Medications in the "Old West" a hint for writers and authors...

Medicines in the Old West

It’s easy enough to establish while watching a movie or television series about the “Old West” there was limited access to any kind of Healthcare. Just watch a few episodes of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman or something of Doc Cochran from Deadwood and you will see their hands were often tied due to lack of resources. Medical care in the 1800’s was growing fast in the civilized eastern cities such as Boston and New York, but even there some of the care would be viewed today as widely lacking even in the best facilities at that time. But take it out west, and if a doctor could be found, it was more likely he’d given better care to animals and had little access to anything that might be considered modern at the time.

As I write my historical novels and because I am a Registered Nurse, I get into a bit of trouble with my editor because I can get a little too graphic at times when someone in my stories is injured. But I have found as I write, I constantly have to think about the year a medication or treatment was discovered and even if it was available in the Eastern cities didn’t mean it was something that could be found with physicians out west. So I had to come up with a cheat sheet on a few things and thought I would share.

Whiskey-used as a mood depressant for pain-sometimes it was the only thing that could be given to dull pain for an injury.

Cognac-was often used to pack the sockets of tooth extractions to dull the pain.

Opiates/Opium-was used prior to 4000 b.c. and was extracted from the Poppy Plant as it is now. Many medications were derived from this medication including: Laudanum, Tincture of Opium, and eventually Morphine (1803-oral and injected). The concern with any of the pain relieving medications and given how the medications were made was dosaging. Many a cowboy lost his life or suffered ill effects of overdosing of opiate medications. Laudanum was a more stable product and commonly used in the Old West for pain relief, colds, insomnia, childbirth, nausea, vomiting, cough suppression, hysteria in women and heart ailments. Demerol and Codeine came along in 1930, so be careful of your history and the hypodermic needed was invented in 1803. Heroine was a boiled Morphine in the 1870s. This medication had a brief used as an accepted pain medicine in the 1900’s but only for a short time. It was discovered to cross the blood-brain barrier making it highly addictive with adverse effects.

In the 19^th Century and with the commonality of Opiates available and shipped in from the Orient or brought in with Chinese immigrants after 1850, Opium Dens grew in some western towns. The active ingredient was smoked or sipped in “medication” form and abuse was common. Lawson against Opium Dens came along about 1870 but were highly enforced by the 1900s.

Cocaine/Coca plant-(1885)-the leaves of the plant were chewed for energy and strength. The leaves were also wrapped around injured or broken limbs for pain relief and was thought to reduce festering of wound. It was sold in various forms in stores and was also prescribed for depression or melancholy. It wasn’t until years later that it was discovered that it held addictive properties.

Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana: Has been used for centuries and is often a common news debates as the drug has become legal in some states. In the 1830’s it was used for medical spasms, seizures and for relaxation of a patient. It wasn’t until 1937 that the drug became controversial and still remains so.

Aspirin/Willow Bark Extract- First used by the Indians, this tree bark tea was known widely for it’s pain relieving properties. The active ingredient was Acetylsalicylic Acid or what is known today as Aspirin. Indians commonly chewed the stalks or boiled the bark for a pain relieving tea. Interestingly enough Hippocrates studied this medicine in 1850.

Peyote (Cactus)-Was used by many tribes of American Indians for religious ceremonies. The highly potent extracted drug was known to cause hallucinations.

This list is by far not complete as to what might have been used in the “Old West” when relief was needed, but it’s a good start if you are a writer. My best advice would be to look up the medications before writing about them and to make sure of the years they were actually in use and then verify they would have made their way to the area where your story takes place. As any writers know, do you research and keep a notebook or typed file of your findings.


And stay tuned as next month I bring you a bit of modern medicine info for authors and writers. Stay tuned.

 

Author Interview with Agnes Alexander

Help me welcome Agnes Alexander! We're talking about her novel Xenia's Renegade.

Agnes Alexander

One of the things I enjoyed about Xenia’s Renegade was the world you built. We didn’t only see the ranch, but the reader also got to walk through the doors of a stagecoach station, a saloon, and an hotel to name a few. And the ranch house itself had an interesting layout to accommodate two separate-but-together families. Do you use any particular resources or tools such as Pinterest when you create a setting? I wondered if the ranch house was based on something you’d seen? (And I envy the lucky ladies who get to live there with those hunky cowboy cousins!)

Agnes: I have a tub full of brochures of ghost towns, museums, and reconstructed old western towns as well as hundreds of pictures I made on a 30 day vacation in the west a few years ago. These are wonderful resources as well as Google. When I decide on a setting (state and area) for my books, I look up that state and read as much about the local plants, animals, weather and history as I can. As for the 2-family ranch house, it was mostly a figment off my imagination, though I remembered the houses in some Amish communities that add an almost entire house as the generations expand and grow. I figured if it worked there, why not in the west?

Available at Amazon

The wild, old west certainly was wilder for some groups of people than others, which comes through as a theme in Xenia’s Renegade. You have a number of Indian and part Indian characters, including the hero, and prejudice is something they face is an important part of the story line. Another group who often find themselves in a precarious position are women. There are a range of female characters from innocent young ladies to soiled doves, and what struck me was how their fates were often dictated by the men who had control over them including fathers, husbands, and employers. The sympathy you feel for these characters comes through. If we transported you back to the old west, how do you think you’d do faced with some of these situations?

Agnes: My great-grandmother (a free spirit who lived to be 104) was born in the 1880's. She told wonderful tales about how it was for women in that time and how she wanted things to change. These things stuck with me and I want to bring some of them to light. I lived through much of the changes in the South in the 60's and I had a hard time understanding why anyone could hate another because of the color of their skin. Because there were so much prejudice against Indians in the west, I used these same feelings to point out that, regardless of belief, Indians were human.

As for how I’d fare in the old west, I’d like to think I’d be a woman like Calamity Jane or Annie Oakley. Truth be known, I’d probably be a wimp. I can’t now imagine living without modern conveniences like indoor plumbing and especially air conditioning.

You’ve written an astounding number of books covering historical western romance, cozy mysteries, and contemporary romance (did I miss anything?). I wonder where you find your inspiration? Do you switch from one genre to another or stick with one genre for a period? What’s your favorite genre to write in? Is there any new genre you’re hoping to tackle?

Agnes: I think most of my inspiration comes from my vivid imagination. I sometimes wonder if I ever really gave up my childhood imaginary friends, Spanky and Sparky or if I simply turned them into the many characters that live in my head now. My first book was a children’s puzzle book based on the Bible. I then wrote 2 more such books, then my daughter grew up and my inspiration was gone. I spent a lot of time writing articles, short-stories and fillers for magazines and newspapers. My first novel was a mystery because my friend wrote mysteries and encouraged me to do so. This led to the romantic suspense novels that followed. My father, an avid western fan, asked me to write a western, and eventually, I did. When my first western historical romance came out, I felt I had finally found my place in the writing field. Though I may write a few other genres now and then, I love the WHR and will concentrate most of my writing time there.

What are your favorite genres to read?

Agnes: I have personal friends who write mysteries, historical, thriller and contemporary who I read and enjoy, but when I need a new book to read and none of my friends have anything new out, I always turn to my list of Facebook friends and my publisher to get a Western Historical Romance. I have to admit it’s my favorite.

Writing is such a balancing act between creating, promoting, managing your media, and everything else a person has to do away from their desk. You’re a prolific writer, and so presumably have found a way to manage your time. What works for you?

Agnes: I enjoy talking to groups, book signings, writer’s conferences and sharing on someone else’s blog when invited. But, like a lot of writers, I don’t like much else about promotion, though it has to be done. I try to spend no more than 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night on the Facebook, Amazon and other sites. I try to keep my website and my blog somewhat up to date. I don’t understand Twitter and don’t spend much time there.

I’m retired from the cooperate world, but I still treat my writing as a job and I try to write something every day, even if it’s only a paragraph or two. It makes it easy to do, because I love to write. I keep telling my daughter that someday I’ll be that little old lady in the rest home pecking away at her computer thinking she’s writing the great American novel, though it’ll probably be gibberish.

The process of becoming a writer always interests me. Would you share some of your journey with us? Was it something you always wanted to do? Do you write full time or have you/do you have other jobs? Were there any turning points or defining moments for you?

Agnes: I was the oldest child in my family and the first grandchild on my father’s side. To say I was spoiled, is an understatement. From the time I could listen, my family immersed me in books and reading. I was reading for myself by second grade. At this time, I found myself deciding how I’d change many of the books and stories I read. In third grade I discovered a book by Enid Johnson – Cowgirl Kate. It was an older book, but I thought it was the most wonderful thing I’d ever read. I decided then and there I’d write books one day. (I found this book on a used book site a few years ago and paid $35.00 for a $3.00 book.)When my daughter was in fifth grade, I decided it was time for me to go to college. I attended a nearby university as a day student. My English professor encouraged me to send my writings to market and some sold. I had written a couple of novels by now, but still too afraid to send them out. I decided to go to a writer’s conference. They had a short-story contest and I decided to enter. Against all odds, I won. The writer judge encouraged me to send a mystery book I’d written out and I did. I got rejection after rejection, but then attracted the eye of an agent. She kept my book for a year, sent it to one publisher and then sent it back to me. I was about ready to give up when a writer I hardly knew suggested I send it to her publisher. It sold and was published in 2004. This set me on fire.  I wrote several mysteries and romances after that and was able to sell them to a variety of publishers. Because of my father’s love of the western, I decided to one. Fiona’s Journey ame out in 2012. I was thrilled and since I had met Sue Graften and saw how well it worked for her, I decided I’d write 26 westerns using a woman’s name beginning with a letter of the alphabet and one other word. Only thing, I decided I’d jump around and not go from A-Z as she did. I have now had 16 Alphabet westerns published and 8 to go. Though I occasionally write another genre, I feel I have found my voice in writing the western historical romance and plan to concentrate on this genre.

Do you have any activities or hobbies outside of writing which you think support your writing talent?

Agnes: When I think about it, I realize I lead a simple life. I belong to several writing groups. I still go to book signings when they’re local because I know how it feels not to get a crowd to come. I also attend all the plays and dance programs my high school aged granddaughter is in and we often go to get our nails done or do a little shopping. I have a monthly dinner date with my college aged grandson where we discuss his goal to write a book someday. He plans to be a psychiatrist and his studies take most of his time. I travel when I get the chance and find these trips not only relaxing, but informative. I spend as much time as I can with my school teacher daughter. Other than reading and writing, that’s about it.

About Xenia's Renegade: 

An urgent plea for help from a family member calls for action from Xenia Poindexter and her sister, Mea Ann. How can the rest of the family ignore Uncle Seymour’s plight and let him hang? Xenia and Mea Ann leave the comfort of their Virginia home for the wild, untamed Arizona Territory to do whatever they must to save their uncle. 

But traveling west is not what these two well-bred, innocent ladies expected. A raid on a stagecoach way station would have seen them dead if not for the quick thinking of one of the other passengers, handsome rancher Ty Eldridge. 

In the midst of the deadly raid, Mea Ann finds an orphaned Indian baby that she adopts as her own. Once the stage reaches Deer Meadow where their uncle is being held, Mea Ann and Xenia discover the deep-seated prejudice that pervades the town. Indians are not welcome—even Indian children. Ty and his cousin Wilt are all too familiar with the bigots in Deer Meadow, being half Sioux, themselves. 

Ty wants to protect Xenia from her uncle’s schemes to use her and Mea Ann as prostitutes in his saloon—sold to the highest bidders—but can he? Though romance blooms for Wilt and Mea Ann, Ty has been burned in the past by his love for a white woman—and he won’t risk his heart again. 

Though others say they’re all wrong for each other, Xenia has never felt more “right” than when she’s in Ty’s arms. She is determined to show him she’s strong enough to adapt to ranch life—his life. For Xenia, prejudice doesn’t exist—there’s enough love in her heart to hold Ty and heal his wounds. But Ty knows if he gives in to Xenia, he runs the risk of being hurt again. Is true love worth the chance of becoming XENIA’S RENEGADE?

Xenia's Renegade is also available in the collection Under a Western Sky.

Available at Amazon

Where do the very best love stories blossom? UNDER A WESTERN SKY, of course! This fabulous boxed set of six tales of danger and romance are sure to capture your imagination as you are carried away to the old west. Handsome marshals, Texas Rangers, gunslingers, and wealthy landowners meet their matches with the daring women they happen to fall in love with, and you won’t want to put this boxed set down until you’ve read the very last story! 

Authors Cheryl Pierson, Celia Yeary, Kaye Spencer, Tracy Garrett, Patti Sherry-Crews, and Agnes Alexander spin six incredible novel-length love stories filled with danger, excitement, and romance that will keep you turning page after incredible page until the very end. Saddle up and kick back for some excellent reading, as star-studded romance finds you UNDER A WESTERN SKY! 

San Francisco de Assisi Mission, New Mexico

Front of the mission

It’s been several years since I visited Taos, New Mexico, but when I do, one place in particular draws my attention, the San Francisco de Assisi Mission. Situated south of Taos and a few feet back from the curb, the mission is a small, adobe building rich with history. Built between 1772 and 1816, every time I enter, I feel at peace.  

Rear of the mission

During the 18^th century, Spanish and Mexican civilian families moved from Taos Pueblo to Ranchos de Taos to farm. To protect themselves from Comanche raids, they built their homes and work buildings out of adobe and situated them close together in a U-shape around a plaza, which became known as San Francisco Plaza. Steadfast in their Catholic religion, they founded the San Francisco de Assisi Mission, with the Franciscans overseeing the building of the church inside the u shape. Construction of the mission was completed in 1816, featuring two front facing bell towers with three white crosses adorning the towers and entryway. Four beehive shaped buttresses support the back of the church and two buttresses in front of each bell tower support the front of the church. Thick adobe walls surround the church, the cemetery, and the forecourt.

Original altar

San Francisco de Assisi Mission is the only original church to remain intact in the Taos area, and has been photographed, drawn, and painted by several well-known artists, including Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams. Through the years, the mission has undergone several restorations, most notably in 1967 when all of the ceiling vigas and doors were replaced with reproductions. Every June, parishioners and the community re-plaster the adobe in a project titled The Enjarre, or mudding of the church.

After the altar was repainted

The interior artwork of the church is breathtaking, with the altar decorated in original Spanish woodwork and the wall behind the altar having been repainted in 1981. The paintings behind the altar are believed to be oil paintings brought to the mission from the Archdiocese of Mexico by way of Spain some 200 years ago. Depictions of the 14 Stations of the Cross adorn the side walls of the chapel. There is a balcony at the back of the church, but is roped off to visitors. Research led me to discover the Santa Fe Desert Chorale has held concerts in the church, but the author of the article does not know if the choir sang from the balcony, as he had never attended one of their concerts.

Whether you’re a history buff or a tourist, of religious beliefs or not, if your travels take you to Taos, the San Francisco de Assisi Mission is one place you don’t want to miss. 

The balcony

Oregon Suffrage Movement

by Shanna Hatfield

While researching my soon-to-be-released book Quinn (Pendleton Petticoats Book 9), I looked into the suffrage movement in Oregon in 1912.

This was a pivotal year for the cause because the suffrage issue had made it on the ballet in four previous elections and faced defeat each time. 

Many were determined the November election would bring success. One of those women was Abigail Scott Duniway. 

Born in 1934 in Groveland, Illinois to John and Anne Scott, Abigail was one of nine children who survived infancy. She grew up on the family farm and attended school intermittently. 

In March 1852, despite Anne's health concerns, John organized a party of thirty people and five ox-drawn wagons to emigrate to Oregon. Anne died of cholera near Fort Laramie on the Oregon Trail in June. Willie, the youngest of Abigail's siblings, died in August along the Burnt River in Oregon. In October, the emigrants finally reached the Willamette Valley in Oregon. 

Abigail taught school then married Benjamin Charles Duniway, a farmer from Illinois. They had six children and farmed in Clackamas County until Benjamin moved the family to a farm near Lafayette, Oregon. They lost the second farm after a friend of Benjamin's defaulted on a note endorsed by Benjamin. Soon after, Benjamin was permanently disabled in a wagon accident involving a runaway team, leaving Abigail to support the family. 

She opened and ran a small boarding school in Lafayette, then moved the family to Albany where she taught in a private school for a year. She then opened a millinery and notions shop that she ran for five years. Stories relayed to her by married patrons of her shop about the injustice and mistreatment they received at the hands of their husbands left her angry and determined to do something.

In 1871, with Benjamin's support, they moved to Portland and founded The New Northwest, a weekly newspaper devoted to women's rights, including suffrage. She continued publishing the paper for sixteen years.

Abigail encountered personal setbacks such as poor health, money problems, and opposition to her efforts from her brother, Harvey, who also edited a Portland paper, The Oregonian. Reportedly, her brother opposed woman receiving the right to vote and wrote many articles on the subject. Abigail persisted in her suffrage efforts despite political opposition.

Abigail Scott Duniway signs Oregon's

 Equal Suffrage Proclamation on 

Nov. 30, 1912 as Governor Oswald West 

and Viola M. Coe watch. 

(Image courtesy Library of Congress)

 Her tenacious endeavors paid off in 1912 when Oregon became the seventh state to pass a women's suffrage amendment.

Governor Oswald West asked Abigail to write and sign the equal suffrage proclamation. She was the first woman to register to vote in Multnomah County.

You can find the proclamation here.

After years of fighting for the right to vote, women in Oregon finally received it, in no small part thanks to the efforts of Abigail Scott Duniway. 

Women around the state had formed suffrage leagues, joining the efforts made around the country.

In 1912, Elizabeth Arden (yes, that Elizabeth Arden of skincare and cosmetics fame) participated in the suffrage movement and supplied red lipstick to the suffragettes. The striking shade (that was often shunned before), became part of a standard rally uniform and a symbol of female anticipation.

Women wore buttons proclaiming Votes for Women. 

This particular button boasted 10 stars representing the 10 states in which women had the right to vote at the time the button was created: Wyoming (1869), Colorado (1893), Utah (1896), Idaho (1896), Washington (1910), California (1911), Kansas, Oregon and Arizona (all 1912), and Montana (1914).

Women also donned sashes that reminded everyone who saw them to consider Votes for Women.

In my story, Quinn, the local seamstress creates sashes for the women of the Pendleton suffrage league to wear. The women proudly donned them, along with their red lipstick and buttons, to march around town, singing suffrage songs.

As I tried to imagine the songs they might sing, I searched for some tidbits from the past and found an old songbook published in Kansas. 

 The songbook contains 28 songs (set to common tunes, many hymns) that express the perspective of women's rights. Titles include "Dare You Do It?" and "Three Blind Men." The lyrics to the songs touch on the issues of the women's rights movement in America at the time. The songs were written by Henry W. Roby, a prominent medical doctor, and published by Crane and Company in Topeka, KS. 

To learn more about Quinn and the fictional account (peppered with historical tidbits) of the Oregon suffrage movement shared in my story, join us April 12 for the 4th annual Petticoat Ball!

~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Newsletter | BookBub | Pinterest 

   

Winslow, Arizona

By Kristy McCaffrey

Located in northeastern Arizona lies the town of Winslow. In 1880, Winslow became a division point for the Santa Fe Railway and in 1881 became a regular terminal. A post office was established in 1882. The town, originally just a tent settlement, was named for General Edward F. Winslow, president of the railroad.

Winslow in 1890.

Long before Flagstaff and Sedona became popular vacation towns in Arizona, everyone visited Winslow and the La Posada Hotel for special occasions. Built in 1929 by the Santa Fe Railway, it was the work of esteemed architect Mary Jane Colter, known for the design of many structures at the Grand Canyon. La Posada, however, was her masterpiece and favorite project.

Winslow in 1921.

La Posada is one of the last of a series of hotel-depot complexes built across the Southwestern United States in a collaboration between Fred Harvey and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Designed for a railroad traveling public, the original front door faced the tracks to the south. It was thought that most guests would arrive by train and stay for several days, so day tours to the Petrified Forest and Indian sites were made available. For a fee you could get a driver, a guide, a picnic, and a custom Packard or Cadillac touring car.

La Posada Hotel.

The Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport was designed by Charles Lindbergh and is the last remaining airfield in the world drafted by the famed pilot. Currently there are no commercial flights, but in the 1920s and ’30s TWA ran eight flights a day. Howard Hughes, the owner of TWA, was a frequent visitor.

Winslow was the biggest city in the region through the 1950’s. Fred Harvey thought it would grow to be like Santa Fe and become the cultural and money capital of northern Arizona. Downtown Winslow was so busy that Route 66—originally routed through the town—became the first divided highway in Arizona, and hosted department stores like Sears, Pennys and Wards, a 400-seat theater, and over a hundred local businesses. Unfortunately, the town declined as train travel became less prevalent and Interstate-40 bypassed the town.

Winslow was made famous in the Eagles’ 1972 song “Take It Easy”, written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, and a monument on a street corner in town commemorates the reference.

Kristy standin' on the corner.

“...standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me.”

Today, La Posada Hotel has been restored and tourism benefits the town, which lies in close proximity to the Navajo Reservation, the Painted Desert, and Meteor Crater.

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