Quiz time!

What was the leading industry in Texas at the turn of the 20th century?

Oil? - No, that came later.

Cattle? Cotton?

The answer: Lumber.

  Lumber? Are you kidding? I live in Texas. There are no trees. Oh, we've got some scrubby little mesquite and an occasional oak, but nothing that this California native would call a tree. So how in the world did the lumber industry out-perform cattle and cotton, two Texas staples? [caption id="attachment_32121" align="alignright" width="264" caption="A virgin stand of longleaf pine in the East Texas Piney Woods region, 1908."][/caption] Well, as anyone who has ever driven across this great state can tell you, Texas is a big place. Yes we have desert regions and prairie and grassland and hill country, but over in the southeast is a lovely section called the Piney Woods. And as the railroad worked it's way west in the 1870's and 1880's, lumber men from Pennsylvania like Henry Lutcher and G. Bedell Moore saw the virgin forests of east Texas as a gold mine. Local boys like John Henry Kirby got in on the action, too, buying up and consolidating individual sawmills into complete lumber manufacturing plants. Kirby rose to success so quickly, he became known as the "Prince of the Pines," having become the largest lumber manufacturer in the state by combining 14 sawmills into the Kirby Lumber Company in 1901. Not only did the railroad boom make travel to the Texas woods easier, it was also one of the biggest  sources of demand for timber. Railroads needed lumber to construct rail cars, stations, fences, and cross ties in addition to the massive amounts of wood they burned for fuel. Each year railroads needed some 73 million ties for the construction of new rail lines and the maintenance of old ones, estimated by the magazine Scientific American in 1890. From the 1870s to 1900, railroads used as much as a fourth of national timber production. This combination of supply and demand fueled a "bonanza era" for the Texas lumber industry that lasted 50 years, from 1880 until the Great Depression. During this time, Texas became the third largest lumber-producing state in the nation. Northern investors swooped in to buy up land, sometimes even taking advantage of "use and possession laws" to seize property from families who had owned it for generations. Corruption abounded as logging companies controlled their workers, paying them only in vouchers for the company store despite the incredibly hazardous working conditions. These "cut and get out" operations left acres of land decimated. This is the climate in which my next book, Short-Straw Bride, is set. Travis Archer and his brothers own a prime piece of forested land that also happens to be the key to connecting investor Roy Mitchell's holdings to the railroad. Mitchell wants the ranch and is willing to get it any way he can. But the woman he's been courting (to get his hands on her inheritance, which just happens to be more piney woods land) overhears him plotting to take the Archers out. Meredith Hayes has secretly carried a torch for Travis since he rescued her when she was a girl of ten. When she hears the threat, she knows she has to warn Travis. Unfortunately, her good deed goes awry and she ends up with more trouble than she bargained for. She ends up a short-straw bride. Short-Straw Bride releases June 1st. If you'd like to read the first two chapters, click here.

  Nothing steals my breath more than a field covered with Texas Bluebonnets. It's simply too gorgeous for words. Each spring folks load into cars and tour buses to see the bluebonnets just like the people in the northeastern states take tours to view the spectacular fall foliage But although I've lived in Texas most of my life I found out some things I never knew that I'd like to share with you. Bluebonnets are only found growing in their natural state in Texas and no other location in the world. That means they weren't brought in from somewhere else by the early settlers. Bluebonnets are as well known as the shamrock is to Ireland and the cherry blossoms of Japan. Many of you may know that the bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas and has been since 1901. But did you know there are five different kinds and that choosing the state flower started a bitter dispute that wasn't finally settled until 1971? Arguments ensued over which variety was going to be declared the proper state flower. The Texas Legislature finally settled the dispute by declaring that any and all varieties of the bluebonnet are the state flower. The "lupinus texensis" variety is the most common and the one most visitors see when they come to Texas. It has pointed leaflets and the flowering stalk is a breathtaking blue with a white tip. But less common ones grow in pink, rosy purple and royal blue and there's even a solid white bluebonnet. Bluebonnets typically bloom in the spring from March through April and sometimes into early May. The profusion is dictated by the amount of rain and germination in the fall, long before they pop their heads out of the soil. In times of drought the amount of bluebonnets is considerably less. Although bluebonnets need heat to germinate the seed, cool weather is crucial to develop the complicated root structure. Bluebonnets are very difficult to grow in gardens and pots. They cannot tolerate poorly drained, clay based soils. And they need lots of direct sunlight. Guess that's one reason they grow so well here in Texas. We have oodles of sunshine. Other common names for the flowers are buffalo clover, wolf flower and el conejo (Spanish for "the rabbit".) Usually found blooming amid patches of bluebonnets are Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket, and coreopsis. Contrary to popular belief, it's not illegal to pick them. In 1982 the state legislature named Burnet (SW of Austin) the official Bluebonnet Capital of Texas. Each April the town holds a Bluebonnet Festival which includes street dancing, concerts, a carnival, 5K run, pet parade and wiener dog races. Sounds like fun. So, I hope you enjoyed this look at the bluebonnet. We're very proud it chose this state in which to shower us with its beauty.

For Christmas I was given a book about Texas, the state I was born and raised in. Although I’ve ventured away for short durations to live elsewhere, those times were little more than an extended vacation because I’ve always returned to the town where I was born. It’s been said that if you ever wear out a pair of shoes in Texas, you’ll never leave. I’m proof of that. I love Texas! And, anybody who knows me knows that I love our rich history and that’s the reason I write almost exclusively about the Texas Panhandle.  I thought I’d share some little known facts about Texas... from a true, blue Texan’s point of view. Since Spanish explorers first “claimed” us in 1519, six different national flags have flown over Texas. From 1685 to 1690, Texas was a French territory before reverting to Spain. Texas was part of Mexico when that country won its independence from Spain in 1821. We adopted our own Declaration of Independence in 1836 and became a separate republic after a brief war with Mexico.  Did you know that Texas had a Texas Embassy in London and Paris? In 1845, the United States annexed Texas, making us the 28^th state until we seceded to became part of the Confederate States of America.  In 1870, after the Civil War, we were then readmitted to the United States. So, the six flags of Texas belonged to Spain, France, Mexico, Texas, the United States, and the Confederacy. Now you know where “Six Flags Over Texas” amusement parks got their name. Here’s a fact, I didn’t know and probably wouldn’t believed it if someone had just told me about it; but, during the Civil War, camels were used in our deserts. In 1855, Jefferson Davis, then the U.S. Secretary of  War, convinced Congress to allocate money to field-test the beasts of burden. The animals excelled in carrying, enduring without water, and traveling long distance through miserable conditions. By the end of the War Between the States, although camels had proven efficient for both sides, they fell out of favor. The animals smelled really bad, frightened the horses, and had horrid personalities.  Let’s just say, I don’t believe I’ve seen a herd of camels ever in Texas... not that they don’t exist. The fact that a 10-gallon hat actually holds less than a gallon of water is NOT proof of a Texas braggart. It’s simply a misunderstanding.  It’s not a gallon, but a gallon, the word is Spanish for braid, the standard decoration above the brim of the iconic headgear worn by true Texans everywhere. There is also a theory that the Stetson hat company boasted that the tight weave of most Stetsons made them sufficiently waterproof and could be used as a bucket. Early print advertising by Stetson showed a cowboy giving his horse a drink of water from a hat. The truth, the Stetson company notes that a "ten gallon" hat only holds 3 quarts! The famous Texas Rangers have a recommended dress code which states, “The Texas Ranger hat will be light-colored and shaped in a businessman’s style ... commonly called the Rancher or Cattleman. Brims must not exceed 4 inches or be flat with edges rolled up. Hat excessively crushed, rolled, or dipped are not acceptable. Members of the Ranger Division (of the Texas Department of Public Safety) will own both a quality straw and quality felt hat. The appropriate hat will usually be determined by the weather or assignment.” Throughout the history of the Republic of Texas, there were no chartered banks in the country.  When the first Texas state constitution was drafted in 1845, it prohibited the incorporation of banks.  Banking functions were performed by financial agents and other business firms.  After the Civil War, banks began to flourish in Texas ... as did bank robberies. In the 1920’s, in order to stop a rash of bank robberies, the Texas Bankers Association established the Dead Bank Robber Reward Program. Anyone who killed a bank robber caught in the act would be paid $5,000. Capturing a bank robber alive would not be rewarded.  Despite a number of cases of murders staged to look like the foiling of a bank robbery, the offer of reward was not withdrawn until 1964. Our anthology “Give Me a Cowboy” was originally named “Rodeo” and we agreed that all four stories would take place over the 4^th of July rodeo in 1890 in Amarillo, which was our setting for our first anthology,“Give Me a Texan”.  But, we quickly recognized a serious problem. The first rodeo, which is the official sport of Texas, was held in 1883 in Pecos. The closest rodeo to our area wasn’t held until 1888 in Canadian, Texas, so to be historically accurate, we changed to the fictional town of Kasota Springs. You might recognize the name from our “A Texas Christmas” because we returned to the town with some recurring characters during the 1887 blizzard. The West of the Pecos Rodeo is now an annual event; however, the shebang lays claim to being the descendant of that first rodeo.  Legend has it that the whole thing came out of a contest between two ranch hands ... Trav Windham and Morg Livingston.  Both had good professional reputations and people challenged them to see who was best cowboy.  Eventually, other talented cowboys who had originally come from all over the territory just to watch found themselves involved in contests of riding broncos and roping cattle.  Bullriding was considered dangerous; therefore, there was no official bullriding event in early rodeos.  But, there was a lot of money won and lost on the renegade event we now know as bullriding. I hope you enjoyed my tour of some little known facts about Texas, and since I mentioned several of our anthologies, I will give away one commenter’s choice of an autographed copy of any of the six anthologies. I’d love to hear about any of your favorite Texas experiences, if you’d like to share with us today?

A hearty welcome today to  inspirational author DARLENE FRANKLIN!. Please leave a comment…Darlene has a signed hard copy of A Ranger’s Trail for one lucky person. Darlene, tell us a little bit about your latest release, fourth in your six-book series: When Susan Page Davis, Vickie McDonough and I first brainstormed about the Texas Trails series, I chose the decade that includes the Mason County “Hoo Doo” War. The brief information I read—a range war—sounded like an action-packed, natural fit for any Texas historical series. By the time we received the contract and I researched the book, I doubted the wisdom of my choice. “Range war” hardly does justice to the violence that erupted across Mason County and the surrounding area in 1874 and continued for several decades. In fact, the definitive history of the war, The Mason County “Hoo Doo” War by Johnson and Miller dates the end of the war as 1902, the year the last of the major players died! More than a range war, the Mason County turned into a blood feud between the self-styled “Americans” (we might call them “Anglos” today) and the “Germans,” more recent immigrants who had settled in the Texas in the 1840s (the subject of my first book of the series, Lone Star Trail). Charges of cattle rustling started the war. Americans were tried, found guilty, and got off with a slap on the wrist fine. Germans took the law into their own hands and murdered several of the rustlers. Before long, they had killed a close friend of a former Texas Ranger, Scott Cooley. The former ranger galvanized the Americans and made it their mission to kill the people responsible for the death of his friend. What emerged was the continuing story of blood feuds or gang war, two factions exchanging life for life. None of the principal players was ever brought to justice. My heroine’s husband was killed by the Germans—and my Ranger hero’s family is German. An unlikely romance develops between the two of them, but Ranger’s Trail is also about forgiving the unforgivable. More than that, it’s about moving forward when a bad deed isnot punished, at least not in this life. How can someone move past the trauma? This is one period of history I am thankful I did not experience first hand! Here's the blurb: When Leta Denning's husband is killed by the German mob at the beginning of the Hoo Doo War, she vows to seek vengeance on his behalf. William Meino "Buck" Morgan, one of the Texas Rangers called in to quell the violence, has ties to one of the German families. Buck is the oldest son of Jud Morgan and Wande Fleischer from Lone Star Trail. In his quest to get to the truth, Buck interviews Leta but she is not interested and believes that former rangers may be behind the violence. As Leta struggles to keep the Denning ranch afloat, Buck sees a chance to help her while searching for the truth. Their respect for eacho ther grows but will Leta's quest for vengeance keep her from forgiveness? Excerpt:  “Found not guilty of any wrong doing. Praise the Lord.” Derrick Denning lifted his cup of coffee in a mock salute to his wife Leta. “As the good book says, ‘Thou hast maintained my right and my cause.’ Though I feel bad about the fines the other fellows have to pay.” Young Ricky clapped his hands, although he didn’t know what they were celebrating. Leta looked into her husband’s eyes over their son’s head and felt a smile come from the inside out. She hadn’t had a genuine smile for about a week, ever since her husband had been arrested for helping M.B. Thomas and Allen Roberts take their cattle to Llano County from Mason County. The week might have lasted a year, as scared as she had felt. The court case had set her insides all worrying, troubling the baby growing inside her, especially when six of the cowhands had been found guilty and fined $25 a head. Derrick’s case had been dismissed for insufficient evidence. The German cattlemen had grumbled at the verdict. Leta suppressed the niggling worry that threatened to destroy this night of celebration. God had answered her prayers. She and her family—Derrick, their son, and her brother Andy—could stay put in Mason County, Texas. They wouldn’t have to move every year or two the way Pa had dragged them all over the map. “It’s not right, the other men getting fined.” Andy stopped shoveling beans into his mouth long enough to grumble. “They didn’t do nothing wrong. The cattle belonged to Mr. Roberts and Mr. Thomas.” Tell us about a period in history YOU are glad you didn’t experience first-hand! Visit Darlene at //darlenefranklinwrites.blogspot.com   Click on cover to purchase. Her other recent releases: Lone Star Trail (Rivernorth Fiction, 2011) and Christmas at Barncastle Inn (Barbour, 2011)

  I'm so excited. The re-release of my third single title western romance in Kindle format is almost as thrilling as it was when it first hit the bookstores in 2005. I tell you it's been a while coming. REDEMPTION is set in 1869 in the East Texas fictional town of Redemption. It's a small town on the banks of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress Bayou, not far from the real town of Jefferson. This story is one of secrets and what happens when they start unraveling. Laurel James and Brodie Yates, who is also known as Shenandoah, have to come to terms with their past mistakes.

Here's the blurb:

Two brothers…one woman…and a secret that can destroy them all. Laurel James thinks she's found the respectability she craves when she agrees to marry the town mayor. While she doesn't love him, she hopes to build a comfortable life with him. And everything goes according to plan…until Shenandoah rides into town. Shenandoah just wants to see family and find a place to rest his weary body. The swamps of East Texas offer a respite from the men who hunt him. Temporary or not he'll take the peace he finds. But then he runs into Laurel and his dreams of a wife and family that he'd counted lost give him reason to hope. He'll do anything to have Laurel in his arms…and in his bed. But they wonder if redemption will ever be possible for people like them. I had to do a lot of research when I wrote this story, specifically about Jefferson, Texas. Looking at the town today, it's hard to imagine that The Queen of the Bayou as it was called was an important and thriving port city from 1845 to 1872. It was the sixth largest town in Texas and boasted a population of almost 30,000 at one time. A 100 mile long logjam on the Red River made it possible for paddleboats and steamships to travel from New Orleans and even St. Louis to dock at Jefferson. Tons of goods arrived and departed from Jefferson making it Texas's chief inland port that was second only to Galveston. To say it was a bustling city put it mildly. But all good things must come to end. When nitroglycerin came along in 1873, the Army Corps of Engineers blasted through the logjam and cleared it away. This lowered the water level of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress Bayou and made it impossible for steamships to get to Jefferson. Today the population is a little over 3,000. But the citizens have done a great job preserving the history. Almost every commercial building and house on the main thoroughfare has a historical marker in front of it. And it's become one of the most haunted towns in Texas. Tourists flock there, staying in the many Bed and Breakfast businesses and taking part in their annual events. REDEMPTION is available in the Amazon Kindle Store for $2.99. Just click HERE and it'll take you there. Very easy. I'm giving away one copy of the book in Kindle format to one commenter. Plus, as a special Valentine gift I'm also giving away one copy of BE MY TEXAS VALENTINE to another commenter.

Not being from Texas, I was hesitant to tackle this topic.  But I’ve always been a fan of  those tough, rangy cattle with their amazing horns, stretching as long as seven feet from tip to tip.  Longhorns are, and always will be, a symbol of the American West. Their ancestry dates back to cattle brought to Mexico by the Spanish.  Some of these cattle went wild.  Over time they developed the resilience and survival skills that make Longhorns what they are today.  Early Texas settlers mixed the blood of these feral Mexican cattle with their own eastern cattle.  The result was a rugged, long-legged animal with spectacular horns and a coat that could be blue, yellow, brown, black, red or white, plain or speckled.    But Longhorns are more than looks.  They have strong survival instincts and can find food and shelter in rough weather.  Longhorns can breed well into their teens or longer, and they’re known for easy calving.  A Longhorn cow will often go off on her own to have the calf in a safe place.  The calves can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds. With their long legs and hard hoofs, Longhorns made ideal trail cattle.  After the civil war millions were driven to market.  They also stocked most of the new ranches on the Great Plains.    But times changed for the breed.  The “Big Die-up in the winter of 1886-87 and the spread of barbed wire fences brought an end to the open range.  Breeds like the white-faced Herefords put on weight faster and had fattier meat, providing needed tallow.  Ranchers crossed these breeds with Longhorns to produce hardier stock.  By the 1920s,  only a few small herds of Longhorns remained. In 1927, Longhorns were saved from near extinction by the U.S. Forest service, who collected a small herd to breed in Oklahoma.  Other groups in Texas gathered small herds to keep in parks.  They were regarded as curiosities, but the stock’s longevity, disease resistance and low-fat, low-cholesterol meat revived the breed as beef stock—although many ranchers keep them purely as a link to Texas history. Does anybody out there have experience with these amazing animals?  Any good stories? There are no Longhorns in my March Western, THE LAWMAN’S VOW.  But you can get a sneak peek and an excerpt on my web site: http://www.elizabethlaneauthor.com.  Watch for a giveaway next month.

  As I was writing this blog a week or so ago, nature decided to deck the halls in all its glory. Snow descended on the West Texas Plains and temperatures drastically dropped as shoppers scurried from store to store. In the midst of it all everyone was putting up Christmas trees, pretty lights and making their homes beautiful. But back to the snow. Although we only got about two inches where I am, some surrounding areas received up to four. It was simply gorgeous. I can admire it as long as I'm warm and snug inside and only viewing it through a window with a cup of something hot in my hand. I'm not one for venturing out if there's the slightest chance I might fall and break a bone. This recent snow and frigid temperatures reminded me of the research Phyliss, Jodi, DeWanna, and I did when we decided to write a Christmas anthology. The Texas Panhandle where our stories are set is no stranger to horrible blizzards. Beginning in late December of 1885 until about 1890, a series of devastating blizzards occurred that struck a blow and brought the cattle rancher to his knees. Hundreds of thousands of cattle froze or starved to death. Some ranches were completely wiped out and unable to stay in operation. What does some snow have to do to cause financial ruin you ask? Cattle instinctively drift south (sometimes over 100 miles or more) seeking shelter when blue northers and blizzards hit. They're no dummies. And it wouldn't have posed such a huge problem normally. But members of the Panhandle Stock Association erected a drift fence in 1882 that ran from the New Mexico line eastward to the Canadian River breaks. When the blizzard hit, the cattle began their southward trek…until they got caught at the drift fences. Unable to go any farther they huddled against each other along the fence line in huge bunches and died. Then, during the especially harsh winter of 1886-1887 cattle losses were as high as 75%. One cowboy of the LX Ranch reportedly skinned 250 carcasses a mile for 35 miles along one section of fence alone. Now, that's a lot of dead cows! So, when Phyliss, Jodi, DeWanna and I decided to write a Christmas book, we knew we wanted to incorporate a blizzard into each of the stories. In my story, a train is stuck by the deep snow and there's a pregnant woman, a very ill elderly man  and three orphan children on board. If not for Sloan Sullivan, a nearby rancher, who brought much needed supplies and the courage of Tess Whitgrove they might not have survived. So, remember this next time you're caught in a blizzard…avoid fences and have plenty of hot stuff along to keep your blood pumping. Use your cell phone to call for help. Oh, and make sure you have a handsome rescuer not far off. This is my last blog for 2011. My thanks to everyone who supports all of us here at P&P. MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy New Year!

During my research for a new project on the effects of the Civil War on the Panhandle of Texas,  I discovered something I already knew, but hadn’t thought about in ages … it didn’t! The War Between the States never came to the Texas Panhandle, although the last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas down by Brownsville. Reconstruction didn’t touch the Panhandle either ... not until at least a decade later. The Panhandle was occupied by sheepmen with their short-lived, peaceful culture along the Canadian River, buffalo hunters, the Comancheros, and the southern Plains Indians. Neither the sheepman nor the cattleman owned an acre of Panhandle property; but they were, in that vast land, the law unto themselves. The “Mother City of the Panhandle” Mobeetie was founded in 1875; followed by Tascosa in 1876, and Saints’ Roost later known as Clarendon in 1878. Amarillo didn’t surface until nearly a decade later in 1887 ... and, there was a very good reason why! Up until the end of the war, the southern Plains Indians remained essentially undisturbed, mainly because of the sectional controversy and the war itself. In the early 1870’s professional buffalo-hide hunters entered the Panhandle from western Kansas. Normal Indian resentment toward this incursion was heightened by their understanding that the Medicine Lodge Treaties of 1867 guaranteed them exclusive hunting grounds south of the Arkansas River. The renowned Comanche war chief and mentor between the Indians and the white nation,  Quanah Parker, probably would never have become a Comanche war chief if it had not been for the war.  He was only thirteen in 1860 when a concerted effort was launched to subdue the Plains Indians in Texas; however, the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 gave the American Indians a thirteen year respite from determined military attack. Texas Governor Sam Houston, victorious in the 1858 Texas election on a platform of quieting the Indians on the frontier, launched an ambitious program for merciless pursuit of the incorrigible Native Americans by the whites.  By the end of 1860, a sizable number of men had been raised in Texas to fight the Indians: rangers, minute men, and federal troops. With such forces available, it looked like doom for the Indians who regularly depredated in the state. It was a combination of these three forces which attacked the Nokoni camp on the Pease River in 1860 and recaptured Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah’s mother. But in 1861 the Civil War broke out, and the frontier was temporarily forgotten, the people of Texas continuing to pay in blood and plunder by Indians.  The planned subjugation of the Comanches and their friends was postponed until more than a decade later. In order to avoid the expenditures necessary for Indian wars, both North and South made overtures to the Indians.  The Comanches, on finding themselves sought after by both governments, accepted peace with one or the other, as it suited their convenience.  Peace with the Indians meant that troops could be withdrawn from the Texas frontier to be used on the Civil War battlefields. The “Comanches of the Prairies and Staked Plains” signed a treaty with the Confederacy in 1861, promising to prepare to support themselves (the Confederacy would supply them with cattle to start herds and furnish them with supplies and to live in peace and quietness. But as long as there were buffalo to chase and unprotected farms and ranches to raid, the Lords of the South Plains had no intention of holding themselves to such an agreement.  All nine of the Comanche bands except the Antelope band signed the treaty … probably the most representative gathering of Comanches ever assembled up to that time.  If he survived the 1860 Pease River recapture of Cynthia Ann, it is assumed that Nocona, chief of the Wanderers (Nokoni), attended the treaty-signing council and possibly brought along his young brave, Quanah, who was 14 at the time. The North failed to live up to its 1863 treaty with Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches which promised $25,000 in presents and annuity goods to the Indians I they would stop terrorizing the plundering travelers on the Santa Fe road. These southern tribes, planning retaliation, made an alliance with the northern tribes (Cheyenne, Arapahoes, and Sioux).  In 1864 attacks on the frontier were heavier than ever, Indians capturing thousands of horses and selling them to the army through the Comancheros.  The route to Denver was under heavy attack by Indians.  Emigration was stopped and much of the country was depopulated. After the Civil War came to a close in 1865, the government fluctuated for almost a decade between a modified “get-tough” policy with the Indians and a Peace Policy, administered by Quakers, who believed that honesty and kindness could solve the problem.  Sporadic token military marches into the Panhandle area included Kit Carson’s 1864 First Battle of Adobe Walls and Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie’s 1871-72 Battle of Blanco Canyon and Battle of McClellan Creek. None of these brief campaigns really damaged the Plains Indians. Quanah Parker had almost free rein in the Llano until the the Red River War, 1874-75. It was only then that the determined attitude evidenced in 1860 was adopted once more … this time by the federal government.

Of interest, the Battle of Palmito Ranch, also known as the Battle of Palmito Hill and the Battle of Palmetto Ranch was fought on May 12–13, 1865, on the banks of the Rio Grande a little east of Brownsville, Texas.  Many historians, as well as the Official Record of the Civil War  consider the battle to be a post-Civil War encounter, with the Battle of Columbus in April being the last recognized battle of the War Between the States. I want to acknowledge Pauline Durrett Robertson, a life member of Panhandle Professional Writers, and her book Panhandle Pilgrimage, as the source for much of my information.  Pauline’s book is definitely my bible of the history of our region. “A Texas Christmas” hit the New York Times bestselling list the last two weeks, and the USA Today last week, thanks to our readers.  For one lucky commenter, I will send you an autographed copy of the anthology.

This is Minnie the "boss" of Books and Crannie Books in Terrell, Texas.  Minnie is a Hurricane Katrina rescue cat and knows her books!

As a writer, nothing excites me more during the research phase of plotting a book than discovering actual history that allows my entire plot to fit together in a way more perfect than anything my imagination could have conjured. This is exactly what happened during the writing of my latest novel, To Win Her Heart. My hero, Levi Grant, enters the story after spending two years in Huntsville State Prison for an unintentional crime. Being a large, muscled man, he was put to work in the labor camps during his incarceration, breaking rock at a granite quarry. The abusive camp sergeants he faced there left him with scars inside and out, but the compassion of a prison chaplain helped him rebuild his faith and his dream of starting a new life. Upon his release, he takes up his father's blacksmithing trade and plans to keep his past a secret. However, as the author, I couldn't allow this secret to stay hidden. So I began looking for ways to expose my hero's past. And I stumbled upon the perfect solution in my time period research.

[Top - Texas Capitol as it appeared in 1875. Bottom - Texas Capitol after the fire of 1881.]

In 1881, the Texas Capitol building was destroyed by fire. The Texas Legislature decided that when they rebuilt, they would use only materials native to the state. They initially chose limestone, as there was a quarry near Austin, but when iron particles in the rock led to discoloration, they elected red granite instead. This granite was obtained from Granite Mountain near Marble Falls, Texas in 1885. To cut costs, the state contracted convict labor for breaking the stone. The use of free—or almost free—convict labor in the quarries, however, was seen as an attempt by the state to undermine unionized labor and was opposed by virtually every organized labor group in Austin. Hence, word spread throughout the region about the controversial labor force. This historical event allowed me to supply Levi with quarry experience during his incarceration (breaking rock at Granite Mountain), but with a project that was so well known for using convict labor, it could easily expose his past should anyone learn of his involvement. And, of course, someone does. History provided the perfect scenario.

[Convicts working at Granite Mountain]

Not only did this fabulous research gem supply the plot point I needed, but it also helped determine my setting. The story opens in 1887, in keeping with the time frame of Levi working at the labor camp in 1885 at the beginning of his incarceration, leaving time on the back end of his two-year sentence for his spiritual rehabilitation with the prison chaplain. It also played a role in the location of Spencer, Texas. Knowing how pivotal a role having a quarry nearby would be to my story, I chose to set my fictional town near Limestone County where the natural resource from which the county derived its name was abundant enough to allow me to install a quarry a few miles from town. Fun how things work out, isn't it? Are there interesting historical tidbits in your back yard that would make a great plot point in a novel? Any colorful characters in your family history who would spice things up? I'd love to hear about them. Who know's? Maybe your idea will be the spark that ignites the fire for my next book.

To read the first chapter of To Win Her Heart, click the link below.

http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/excerpt_heart.html

Before I get started with my post, I just wanted to share how excited I am to be the newest filly in the corral here at the Junction! I've been an active follower for several years, and I know how talented and fun this group of ladies is. I couldn't be more pleased to find myself in their company on a regular basis. Now, back to the livery . . . take a close look at the picture below. Can you guess what's missing? Women. You'll find nary a one. That's because the livery stable was a man's domain. Females flocked to dry good stores, dress shops, milliners, and drug emporiums but avoided the masculine hub known as the livery. Why? Mostly because of the smell. And the likelihood of stepping in something no lady would want clinging to the sole of her shoe or staining the hem of her skirt. For a man, however, this was the western version of an English gentleman's club. A masculine sanctuary, a place to pass the time discussing crops or swapping stories by the potbellied stove. So what if the air was a bit gamey? A little manure never hurt anyone. The only nags were out back in the corral, and they didn't seem to mind if a fella was of a mind to spit his tobacco juice on the floor or wipe his nose on his sleeve. But the livery was more than a gathering place for men who wanted to escape their womenfolk for a time. It was a place of business. The liveryman kept prime horseflesh on hand for harness or riding, maintained a respectable selection of carriages and wagons for rent, pitched hay, tallied accounts, and even dealt with colicky critters when the need arose. Travelers stopped by to board their mounts or rent a saddle horse for the day. Young swains coughed up hard-earned coin to impress their gals with romantic country drives in a rented rig. The livery supplied an essential service to the townsfolk. As I researched livery stables for my debut novel, I came across a fabulous find in one of our local library's genealogical collections—a transcribed log book from a livery in Bonham, Texas dating back to 1885. Not only did I learn what prices were charged, I also gained insight into the types of services offered. Here is a sampling:

• Horse rental per day - $0.50
• Horse and buggy rental - $1.00
• Carriage and team - $2.00
• Carriage and driver - $4.00
• Buggy to depot - $1.00
• Horse to pasture - $0.50
• Feed - $0.25
• Bucket of oats - $0.50
• Stall rental - $1.50
• Stall plus hay - $2.50
• One month board on horse - $10.00
• Currying horse - $0.10
• Saddling horse - $0.25
• Repairs on carriage - $0.50 to $1.50 or higher depending on extent of repair needed
• Fee for lost horse blanket - $0.75 for regular blanket, $2.00 for double blanket

In addition to accepting cash for payment, this log book also chronicled a variety of barter offerings. Customers were known to pay in corn or cords of wood. One fellow who had accrued a rather large debt paid with a big black sow. If a man had no goods to offer, he might pay in services like hauling hay in from area farms, working the nightshift at the stable, working as a carriage driver, or painting the livery. Yet as the 19th century faded into the 20th, and the horse no longer held sway as the primary mode of transportation, what happened to all these livery stables? Did they simply fade away into the yore of yesteryear? Some may have. But many enterprising livery owners adapted successfully to the times and converted their stables and wagon yards into garages for the newfangled horseless carriages that dominated the streets. So the next time you take you car to the shop, try to picture the mechanic with a handlebar mustache, hat, and boots. Who knows, maybe one of his great-great-grandfathers owned your town livery.