Hi! Nancy Fraser here! I’m so pleased to return to Petticoats & Pistols for another visit. Just last week, I uploaded my final book for 2025 and now I’m going to take a much needed few week’s off before I begin again working on 2026. Hard to believe we’ve almost reached another year-end, isn’t it?
Today, though, I want to talk about western research. There is a definite skill required to organize the information needed to accurately portray the wild west in the 1800s. So much we take for granted now, or assume is correct, wasn’t even heard of in the 1880s or before.
My favorite searches revolve around the following:
• When did my story’s location ceased to become a territory and attain statehood?
• When did my location first get a railroad? Iceboxes? Dare I say it… electricity?
• How far is my fictitious location from a larger city? (Of course that’s my decision, but I like to find a similar real location and pretend it’s my fake town for distance purposes.)
• What was the population of the territory in 1885?
All of the above are fun and often necessary searches. By far my favorites are these:
• What’s the old west slang word for “a handsome man”? (Answer: Belvidere)
• How would my crusty character say, “the end” or “closed”? (Answer: Eventuate)
I keep an ongoing list of western slang that I’ve sorted three ways: alphabetically, by subject, and by first-used date. Yes, I sometimes over-organize. At the moment, my list is over 150 words long.
I thought it might be fun to share thirty of my favorites in a Word Search. Go ahead and give it a try. Feel free to share your results in the comments below.
OLD WEST SLANG WORD SEARCH
Clothing styles are another fun search. The array of references out there is sometimes overwhelming (and not always accurate). Given I write mostly small-town settings with everyday characters, it’s hard to go wrong with a simple skirt and plain blouse, or a calico dress. Trousers (not jeans) for the men and a gray or off-white shirt. Jeans (specifically Levis) are okay if we’re into the mid to late 1870s. Even though plaid/flannel was created by the Welsh in the 17th century, the fabric didn’t become popular in the western U.S. until the late 19th century.
Because I also create a lot of my own covers, as well as covers for several multi-author series books, one of my biggest frustrations is finding the perfect outfit, but realizing the model is wearing far too much makeup for the time period. I’ve become an expert in removing telltale signs of red lipstick and eyeliner. Still, making that cover perfect is all part of what I consider research.
In this final quarter of the year, I’ve released two sweet, historical romances. Both books required extensive research, and both include a few of those colorful slang words or phrases. (What’s a long list if you don’t use it?”)
I’d love to give you a peek at both of my accomplished and feisty heroines, and the men who fall in love with them.
Addie: Mackinac Bride (National Park Brides Series)
Other than two years of college in Big Rapids, Adelaide (Addie) MacDonald has spent her entire life on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. Just a child when President Grant designated Mackinac as a National Park in 1875, she and her family were at the dedication.
In the years since, many have left the island for bigger and better things, yet Addie stayed behind as one of the few civilian employees. It’s been her dream to someday leave the island and finish her degree in agriculture and one day own her own farm.
When Jonathan (Jon) Ferris first met Addie, she was only twelve, he was eighteen, and on his way to college. After graduation, his plan was to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military. Now, ten years later, he’s returning to Mackinac to take over command of the fort and the park. When he first sees Addie again, he can’t believe his eyes. Gone are the freckles and bright red ponytail. In their place is a beautiful and confident young woman.
Will returning to the park be the permanence he wants for his career and for his life? Will verbally sparring with the opinionated Addie lead to something infinitely more interesting? More importantly, will Addie find a way to fulfil her dreams while keeping those she loves close?
You can find Addie and Jon’s story on #KindleUnlimited.
Dumplings by Daria (Old Timey Holiday Kitchen Series)
Doctor Daria Keller arrives in Whistler Falls Montana at the height of their first winter storm. With barely enough time to drop off her luggage, she finds herself whisked off to the clinic to help set broken arms and treat frostbite.
When Rancher Finn MacIsaac arrives at the clinic to claim his injured son, he mistakes Daria for a nurse and dismisses her instructions out of hand, preferring to wait for the doctor. When she informs him that she is a doctor, he still insists on waiting until he can speak to a man. Pegging him as a chauvinist, Daria rushes off to help other patients.
It’s inevitable that they’ll cross paths, especially when Daria and Finn’s housekeeper become fast friends. Daria settles into her new position as head of the town’s clinic and small hospital and earns the respect of all those around her. The only person she’s not become friends with is Finn.
As winter takes a firm hold on the area, Daria must make a house call north of town. A buggy accident causes her and Finn to be trapped in snowbound cabin with only their wits and Finn’s skill with an axe to keep them warm. They do their best to avoid one another until they realize they’re both hiding hurt from their past. Over a tin of beans, they finally open up and share their secrets.
Can two people who started off at odds make up for lost time? Or are they destined to be nothing more than friends?
Finn and Daria’s romance is also available on #KindleUnlimited.
With the holidays fast approaching, I’d love to know your go-to holiday side dish or your family’s favorite activity. I’m also giving away one eBook copy of each of my featured books. Just comment below for your chance to win.
Until next time, I wish you happiness, good health, time to read, and a joyous holiday season!
Nancy
NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.
Her preferred genres are sweet western historical and sweet small-town contemporary. However, she has been known to dabble in the most unusual settings.
When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
You can follow Nancy here:
Love your research. The books sound wonderful.
Homemade macaroni and cheese is always a winner with our family.
My family loves Mac and Cheese as well. I have a somewhat off-the-wall recipe that includes white chocolate. My son’s, bless their hearts, thumbed their noses at the thought. However, my grandchildren loved it and went back for seconds.
sounds like a fun addition.
Krumkake cookies fill them with ice cream. Yum Yum.
Yum from me too, Kim. Of course, I’m a sucker for almost any cookie.
My family loves mac-and-cheese
Rhonda, again, ditto. Mac and cheese and (surprisingly since we live in Canada) my grandkids love greens made with ham hocks… a throw back to my U.S. upbringing.
Research is always the most fun for me. I can go down a rabbit hole faster than anyone in the world. 🙂 My favorite side dish for the holidays is roasted brussels sprouts.
I do enjoy a good search. I often get stalled in my writing because there are just too many facts to work into the book.
Home made mac and cheese.
Ann, I think I need to keep count here. So far the mac and cheese is winning.
We love to bake Christmas cookies- we bake about 8-10 different recipes, then we share platters of cookies with friends and neighbors. We don’t bake cookies much except for Christmas, so it’s definitely a treat when we do.
One of the things I miss about no longer working in the “outside” world are the cookie exchanges at my job. Now, instead of baking tons of cookies, I make 3 or 4 different kinds of fudge.
What fun things you find in your research! My favorite holiday sides are dressing & gravy and I make cranberry sauce.
Susan, you can’t go wrong with a homemade cranberry sauce. My daughter-in-law is our expert. She puts apples and orange zest in hers.
Mashed potatoes is my favorite side dish. Everyone will eat them, kids too.
Connie, you can never go wrong with mashed potatoes, loaded with butter and cream…. umm.
For us, it is green beans and bacon.
Debra, last Christmas my eldest son asked for green bean casserole, something we’d not had since my mother passed. I wasn’t sure the grandies would like it, but they did. Or, they just picked all the onions off the top.
My family loves chicken and dressing, dumplings and ham.
Ah… yes… the dumplings. My heroine, Daria, makes a mean slickem dumpling.
Welcome back Nancy! Love your research and the meaning of the language! Funny how some are still used today! My family has to have Mama’s dressing and maybe dump cake. We use to play croquet or horseshoes. Umm… I’ll have to google both. I know those activities has been around for a while!
I can’t wait to read Addie’s story! I love Mackinac Island! My sister-in-law went in September 2013. We loved it! The only transportation was horse and buggy or bikes! We did both!
Best wishes to you!
Tracy, I’m originally from Michigan, so I made more than a few treks across the Mighty Mac to the upper peninsula, and by ferry to the island. Yes, I love the throwback to no cars.
I just started making dump cakes last year for their ease.
My lime jello salad with cottage cheese and crushed pineapple. Looking forward to reading the books.
Barbara, that was one of my aunt’s go-to recipes when I was a kid growing up. It appeared at every holiday gathering and we kids (there were tons of us) would gobble it up. She’s usually make two 9×13 pans, but only set one out so that the adults would get some as well.
Good morning Nancy, wow, I love all this cowboy slang, I hadn’t heard of some of them but I knew some of them also! I think researching is fun because we find out all sorts of things maybe sometimes things we didn’t want to know, but alot of times it is best to know than not. On Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, I just have to have some tamales for sure. When I was growing up , we always had tamales on Christmas , we would make them as a family, our dad would get the masa (dough) ready , our mom would get the meat which consisted of pork with red Chile for the filling ready and when they were ready we would (us kiddos our mom and our grandmother) would get some dough, meat and add them to they corn husks., next our mom would steam them , It was an all day job but it was all worth it. I never made tamales on my own when I had my own little family, but I always make sure we have tamales. Out of 6 siblings only one of my brothers and his family made tamales.
One of my dearest friends from back in my work days at the Detroit Medical Center would bring tamales to every holiday pot luck. Her mother taught her how to make them and she still makes them every year.
A few years back, my son, d-i-l and two youngest grandkids made the drive to Michigan for Christmas. I was at my cousin’s house on Christmas eve when my friend showed up at the door with a huge pan of tamales. I was so excited, it took all my graciousness to share. But I did.
Broccoli salad is very good!
Bridgette, I love broccoli anything. We do a broccoli casserole but I’d be happy with a salad as well.
I love to make a sweet potato casserole. My sister loves to make turkey and ham for thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing your research information. So fun. Prayers that you have a fantastic Thanksgiving season.
Lori, I’m all about anything with sweet potatoes. I recently made a stew with sweet potatoes, rather than regular white potatoes. It was a game changer.
My go to dish is the stuffing!!!!! It’s just now the same when made out of the bird!
Carrie, we do both inside and out. The grandkids have differing opinions. So, like any good granny, I do both ways.
Welcome, Nancy. I pray you and your family have a delightful and very thankful Thanksgiving. It has been a number of years since we have had a Thanksgiving dinner with family as my husband and I live some distance from family and are too old to travel or prepare meals where we live. I used to look forward to getting together with family and friends for the holiday. Unfortunately, with the loss of a mother many years ago, and a father some years later, the meaning seems to slip away. It is NEVER too late to be thankful, and I am truly gifted with my family and my circumstances. GOD has been very good to me.
Judy, I know you’ve got some wonderful memories though. I’m fortunate to be close to my family, but I also feel the loss of those who’ve passed. Growing up, my sons were inundated with holiday celebrations from my mother and her family, then my father’s family. Now, the circle is smaller, but the feeling is still there.
God is good to all of us. I hope He brings peace to you this season.
Nancy, it’s great to see you here!
Doing research about the 1800’s has become one of my favorite things to do, and I appreciate you sharing your process.
As for holiday side dishes – all of these previous answers have made me hungry! Sweet Potato Casserole, Hash Brown Casserole, Mac & Cheese (especially homemade, old fashioned), cranberry sauce…I love them all (and it shows on my hips! LOL!!!)
Our favorite activity, when the weather allows, is watching all the teens and young adults play football after lunch has settled. Seems not too long ago, I was keeping a lot of these same football players occupied as babies and toddlers, while their parents were the players! And time moves on…
Thanksgiving is our family’s favorite holiday. It brings together all the good things in life – family, friends and food.
Hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.
Hey, Lynne. Yes, research is always a fun thing to do. Especially if you’re trying a new profession for your characters, or a new location.
These responses have definitely whet my appetite too. Probably not a good thing on a non-holiday day.
One of our family’s favorite side dishes is a casserole of California blend vegetables with Velveeta and topped with crushed ritz crackers then baked. We just call it veggie casserole. It is a staple for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Elaine, I’ve never heard of that. I may have to give it a try.
Being one of the benefactors of your fabulous covers, Nancy, thank you so much for all that attention to details! I have been known to put footnotes or endnotes in books where the research led me to unexpected places…not that too many novel readers look for that sort of thing.
Mom made “corn pudding” by whipping a can of creamed corn into a couple of eggs and baking. I’m thinking I’m going to have to try it this year–cannot remember the last time I enjoyed it!
I make a strawberry salad that is very colorful and delicious. My grandchildren love it and think I have to make it. It has a layer of sour cream so is red and white, very Christmasy. They also love my cornbread dressing. One of them said, “Nana, this is good enough to sell.” lol
There were only two of the slang words I never heard of, the first two. The rest I have heard most of my life, live in the south. Can’t wait to read both of these books.
Great blog. You have some slang I’ve not heard before, a couple of words, yet I have at least half a dozen books of slang from the old west and the 19th century, and I’ve been researching this era for 40 years. So, well, done, Nancy. And I’d love to have your lists.
I usually make the pecan pies.
apple pie
We make my mom-in-law’s “stuffing” (it uses rice in place of bread and includes ground beef); from my side of the family, it’s mushrooms sautéed in butter.
The movie “Rio Grande” (J. Wayne, M. O’Hara) involves a fandango as part of the plot; that was the first time the word came to my attention.
I don’t see my comment so somehow it didn’t post. Anyway, my favorite dish is the dressing/stuffing. We have a family recipe that I have changed a bit over the years. I always make extra so I have lots of leftovers.