Welcome Guest Author Tanya Agler!

by

Chuckwagons, Campfires, and Diners

One of my favorite parts of vacations is reading the descriptions of the local restaurants as every family member on the trip gets to choose one eating establishment. I am always on the lookout for diners as there is something about the varied menu and fun décor that appeals to me. That might be part of the reason food always plays a major role in my books. In my upcoming Ruby Canyon series, Deedee Magill, a decorated retired rodeo rider, opened the Pinto Bean Café, which has a diner-like atmosphere. In the third book of my Rodeo Stars of Violet Ridge series, Her Temporary Cowboy, there’s a chuckwagon ride where the heroine, Elizabeth Irwin, anticipates the cook’s campfire pancakes. I hope you brought your appetite today as I explore the history of diners and chuckwagons.

Tanya with her daughter at a chuckwagon event.

The history of diners begins in the 1870s with lunch wagons that popped up in Rhode Island to feed laborers, newspaper workers, and others. Those led to the advent of night meal wagons, which offered the likes of coffee, pie, and sandwiches at all hours. By the 1890s, lunch wagons had boomed, providing meals for all social classes. After WW2, the current version of diners began to emerge with the advent of the modular, stainless-steel structure that can still be found today. Today, there are over 8,000 diners in the US alone, with New Jersey claiming the title of the diner capital of the world.

Chuckwagons also have a colorful history. Originally created by Charles Goodnight to feed cowboys on Texas cattle drives, the chuckwagon became synonymous with eating under the open sky. A chuckwagon is exactly what it sounds like. It’s often a wagon, often with a white tarpaulin, that serves as a mobile kitchen to feed cowhands and ranchers. In Goodnight’s version, the wagon came outfitted with a “chuck box” with drawers and shelves for food and equipment storage, and a hinged lid that would provide a flat surface for preparing the meals. Biscuits and beans are the meal most often associated with what would be served on the open range, although coffee and sourdough bread are also high on that list. Currently, the American Chuck Wagon Association was founded in 1997 to continue the historical legacy of this treasured historical way of eating. There are also contests for chuckwagon cooking, and it is now a staple of many dude ranches. My daughter’s engagement dinner theme revolved around chuckwagons and cobbler, and this is a picture of us at the event.

In The Hometown Hero’s Fourth of July, there are four former female rodeo contestants who were pivotal in their field. They have now settled in Ruby Canyon and call themselves the Bronze Gals. Deedee Magill is the unofficial leader of the group and is the grandmother of the heroine, Erin Perkins. Deedee named the Pinto Bean Café after her rodeo horse and is known for making the best omelets around as well as a mean bowl of turkey chili and a heaping slice of peanut butter pie. She also alerts her granddaughter to the happenings of Ruby Canyon. In the first chapter of the book, Deedee calls Erin and tells her to get to the Pinto Bean pronto.

Here is a small excerpt featuring Erin’s response:

Thirty minutes later, she approached downtown Ruby Canyon. If Erin had blinked, she’d have missed the turn from Main Street onto Meadow Valley Road and the café where Grandma Deedee had served thousands of breakfast platters in the past year alone.

As small as it was, there was something intangible about her adopted hometown that was deeply entrenched in her. During her tour of duty, she had dreamed about her grandmother’s award-winning chili, the annual softball game and the Fourth of July fireworks. Awakening, she started counting down the days until she once again smelled the wildflowers wafting in the summer air and felt the first snowfall buffeting her cheeks.

The Pinto Bean Café is part of Ruby Canyon, just as diners and chuckwagons have been a part of American culture for over one hundred years.

What about you?

Have you ever dined at a diner or been a part of a chuck wagon meal?

Let me know in the comments and one commenter will receive a signed print copy (US only) of

The Hometown Hero’s Fourth of July

along with a $10.00 Amazon gift card.

Tanya Agler moved often during her childhood and settled in Georgia where she writes sweet contemporary romance novels, which feature small towns, family and pets, and themes of second chances and hope. Tanya’s books for Harlequin Heartwarming are set in small towns located in the mountains of North Carolina, Colorado, and Wyoming.

When she’s not writing, Tanya loves classic movies, walking, and a good cup of tea.

Visit her website for more details.

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77 thoughts on “Welcome Guest Author Tanya Agler!”

  1. Love diners, especially Jersey diners.

    I’ve never had a chuckwagon meal, but I do remember a restaurant called the Chuckwagon, and the entrance was shaped like the backend of a chuckwagon.

  2. Yes, diners are a known (and loved) quantity. A group of us (mainly retirees) from church goes to a local diner after morning Mass for breakfast on Tuesdays. No, I have no experience of chuckwagons beyond what I’ve read or seen in movies/TV shows. It’d be interesting to experience a meal at one.

  4. I don’t think I have dined at a diner or chuck wagon, unless you can count the food trucks that serve food at street festivals, I have eaten from those.

    • Hi, Connie! I love food trucks, and my husband always finds the best ones! It’s always so much fun to attend street festivals! Thanks for stopping by.

  5. In the 60s, my parents took me & my 2 sister out west on a camping trip. We went to TetonNatl Park, Yellowstone among other places. Somewhere in there , Dad arranged for us to go on a trail ride that ended with dinner outdoors. I don’t remember if a chuck wagon was involved but it wouldn’t surprise me. I was maybe 10 at the time.

  8. Here in the Ozarks there are lots of little diners in our small towns. One in particular is shaped like a silver bullet or the old silver camping trailers. The food is great with wonderful service.

    • Hi, Ann! Thanks for stopping by! I’m right there with you, having eaten at many diners and enjoying most of them. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

  10. yes to both during our 6 week long vacation in 1969 from Indiana to California pulling a camper in a station wagon with no A/C or seatbelts!

    • HI, Teresa! That sounds like a family adventure, the type that provided a lot of shared memories! Thanks for sharing that great trip. Have a great weekend!

    • Hi, Bridget! It seems as though there’s always something new to try at a diner, doesn’t it! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great weekend!

  12. I have eaten at a few Diners across the country and for the most part they were really good. There were a few not so great ones but that is true of all types of eating places.

    I never knew that chuckwagons still exist today. I thought they only existed in the books I read. Thanks for all the information and I think it is so neat that your daughter had one as her engagement party theme.

    • Hi, Sarah! You’re so right that you win some and you lose some when you try a new place. And it was a very special rehearsal dinner! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend.

  13. Having traveled a lot, both as a child and an adult, I have had the privilege of eating at diners all over the United States and the food was always scrumptious! We still have some diners here in AZ, although we don’t eat out much anymore. The only time I had the pleasure of eating at a chuck wagon was when my Grandpa was a member of a group called The Verde Vaqueros and another called The Cactus Caballeros and they would have a chuck wagon meal before setting off on their week long rides and my Mom and I were usually invited to join in.

    • Hi, Karin! Wow! That is such a neat story about your grandfather. I hope you wrote all of that down to share with future generations! Thanks for sharing that story. I hope you have a great weekend.

  14. There is one diner I remember. It was in Pidgeon Forge, TN. The food was great, the tableside record player machine was there, but I do not believe it worked. It’s been a while since I have been there. It was wonderful and the food was great! They are still open for business along with other new diners.

    • Hi, Judy! I love Pigeon Forge! My family has visited there often as we love Dollywood and the Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and hiking in the Smokies. I think I’ve been to that diner, too! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

  16. I just recalled another diner we ate at in Montana while we were on vacation. We ordered pancakes and it came to our table, completely covering a large dinner plate! It was delicious, but too much for me! Breakfast at that diner was out of this world!!

  18. Welcome back, Tanya! I love diners but all we have around here is Waffle House which is a little similar. Enjoy your visit. We’re wishing you much success with your new book.

    • Hi, Linda! A huge thank you to you and all at Petticoats and Pistols for allowing me to be the guest blogger today. I live in Georgia, so I am very familiar with Waffle House! What I especially love about them is that they are the barometer for weather around here. If a Waffle House is closed, it’s probably a blizzard! Thank you so much for the sweet wishes. Have a wonderful weekend.

  19. Yes, in Port Huron, MI there is an old diner from the 50’s that is so fun to eat at. Also, there is another one in MI where the girls are on roller skates. Our children loved going there.

    • Hi, Barbara! Those diners sound like so much fun! I love places like that! And I love 50s diners because I love the music too. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend.

    • Hi, Jackie! I’m the same in reverse – I’ve eaten at many diners in the Southeast! I hope you enjoyed the ones in the Southwest. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

  22. I actually haven’t dined at any diners just local restaurants, I prefer to support local businesses whenever I can as opposed to big chain restaurants.

    • Hi, Laura! Some of my favorite restaurant finds are local restaurants and small family diners. When my family visited Colorado, we found the cutest local restaurant that had every imaginable type of mustard on display. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend.

  23. Good Friday Afternoon Tanya,

    Enjoyed reading about the history of Chuck Wagons and Diners! Never participated in a Chuck Wagon meal, but I’ve been to several diners usually while traveling along our interstate highways. 🙂

    Thank you,

    Julie Bullock

    • Hi, Julie! For me, it’s always fun to try diners on road trips. I hope the same holds true for you. Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

  25. Yes, I have eaten at a lot of diners. My favorite was a staple in our area until it closed a couple of years ago. It was a Greek diner but had a huge menu. When we would bring friends from other countries they were usually overwhelmed. They had huge, amazing desserts, all made on site. We miss The Spot, which was the name of the diner.

    • Hi, Elaine! Isn’t always wonderful to have a reliable restaurant that you know is good so that you can take friends when they visit. Sorry to hear that The Spot closed, but I’m glad you have good memories of the diner. Have a wonderful weekend.

  26. Where I grew up, we would go to one of the area diners once a week…. loved them! One had the best French Silk Pie… the other huge breakfast plates for great value… miss it!

  27. For the past 15 years, my husband and I have gone ATVing in the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming. We’ve watched ranchers drive their cattle up the mountains to graze for the summer. There are also many sheep herders guarding flocks of sheep. To our amazement, the chuck wagons are now modernized and portable! It is fun to encounter them And visit with the people. You are a new author to me and I appreciate getting to know you. Thank you for blogging today.

    Oh, and I love diners.

    • Hi, Kathy! It sounds like you and your husband have had some great adventures! Thank you for sharing some of them with me. I hope you have a great weekend.

  28. Yes I have dined in a dinner and their food is usually very good. Never dined in a chuck wagon though but I guess they are similar.

    • Hi! I love your blogger response name! My mother-in-law loved quilting, and that’s such a special skill.
      I agree that the food in diners is usually good, and the portions are usually very hearty. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

  29. I have always Loved eating at a diner, and I also love Pinto Beans with a piece of corn bread for them your book sounds amazing have a Blessed weekend!

  30. Diners are special and wonderful. I enjoy eating at diners because they give me such great food choices and food that is better, tastier and more interesting.

    • Hi, Sharon! I think that’s one of the fun parts about going to a diner – just looking over the pages of the menu! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

  31. I have eaten at diners and have always had a memorable experience. The atmosphere reminds me of another day and age, and the good quality and options are fabulous.

    • Hi, Laini! Some of my favorite diners have been the ones with that same type of atmosphere. I especially like ones with jukeboxes and decor. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend.

  32. When I was younger and taken out to diners I was entranced with the amazing menu. Impressive and tasty food, huge plates, and great value. The decor and the seating was so cool.

  33. Yes, I went on several tours out west with a tour group named Little House Tours with a man and his wife. I traveled to all of the sites where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived. (3 or 4 tours to go to them all) On The Little House on the Prairie site in Independence, Kansas, we had a chuck wagon meal out on the prairie. We sat on hay bales and watched them cook bison burgers by the fire. It was a wonderful meal! I was so glad I got a chance to eat there with a group while enjoying the open prairie.

    • Hi, Susan! I love the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder! What a special memory! Thanks for sharing that with me! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend.

  34. There are many diners in our area. Some closed with covid. Others, food costs. Others to retirement. I love the diner experience. People seem friendlier and the food is usually amazing!

    • Hi, Carrie! That’s a shame about some of the closings, but I hope you have some good memories of the ones that closed. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend.

    • Hi, Bridgette! I hope you had a wonderful time and created some wonderful memories from your visit to the diner. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend.

  36. Yes, I love diners. If I recall correctly, when I was a Girl Scout, we had a chuckwagon meal. It may have been in youth group also. Thank you so much for the opportunity. God bless you.

    • Hi, Debra! It sounds like you were part of an active troop! How wonderful. Thanks for sharing that story! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend.

  37. Thanks so much for the reminder of diners and the information about the chuck wagon experience. Your new book sounds great. I too have had the opportunity to eat at a few diners in my area. I love the feel of the place and the unique items on the menus. I also admit I have more than my share of chocolate milk shakes which is one of my favorite items to order. I also find it sad that many of the true diners have gone out of business over the years.

  40. There’s a small diner in Carbondale, CO, that has excellent food. Also, when my ex-husband and I lived in SD, the local community club always held an annual trail ride which ended with a barbecue. They always grilled chicken which was delicious and the women provided side dishes. I don’t know whether they still do it, but it was always a lot of fun and oodles of delicious food!

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