Lewis and Clark’s Dugout Canoes

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I live in one of the areas of Montana that the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, traversed during the early 1800s (1803-1806). Beaverhead Rock, the formation that Sacagawea recognized as being close to the summer grounds of her nation, is one of the local landmarks.

Eighty percent of the Lewis and Clark expedition was accomplished by water. The explorers used various types of boats, barges, canoes and pirogues to accomplish the round trip journey, and I think the most fascinating of these are the dugout canoes that they carved during their travels.

The canoes were carved out of a single tree, using green cottonwood or Ponderosa pine because those woods are easy to shape when wet. The outside of the tree was kept wet, while small coal fires were set on the log to burn the wood away. As the wood burned, metal implements, such as axes and adzes were used to carve away the burned portions of the log, until it was hollowed out.

The completed dugout canoes averaged 30 feet long and 3 feet wide and weighed about a ton. They could carry a minimum of 800 pounds of cargo along with 7 men. The explorers also built larger canoes, 50-55 feet long, for travel on the Columbia river. These canoes could carry 2-3 tons of cargo along with 4-6 men. The larger canoes took 12 days to complete; some of the smaller canoes were built in 5 days.

Painting created by Split Rock Studios, Sioux City, Iowa. Original in the collection of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation.
A partially finished dugout canoe displayed in a local part, created to demonstrate the construction technique.

The explorers carved 6 canoes from cottonwood trees at Fort Mandan in what is now North Dakota before heading west. One of the canoes was abandoned near the Big Hole River in Montana and the rest put into storage when the expedition shifted from waterways to horseback in order to travel over the Rocky Mountains into Idaho.

Once they crossed the Rockies, the men made five new dugout canoes from Ponderosa pine.  All of these canoes were wrecked or sold  before they made it past Columbia Falls. On the return journey, the explorers retrieved the canoes they had stored in Montana and used them to travel to the Great Falls of the Missouri. During the journey they carved a total of 15 canoes. William Clark carved two canoes near Billings Montana that were so unstable that they had to be lashed together. I bet that after days of burning and scraping, they were pretty determined to use them in anyway possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Animals Steal the Scene and a Give Away!

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There’s something about putting an animal into a story. At first, they’re just supposed to be there.
A horse carries the hero into town. A dog sleeps beside the stove. A barn cat wanders through a scene. Maybe there are chickens scratching around the yard because, well, it’s the Old West and there ought to be chickens scratching around somewhere.
And then something happens…

The animal develops a personality, and before you know it, the hero’s horse has opinions, the heroine’s dog has chosen sides in the romance, and the chicken has wandered into a scene where it most definitely does not belong.
In other words, the animal has become a character.
I’ve always enjoyed animal sidekicks in books, especially in Westerns. Animals were part of everyday life, so it’s only natural that they become part of our fictional towns and families too. Sometimes, however, things get a little out of hand.

Take Mr. Gilbert Snow who lives in my fictional town  of Clear Creek. Mr. Snow has a soft spot for animals, particularly ones that need rescuing. At one point, he rescued a collection of exotic animals from a cruel circus owner in New York before moving his family to Clear Creek. And when I say exotic, I don’t mean he brought home an unusually large dog. He has a lion. A camel. A chimpanzee. A zebra. And two lemurs.

The lion has since taken up residence in the chicken coop. This meant that the chickens, understandably, needed new accommodations. Then there’s Sheik Ali, the camel, whom Mr. Snow rides into town. Because apparently arriving in Clear Creek on an ordinary horse just wouldn’t do. Alexander the chimpanzee is also part of the family menagerie, along with the zebra and two lemurs. At this point, I’m not entirely certain whether the Snow family owns the animals or the animals own the Snow family.

And that’s one of the things I love about using animals in stories. They create possibilities. An animal can add humor without a single line of dialogue. Put a dignified character on a camel and you already have possibilities. Put a lion in a chicken coop and suddenly an ordinary household problem becomes something quite different.But animals can do more than make us laugh. They can tell us something about the people who care for them. Mr. Snow didn’t collect exotic animals because he wanted a private zoo. He rescued creatures that had been mistreated and gave them a home. That tells us something about him without my having to stop the story and explain what sort of man he is. The way characters treat animals can reveal tenderness, patience, stubbornness, compassion—and sometimes a remarkable tolerance for chaos.

And animals can have relationships of their own with the characters around them. A horse might tolerate one person and adore another. A dog can become fiercely protective. A cat will, of course, do whatever it wants.
And every so often, you get a creature like Clyde, the Muiraran justice bird (belonging to my other pen name’s story world) who appears in some of my western books and definitely has his own ideas about how things ought to be handled.
But Clyde is another story.

The Snow family menagerie has always been one of my favorite examples of what can happen when animals become more than background decoration. They become part of the family, part of the town, and sometimes part of the trouble. And once that happens, it’s hard to imagine the story without them.

 

Now I’d love to hear about your favorites. Is there an animal from a book that completely stole the scene for you?
And just for fun—if you lived in an Old West town and could have one unusual animal sidekick, what would you choose? I’m giving away one e-book copy of Wilhemina, The Snows of Clear Creek, Book 1 to one lucky commenter. 

CHERYL’S WINNERS!

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Thank you all so much for coming by today and reading and commenting. Our readers are the heart of Petticoats and Pistols, and we appreciate you all! 

 

My winners today are…KARIJEAN AND JUDY SEXTON!

 

If you ladies will send me an email at fabkat_edit@yahoo.com, and put WINNER in the subject line, that will be great! Just let me know which of my digital books you’d like to have  and provide me with the email address you’d like it sent to and I’ll see that it ships out to you as soon as possible. 

 

Thanks again so much for making this a fun blog post! I love hearing from you all!

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS #4–CONAGHER AND CINDERELLA (AND A GIVEAWAY!) by CHERYL PIERSON

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Have you ever read a story that made you wonder why the author spent such a long, boring time describing an item or place that seemed of little importance to the story?

Usually when that happens, it’s because its importance will be revealed later on, or some scene will call up that particular memory or description for some reason—and its usually a pretty darn good reason!

Let’s look at Cinderella’s slipper as our first example for this. Of course, a glass slipper would be highly unusual, wouldn’t it? In fact, most likely, there would be no other slippers like that one pair!

This particular pair of shoes serves as a symbol for the entire story—improbable things happening to a young woman who has been treated so terribly for so long that lead to her ultimate happiness—it’s a story we can all relate to!

The magic that brings her happiness is not just going to the ball and all the wonderful things that happened on the way—the beautiful gown, the carriage, and so on—the true magic for Cinderella is falling in love. And how can the two lovers hope to be reunited? Well, if it weren’t for those exquisitely, perfectly-fitting glass slippers, everything else that came before—all the magic, hopes, and dreams—could have amounted to nothing at all. Everything hinges on the glass slipper fitting!

Hence the description of the slippers themselves, carrying the slipper on a pillow (which I always believed was taking a terrible chance!) and the endless search and trying on of the slipper throughout the kingdom.

The slipper is all-important because it is the proof that she is “the one” –and it has come to symbolize the very story itself. when we see a picture of the glass slipper, we know it “means” Cinderella, right?

 

Think about Lous L’Amour’s iconic western, Conagher. Two lonely people meet and fall in love through heartfelt notes that Evie, the heroine, writes and ties to tumbleweeds. They could be found and read by anyone—or no one at all.

 

 

HERE’S THE LINK FOR CONAGHER AT AMAZON!

But the fact that Conagher feels they speak directly to him, shows us how important what she did is to the story. This is further borne out when, in conversation with him, she uses a phrase she’s written on one of the notes—and he knows immediately it is she who has been writing them.

 

Loneliness and the vast emptiness of the land is a common theme throughout the book. It was unimaginable to her that Conagher would be the one who found “that note” – the one she repeated the phrase from in conversation with him—but it wasn’t impossible. And his line to her is one of the most romantic of all time, in my opinion.

 

He takes one of the notes out of his pocket and asks if she wrote it, and she says yes, she did. She tells him she was just so lonely she had to talk to someone, even if no one was there to hear. He says, “There was, Evie, there was me.”

 

The details of:

  • The land around them and their feelings about the emptiness and aloneness of where they are…
  • Evie’s acting on those feelings by just writing them down on paper and tying them to tumbleweeds…
  • The act of Evie repeating the phrase in conversation she’d used on the note Conagher found…

all add up to make this story so special and memorable—and one you will not want to put down once you start reading!

Conagher isn’t a fairy tale, but it does have its own brand of magical connections that lead to love. The details and descriptions in both of these stories, as different as they are, give the reader insights that the author, in both cases, was masterful in providing throughout the story!

 

Finally, another couple of tales that come to mind are two short stories many of us read in our high school English classes—The Necklace, by Guy De Maupassant, and The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry. Do you remember these—both based on objects that were described in great detail—and the twists at the end that left you gasping in surprise?

 

If you haven’t read them, or even if it’s been a while, they are always good to revisit and are classic examples of why detailed descriptions of “things” can be so important to a story’s premise.

Can you think of an example in your reading where the detailed description of something had deep importance to the story? What was the first short story you can remember LIKING to read and study in high school? I’m giving away a digital copy of one of my books to two lucky commenters, (USA) your choice! 

Cheryl’s Amazon Author Page

Lacy Williams Has a Winner!

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Oh my goodness, what fun talking about favorite TV westerns! Thank you, Miss Lacy.

Now for the DRAWING!

One Commenter will get a paperback of Love’s Healing Path plus a $25 Amazon gift card. Yee-Haw!

And the WINNER is……………..

SHEILA GRAVELY

Yippee! Congratulations, Sheila. Now watch for Miss Lacy’s email and check Spam if you don’t see it.

Lacy Williams Has a Tribute to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

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There was a stretch of my childhood when nothing — not schoolwork, not chores, not swimming or playing — got in the way of watching Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman with my family. Weeknight episodes were a whole event at our house. Everybody had a spot on the couch. Nobody was allowed to talk during the good parts. And there were a lot of good parts.

It was shows like this (along with a lot of books from the library) that inspired how I write. Including book 6 in my Wagon Train Matches series, LOVE’S HEALING PATH.

What if Sully was a doctor instead?

If you watched the show, you remember exactly what I mean when I say Sully “loved with his hands before he ever loved with his words.” He didn’t announce his feelings. He showed up. He built things, fixed things, stood guard outside the door without being asked. You knew how he felt about Dr. Mike long before he did, because the show let you watch him fall while she was still too busy running a medical practice and a household to notice.

My hero Doc Jason Goodwin is a lot like Sully. Jason has grief in his past, like Sully. He puts up a lot more walls than Sully. And he’s protective like Sully. Wildfire, bear attack, explosion… he’s there to protect Maddie even before he realizes why he can’t stay away from her.

A trio of orphans shows up.

Dr. Mike takes in the three Cooper children — Colleen, Matthew, and Brian — after their mother dies. It’s a major part of the show: a woman who didn’t plan on becoming a mother, doing it anyway, imperfectly, because nobody else would.

In Love’s Healing Path, Maddie makes a deathbed promise to a dying woman on the wagon train and ends up raising three — two boys and a baby girl. Maddie has good instincts, but with two ornery boys around, of course things go wrong. It takes her awhile to find her feet, but she gets there by the end of the book.

There are some other parallels in my book, there’s the caregiver who has to earn the right to be taken seriously (Dr. Mike fighting a town that didn’t believe a woman could doctor, Maddie fighting a physician who didn’t believe an untrained healer’s knowledge was worth anything). There’s real frontier danger. And there’s that particular feeling the show always gave me: safe. Good. The kind of story you could watch with your whole family and not worry about what came next.

That last part matters most to me, honestly. Because a few years ago, I introduced my own kids to Dr. Quinn. I wasn’t sure it would hold up — but they love it. They ask for “one more episode” the same way I used to beg my parents.

If you loved that show, I think you’ll feel right at home in Love’s Healing Path. And if you’ve never seen it — well, maybe start there too. I promise the couch spot is worth fighting for.

Maddie Fairfax may be young, but on this Oregon-bound wagon train, the pioneers welcome help from the self-trained nurse. Until Dr. Jason Goodwin joins up with their company. The doctor portrays a frosty exterior, but Maddie may be the only one who sees the profound loneliness that haunts him.

After losing his wife and children in a terrible accident, Jason has vowed not to open his heart again. But when Maddie takes on the care of three young orphans, Jason finds himself entangled in the lives of the makeshift family. And as their journey west continues, Maddie’s radiant compassion begins to light up the darkest corners of his heart.

Until the unthinkable happens. Will Jason’s guarded heart and Maddie’s untamed spirit pull them apart? 

  Click here for E-Book

 Click Here for paperback edition

About the Author

With multiple hits on the USA Today and Publishers’ Weekly bestseller lists and more than 1 million copies sold, Lacy Williams has won the hearts of readers worldwide with her heartwarming romances set in the rugged beauty of the American West. A proud Oklahoman, she balances writing with the joyful chaos of raising four children and snuggling her fur babies. Find bonus content at https://www.lacywilliams.net.

 

********GIVEAWAY*********

Today I’m giving away a paperback copy of Love’s Healing Path and a $25 Amazon gift card to one winner. Leave a comment to be entered. Tell me if you had a favorite show from your childhood and what you loved about it. Thanks for chatting with me today!

********GIVEAWAY*********

NEW RELEASE–THE HEARTS MOST WANTED–AND A GIVEAWAY

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This has been an exciting and hectic year for me writing-wise.

Re-releasing older books and now a new one. I’m at 8 books releasing this year. Crazy and fun.

The new one is book #2 in the Rocky Mountain Marshals Series.

I do NOT have my author’s copies yet but soon. So maybe I’ll get them in time so you get YOUR copy (if you win) before the book releases.

The Hearts Most Wanted

When a mysterious threat follows their every step, can two wounded hearts find refuge and love?

US Marshal Morgan Sawyer rides into the treacherous Rocky Mountains on a mission to find fellow Marshal Tex, who vanished while they were escorting a dangerous prisoner. But ranchwoman Roz Beck insists on riding beside him, despite Morgan’s protests. Joined by newlyweds Owen and Delaney, and Roz’s young son, they push deep into the wilderness.

Widowed Roz was wounded in love when her now-deceased husband abandoned her, leaving her alone to raise a child. While her heart longs for love, for her son’s sake, she’ll settle for a man she trusts like Morgan, her childhood friend. When a shadowy figure begins prowling the search party’s camp at night, the group realizes that something more than the wilderness poses a threat to their quest of bringing Tex to safety. Will the looming danger strengthen Morgan and Roz’s growing feelings and faith in each other, or will it be their breaking point?

With outlaws, a rugged hero, and a spirited heroine, Mary Connealy presents another action-packed Old West historical romance. For fans of second chance romance, frontier journeys, and hi-jinks in the Colorado wilderness.

It’s coming October 6…so very soon. 

I LOVE that cover with the cowboy on the horse. I don’t think I’ve had many horses on my covers. It seems so obvious, and yet…not many. Look at the trees in the back ground. it’s autumn in the Rockies and it’s autumn (all most) here. I’ve seen the first signs of trees changing color and the first semi-cool nights after a long, hot summer.

So does anyone have a comment about all the re-releases? Have you forgotten there is still new work? I love having these books gain new life, but I don’t like doing anything that detracts from the new books. What do you think? Are you overloaded with Mary Connealy books? Or do you read a new book a month by authors you love no problem?

Let me know.

Leave a comment about books that come fast, to get your name in the drawing for a signed copy of The Hearts Most Wanted.

https://www.maryconnealy.com/

Lacy Williams is Returning on Friday!

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The Fillies are excited to welcome Lacy Williams back on Friday, September 18, 2026!

She’s going to tell how Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman inspired the books and series she writes. Oh man, I really loved Sully! That man could get my heart racing big time. I thought he was really handsome. My donkey Casper is rolling his eyes.

Miss Lacy is offering one autographed copy of Love’s Healing Path plus a gift card to one commenter.

Just shake the wrinkles out of your bustle and get yourself over here on Friday. Leave a comment to get in the drawing.

Petticoats & Pistols