The American West was all about travel. Emigrants, drifters, outlaws, dance hall girls, and other characters made 
their way west. The rest is history. However, I couldn’t help but wonder during my research for the Montana Gold series how accurately that history is portrayed. The rise of dance hall girls was one of my deepest-held beliefs about the West. They’ve been carried forward through time as soiled doves with hearts of gold who willingly embraced their lifestyle. After learning about the 
hurdy-gurdy girls, I began to question this image.
Beginning in the 1840’s, pretty young women from Hessia (a past part of Germany) drew crowds by singing and dancing while playing a stringed instrument known as the hurdy gurdy. They did this during a financially-repressed time in order to sell brooms their families made. The fame they gained brought them to the attention of unscrupulous ‘soul merchants’ intent on procuring their services in the mining camps of America. Families were visited and contracts signed. The ‘hurdy-gurdy girls’ came to America. Their fortunes varied. Some did well for themselves, but others suffered. While some of the women simply entertained miners, others fell into prostitution.
This was a story that needed telling, I felt. As a former military wife, I knew firsthand how disorienting travel into a 
foreign land can be. When writing about the heroine’s struggles in Stagecoach to Liberty, I could call upon my own experiences. It’s hard to describe the confusion you feel when everything familiar slips away and you are faced with a completely new world.
This was Elsa’s situation at the opening of Stagecoach to Liberty. After signing a contract, she travels to America at the behest of a shady couple. Elsa is very much a maiden in distress when, on a stagecoach journey, she comes to the attention of a handsome Irishman with troubles of his own. By this time, she’s very much in need of help but fearful of trusting anyone. The freedom she sought by coming to America seems a distant dream.
Exploring the theme of freedom demanded that I answer some questions. What was true freedom (as opposed to the other kind)? Elsa’s journey in Stagecoach to Liberty reveals that, when we come to the end of our strength and reach out to God, we find liberty.
Leave a comment, and I’ll give away reader’s choice of a digital version of Hills of Nevermore (Montana Gold, book 1) or Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold, book 2).
Janalyn Voigt fell in love with literature at an early age when her father read chapters from classics as bedtime stories. When Janalyn grew older, she put herself to sleep with tales “written” in her head.
Today Janalyn is a storyteller who writes in multiple genres. The same elements–romance, mystery, adventure, history, and whimsy–appear in all her novels in proportions dictated by their genre.
Learn more about Janalyn Voigt and the books she writes at http://janalynvoigt.com
Website for authors: http://livewritebreathe.com
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Image Attributions:
The heroine of Stagecoach to Liberty plays a hurdy-gurdy like the one in this image by Didier Descouens [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia CommonsPainting of a Hessian peasant girl by Neue Galerie, circa 1864-1874 [Public domain]
Wells Fargo stagecoach by Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the story in Stagecoach to Liberty takes place along the Mullan Road, shown in modern times in this image by Ian Poellet [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
fascinating part of history
I agree, Denise. The West held so many dramatic stories.
Thanks for hosting me today! It’s a joy to chat with your readers over a bit of history.
Very interesting. I do not think I was familiar with this part of history. Love learning things.
Me, too. Debra. I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
I never knew about this part of history until now. Thanks for sharing with us today.
My pleasure, Janine.
Interesting part of history I love reading about stuff like this. Your books sound wonderful.
It intrigues me, too. Thanks for the compliment on my stories.
Fascinating history! That stagecoach is beautiful!
It looks brand new, doesn’t it? Of course, while traveling the West, a stagecoach wouldn’t look this pretty. It would be coated by a layer of dust or mud.
wow this is so interesting. I had no idea behind the name “hurdy gurdy girls”. Thanks for sharing. I would love to read one of your books. Both covers are lovely.
Hi, Lori. Isn’t it fun to learn historical stories? I hope you get the chance to read this series.
Welcome to P&P, Janalyn! We’re thrilled to have you back with a new book. Wow! Stagecoach to Liberty sounds like a movie. I love it! Your covers are all breathtaking with beautiful women on each one. Just stunning. And thanks for the history. I didn’t know where hurdy-gurdy dancers originated.
Hi, Linda! Thanks for your thoughts on my books. I’ll pass on the compliment to the cover designer.
Another great history lesson on P&P. I learn more here and in the books than I ever did in school.
I agree, Jerri Lynn. Reading novels is way more fun than studying textbooks.
New author for me. Thanks for sharing.
Nice to meet you, Kim. Isn’t history fascinating?
Your books look and sounds so interesting. Just my kind of read. I love historical fiction.
Me too, Brenda. It’s the best.
I may look at life and its experiences a bit different than many, but I have always looked at moving and being in new places as an adventure. I was in the Peace Corps and we did study the culture of the country we were being assigned to, so we knew what to expect. There are still some that don’t adjust to how different things are. When I came home I married someone in the Air Force and spent 24 years moving around the US. A new place was always something new to explore and enjoy. I can see the Hurdy-Gurdy girls traveling to a new land, hoping for a better life, excited with the possibilities. How crushing it must have been to to have those dreams destroyed.
We share the same attitude toward being lost, Patricia. The plight of the hurdy-gurdy girls touched me for similar reasons as you express.