was decorated with posters of Langtry, and Bean would happily tell travelers tall tales about her. His sentences could be unconventional--fining the dead man in a shooting case for "carrying a concealed weapon" or letting offenders go if they agreed to buy a round of drinks for the crowd. Though his methods skirted official law, Bean maintained order in a rough border region where formal justice was scarce, earning him both admiration and scorn.

Despite his eccentricities, Roy Bean became a living legend before his death in 1903. Stories of his rulings spread far and wide, mixing fact and folklore until the man and the myth were nearly inseparable. For many Western readers, Bean represents the wild spirit of frontier law--where survival often depended on wit, courage, and a willingness to bend the rules. Whether viewed as a shrewd showman, a corrupt opportunist, or a folk hero who brought a kind of order to lawless lands, Judge Roy Bean's place in Western lore is secure, his life a reminder that in the Old West, justice could be as unpredictable as the desert wind. 

 

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Legendary Female Gambler Kitty Leroy

The thrill of the wild west didn’t just belong to the men. There were plenty of women who were as skilled in cards and guns as Bat Masterson and Doc Holiday. One such female who thrived on the edge of danger, and died young, was Kitty Leroy.

Kitty was born in Michigan in 1850. She began dancing at the young age of ten and by 14 was a professional in the dance halls and saloons. During this time, dancing wasn’t her only passion. She learned to handle knives and guns, becoming more proficient than most men. Her first husband, whom she married at the age of 15, was the only man in their town willing to let her shoot an apple off his head. But Kitty grew restless with small town life and longed for bigger and better things. Her husband didn’t share her desires, so she left him and headed west in search of fortune.     

Game of Faro

Kitty landed in Dallas, Texas and continued with her dancing career, but soon gave it up for dealing Faro. She became an accomplished gambler and continued mastering her skills with guns and knives. It was during this time she took to dressing in men’s clothes and married her 2^nd husband at the age of 20. They moved to California in the hopes of opening a saloon, but Kitty left him for husband number three. This marriage was extremely short. Legend dictates she challenged him to a fight but he refused to fight a woman. She donned her man’s clothes and challenged him a second time. Again, he refused so she shot him. When he didn’t die instantly, she sent for a preacher and married him while he lay on the ground. He died a few days after.

Deadwood

Kitty left California and made her way to Deadwood in 1876, traveling in a wagon party with Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane. Once in Deadwood, she found work as a prostitute in Mollie Johnson’s brothel. Shortly after gaining employment with Mollie, she opened the Mint Gambling Saloon and married her 4th husband, a German prospector who struck gold. His money dried up fast and so did her interest with him. Arguing became second nature for them until the night she hit him over the head with a bottle and tossed him out, effectively ending their marriage.  

Alone again, Kitty continued managing her saloon and her girls, earning a good profit. On June 11, 1877, she married for the last time to prospector and gambler Samuel R. Curley. Kitty’s marriage to Samuel was also steeped in violence. He was extremely jealous of her, and with reason. She continued with her promiscuous ways, including having an affair with her ex-husband and one with Wild Bill, or so rumor suggests. Samuel shot and killed Kitty on the night of December 6, 1877 then killed himself. They were laid to rest together the next day.

   Somewhere in Kitty’s colorful 28 years, she had a daughter. At the time of her death, Deadwood newspapers printed her estate was left to her daughter, Kitty Donally. 

Guest Author Karen Michelle Nutt

Whiskey and Pie to Go, Please

by Karen Michelle Nutt

With any western town, there was always a saloon or perhaps even two or three present. In the 1800s, there were different types of saloons from gambling saloons to dancehall saloons or 'just grab a drink' saloons. Saloons were a place for men to gather for a drink or play a game of cards. Respectable women were not allowed, or they stayed clear of such 'sinful' places. The women who did work there were deemed 'bad girls' or soiled doves, daughters of sin, fallen frails, or nymphs du prairie—just a few of the names they were called.

However, many don't realize there was a big difference between a saloon girl and a prostitute. Brothels, cribs, and parlor houses were places where the women offered sex for money. 'Saloon girls' offered dances, songs, and conversation with the intent to lead the men to the bar to buy drinks and try their hand at the games offered. It's not to say that the women didn't sometimes take their attention upstairs, but it wasn't part of the job. Most saloon girls were treated like ladies, but you should keep in mind it was still a dangerous job.

Whiskey was a popular drink at the saloons, but some of the establishments also offered beer, fine wine, and even a meals with their drink.

Saloons weren't the only place a traveler sought to quench their thirst or hope for a bite to eat. In the East, by the late 1800s, there were upscale restaurants that offered dainty luncheons and sweets where women were welcome to enjoy a meal. Women could stop in after a day of shopping and eat lunch, order bon bons, or consult with a clairvoyant. (I found the latter an interesting prospect.) The confectionaries— as they were often called because they served sweets—also sold perfumes and lotions, and other things for the home.

In my story, Fake Marriage with a Dash of Desire, Sunset, Arizona is a fictional cattle ranch town set in the late 1800s. Sunset has seen many changes since the Phoenix Railroad linked the town to the rest of the nation.

Maribel owns Somebody's Darlin' Saloon and hires 'saloon girls' to entertain the men. Though she prefers they don't do more than dance with the patrons, she turns the other way if the gal is discreet when she entertains. She pays them to sing, dance or talk to the men, not for any other extracurricular activities.

Patsy's Pies is another business in my fictional town of Sunset that offers home-style cooking and pastries. In the late 1800s, quite a few of the restaurants weren't places a woman would frequent either, but I liked the idea of Patsy's Pies being more of a family restaurant since the railroad brought travelers from across country. A traveler would surely be famished after a long train ride, and not everyone would want to head over to the saloon.

Sunset is a bit rough around the edges with whiskey-drinking ranch hands, but the cakes and pies make the town a sweet place to visit.

Indulge in your own sweet delight as you read a snippet from Fake Marriage with a Dash of Desire. I hope you will enjoy Nash and Jewel's unusual first encounter. Though Nash won't find out the mahogany-haired beauty's name is Jewel until they meet again.

Excerpt:

Nash removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor before reaching to lower Lulu's straps and give those breasts of hers a proper hello, but his hand froze as the door to the room swung open, banging against the wall with a thud. Nash had his gun drawn just as fast.

A pint-size woman came flying inside, her mahogany hair a blur of color. She didn't seem to notice he almost blew her head clean off. Her hand reached for the door and closed it enough so she could peek out into the hall. Her round behind pointed in his direction like an invitation, but Nash was downright irked with the interruption, and felt like shooting her just for the heck of it.

The woman finally turned, and he caught sight of her beautiful, sea-green eyes all fringed with the darkest, longest lashes he'd ever seen. His angry words lodged in the back of his throat, and threatened to choke him.

Her hand flipped her thick tresses over her shoulder as though she was annoyed about her hair being in the way. Her gaze met his, and she gave him a curt nod. "Sorry, mister, for the intrusion. I'll be on my way in just a moment." She all but dismissed him as she turned her attention toward the gal sprawled on his lap. "Oh, hello, Lulu," she said to her as if they were long lost friends.

"How's it going?" Lulu smiled as if this situation was all part of the evening's festivities.

"Oh, it's going." She gave Lulu a big grin and winked.

Lulu shook her head and removed herself from his lap. "Little Miss, you are going to be in a fix of trouble if Maribel finds you up here!"

"Hell-nation, I'm more worried about Mr. Stanfield."

"You gone and done it again, haven't you?" Lulu shook her head. "He's going to kill you good this time."

"Yeah? Well, he has to find me first." Little Miss turned her attention to the door she had kept slightly ajar and peeked out when she heard a man bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"Where is that cheating little snipe? I'll throttle her with my bare hands." The doors down the hall were being opened and slammed shut again as the man did his search.

Nash's brow lifted. He could only assume that the pretty pixie that flew into his room was the cheating little snipe the man wanted to throttle.

Nash kept his gun close.

Get to know Karen:

Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

When she's not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates book covers at Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover".

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, time travel or contemporary romances, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Visit the author at her website: http://www.kmnbooks.com

Blog: http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com

Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”

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