The Fillies give a big welcome to Janice Cole Hopkins. She’s a long-time P&P follower and a lover of history as well as historical western romance. Janice writes her own books many of which are series! Now that’s a big Yee-Haw!
As wagon trains began making the trek west, more of the West opened to settlers. The midwestern states were once the frontier to be settled. However, the discovery of gold in California and the rich, fertile land in Oregon brought larger numbers.
To help protect the pioneers against hostile Indians and to give them a trading post along the way, forts were built. Forts Laramie, Bridger, and Hall in what is now Wyoming were constructed of logs, mostly cottonwood. Fort Kearney in Nebraska was built using adobe, sod, logs, and boards. Fort Boise in Idaho first used adobe. Travelers were excited to visit a fort and break the austere, often monotonous life on the trail. Yet, they found the prices outrageous because it cost to transport the goods there.
In my new release, A Few Bumps in the Road, Judith Johnson takes her younger brother and travels along a portion of the Oregon Trail to Kansas as a mail-order bride after their parents die. She meets her intended and his brother at Fort Ferguson, a fictitious fort based on most of the others I researched. Her husband, although handsome and charming, turns out to be a womanizer and has a drinking problem. Judith is determined to make her marriage work, however, and she keeps telling herself her situation could be worse. At least Calvin’s older brother is stable and responsible, providing a home for all of them on the farm. But farm life on the prairie can be hard in 1850, and Calvin’s attitude makes the struggles even worse. But she knew one thing. After the harsh conditions on the Oregon Trail, she never planned to go back, and she hadn’t even gone all the way to Oregon like most of the others were doing.
Although A Few Bumps in the Road is part of the Idioms & Clichés series, like all my books, it can also be read as a standalone. These books are loosely connected by one family’s generations. It is available in print, Audible, and Kindle.
Here’s an excerpt:
Judith’s eyes began to sweep around the fort when she saw a tall man striding their way. Despite his long steps he didn’t appear to be in any hurry to get there.
Mr. Davis took a few steps forward to meet him and extended his hand. Robbie followed Mr. Davis, so Judith did too.
“Good to see you again,” Mr. Davis said. “Allow me to present to you Miss Judith Johnson and her brother Robert, better known as Robbie. Miss Johnson, this is Matthew Miller.”
A momentary flash of surprise flickered over Matthew’s face, but he tipped his hat and nodded. “A pleasure, Miss. Welcome, Robbie. I hope you both will be very happy here.”
She looked around wondering where Calvin could be. She didn’t see another man who fit what she knew of her fiancé.
“Cal woke up not feeling well and needed some extra time. He sent me on out to meet you, but he should be coming along soon.” Matthew must have seen her search.
“I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“No, we came into the fort yesterday evening. Cal woke up with a headache and queasy stomach this morning.”
Judith’s worry deepened, but she didn’t say anything.
“Come and we’ll go over to the building they use for a church. Cal will meet us there.”
You can read more of A Few Bumps in the Road in the Amazon sample and get more information by clicking here.
If anyone would like a free code for an Audible copy for A Few Bumps in the Road, message me on Facebook or email me at janicecolehopkins@gmail.com. (You must have the free Audible account activated to redeem the code.)
For a chance to win a Kindle copy of A Few Bumps in the Road, what do you think would be ONE of the biggest hazards to living on the Kansas frontier in 1850?
Wild animals, need a sorce of water nearby, wildfires, etc…
All true, Denise. There was a long list if hazards there.
Drought, Fire, spring floods, sickness
I used to have students read Sarah Plain and Tall which spoke to some of these.
There are so many – snakes and accidents are a few
Yes, on a farm especially, accidents are always a threat.
All of the above things would be dangerous plus the loneliness could be hard to deal with.
Yes, I was waiting for someone to mention the lonely, often isolated life in a remote location.
It was a tough existence, everything from having the dirt from the sod house fall in your food to losing your crops to fire/drought/blight. But I guess I’d have to say childbirth. ..
Yes, and this hazard of childbirth without midwife or doctor occurs in A Few Bumps in the Road with an added twist.
I would think that sickness would have to be one of the worse problems.
It certainly was. Medicine wasn’t very advanced in 1850, even if it had been available. And in remote locations, such as a Kansas farm, people took care of themselves.
animals
The wildlife could certainly pose a threat.
The weather. You may have severe droughts, tornadoes, or hail storms. All or any of these would be disastrous for a farm or ranch, depending on crops for hay or survival.
Definitely. Judith and her family battled storms several times.
Drought, outlaws, prairie fires
We haven’t mentioned lawlessness much, but it was a threat. When Judith and Cal go to the Faber’s shindig, she sees this firsthand.
Welcome today. Seems like some of the biggest hazards would be sickness, weather, depression and getting on each others nerves big time, wild life, bandits and indians
Yes, you give a good list of some of the dangers. Often, a settler could expect the unexpected.
starvation as much of the land out west is not conducive to food production. Many a settler tried to make it fertile but it isn’t easy without water. It drove many a man or woman mad for trying.
Water is certainly a big concern, and droughts were not all that uncommon on the plains.
Hi, I think coyotes, snakes and all other wild animals, plus shelter, water and goods. I enjoyed reading this post, Thank you for sharing about your book, it sounds like a Great read! ( I am not entering this giveaway as I don’t read ebooks at all, I am not tech savvy but Thank you) Have a great weekend and stay safe.
Thank you, Alicia. Blessings to you.
Diseases- typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, small pox etc.
For sure. Illnesses especially seemed to plague the wagon trains as they rolled west.
It may be too late to comment, but it’s still Friday! I think the worst part would be fear and you’d certainly have to live by faith! Unless they lived in a little town, they would not have had a church, but maybe a traveling preacher every month or so. To go into labor and give birth would be the scariest, especially if you had no midwife, mother, sister, doctor, etc. You really had to grow up quickly in that time. My grandmother was married at 15 and nine months later had her first baby! She was born in 1906, though and had lots of family around her, and the doctor even came and delivered my uncle. So, times changed quickly. I just know I love to read books set in this time period. It’s my favorite! I used to think I should have been born then, but I see now that I never would have made it with my health problems! God sure does know what He’s doing! Thank you for coming today! Enjoyed it so much!
Thank you, Lana. Most of the things you described go right along with A Few Bumps in the Road, and I agree with it all. I’m glad you posted . Never too late.