150-250

Post (C) by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Colorado Front Range
Image (C) Doris McCraw

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state. 

For those who may not know, Ulysses S. Grant signed the paperwork granting statehood to Colorado. To say he was popular in this part of the West would not be taken amiss. 

Grant first visited the Colorado Territory in 1875. Although the residents of the Territory began the process in 1864, and a Constitutional Convention in 1865.

1862 Map of the Colorado Territory
from the Library of Congress

Grant made three visits to Colorado, with the final visit in 1880. That year, he traveled from New Mexico Territory, through Pueblo to Colorado Springs. From there, he headed to Salida, taking a four-horse stage over Monarch Pass and down into Gunnison. There he toured the Taylor Park district, where one of my favorite mining towns, Tin Cup, is located. He returned to Salida and took the Denver & Rio Grande to Leadville via the new spur that had just been completed. (Author Ann Parker wrote a novel, "Silver Lies," that includes Grant's trip to Leaville)

As August 1, 2026, closes in, I will be telling more stories about the Colorado Territory prior to statehood and maybe a few just after that August 1, 1876, date.

For those who enjoy little-known facts, here's a link you might enjoy: 11 Things on Colorado's Journey to Statehood.

Until next time

Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

On This Day in the Old West April 11

“We are again called upon to record one of those awful catastrophes, incidental to steam navigation, carrying distress and dismay to the survivors, and death and deformity to the sufferers.” So read the article in the Daily Alta California on April 12, 1853. 

PHOTO: EXPLOSION

On April 11, the sidewheel steamer Jenny Lind, named after the opera singer P.T. Barnum called “The Swedish Nightingale,” was sailing from the then-thriving settlement of Alviso (at the southernmost point of San Francisco Bay) to the city of San Francisco. Just after noon, as the passengers were being seated for lunch, “the plate on the after head of her boiler blew out, sweeping away, in its course, and followed by the whole body of steam, the cabin bulk head and the exhaustion pipe of the engine.”

The victims of this disaster included Jacob Hoppe, first postmaster of San Jose and one of the founders of the Daily Alta California newspaper. Thirty other people were killed, including Charles White, a rancher who served as the mayor of the Pueblo of San Jose, and Bernard Murphy, who had come to California in 1844 in the first wagon train to cross the Sierras. The Daily Alta California reported that, “It appears that those only who were in the cabin at the time, or on a line with the volume of steam were injured; all those on deck, on the guards and forward of the boilers received no damage… Had the explosion happened but five minutes previous it is said that not a soul would have been injured as the cabin was empty, all hands being on deck; no other part of the boat has sustained any injury, the cabin only having been blown to pieces.”

“The scene on board beggars all description,” continued the reporter. “Here a fond wife, herself sinking in the arms of death, looking at the last struggles of an affectionate and long tried husband, surrounded by the dead bodies of their four innocent offspring, but a few hours before buoyant with life, health, happiness and hope. In another spot was the dying mother, endeavoring with her raw and scalded arms to embrace the only child of her bosom, a cold, stiff corpse, untimely hurried to eternity by a violent and dreadful death. There laid a strong man, convulsively wrestling with Death, whilst the hoarse rattle in his throat and the galvanic quivering of his eyes, gave token of rapid dissolution. In another spot were the torn and mangled remains of a once beautiful woman, wearing even in her horrible death a sweet smile of peace and tranquility. Ranged side by side were the dead, dying, and the sufferers of excruciating agony. Medical attendance was on hand, and every thing done that human skill and ingenuity could do ; but the circumstance, with its attendant horrors, will leave an indelible impression on the minds of all who saw it.”

PHOTO: FERRIES

The Jenny Lind’s exact location at the time of the blast is uncertain. The Daily Alta California reported she was abreast of Pulgas Rancho (possibly the land grant that covered much of the Peninsula). Professor John Haskell Kemble, author of “San Francisco Bay,” a 1957 “pictorial maritime history,” wrote that the ship was “off San Francisquito Creek,” which would be near present-day East Palo Alto. Kemble also wrote that the steamboat was carrying 125 passengers when the boiler blew, killing 31 “either on the spot…or soon after from injuries received.” 

Most modern accounts place the location of the explosion somewhere between the Dumbarton and San Mateo bridges—but don’t try diving on the site. Shockingly, despite the damage, the Jenny Lind was repaired and eventually sailed again.

This disaster nearly finished the town of Alviso. Today it’s home to a Santa Clara County Park. You can book a Salt Marsh Safari and view the plentiful wildlife in the area. In 1853, however, Alviso was “a major player” in the Bay area, its docks enabling Santa Clara County to ship hay, lumber, local produce, and other products to San Francisco and beyond. Passengers could avoid the slow (and uncomfortable) stagecoach ride and sail to and from San Francisco in relative comfort. Business in Alviso declined soon after the Jenny Lind explosion, but the major reason was competition from the San Francisco-San Jose railroad that was completed in 1864. However, until the 1890s, the ferry sailed out of Alviso for San Francisco once a day.

Paul Bernal, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge and the official historian of San Jose, tells us that “the memorial of the Jenny Lind disaster is a wonderful educational tool for residents, visitors, and schoolchildren… In 1853, during the critical transition time between Mexican rule and the American era, the Jenny Lind represented cutting-edge technology in what would later become Silicon Valley.” It would be nice to be able to report that this tragedy led to reform and the end of steamboat disasters, at least in California. “But the cast-iron boilers of river and bay steamers exploded regularly for many years.” Between 1850 and 1898, a total of 270 souls met their end in a steamboat explosion.

PHOTO: JENNY LIND

Even if your characters weren’t around for the Jenny Lind disaster, they could have experienced the horror of steamboat explosions, either in person or via the news. Perhaps a relative or someone they knew was onboard, or they were familiar with a famous passenger. History is rife with tragedy and you can utilize it in your stories.

 

J.E.S. Hays

www.jeshays.com

www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

 

Sources:

“Awful Steamboat Explosion,” Daily Alta California, April 12. 1853

Clifford, Jim, “Steamboat Tragedy of 1853 Killed 31,” San Mateo Daily Journal, August 27, 2018

Nolte, Carl, “Jenny Lind Ferry Disaster Commemoration,” SFGate, August 12, 2013

 

A Western Perspective: Author Spotlight on ELMER KELTON

We all have our favorite western authors. Those that have taken us on journeys across rugged mountain ranges, endless prairies and scorching deserts. Giving us in turn, unforgettable characters who dared to brave the west and call it their home. 

For me, one author stands out slightly ahead of the pack and that is Elmer Kelton. He was the first author who really challenged me to look at the characters over the action. He takes the simplest story lines and makes them seep with passion and emotion through the character's hopes, fears, ambitions and regrets. There are not simple black hat and white hat characters in a Kelton story. He lets the flaws of his characters show and it brings them down to earth and they are relatable to all of us. Sometimes you might find yourself rooting for both sides of an issue. Some of his most unforgettable characters are Hewey Calloway, Rusty Shannon, Charlie Flagg and so many more. 

Even though I never got a chance to meet him, Elmer Kelton is my writing mentor. I have spent hours and hours listening to the talks he gave on writing. Listening to them over and over again, picking up some new nuggets of information on writing and storytelling. I think one of my favorite bits of information is taking on a historical topic that has not been done to death and incorporating that into a story. Taking on the idea of change and how that could impact characters of a different time and how they might prosper to the change or simply resist the change. 

Hewey Callaway is my favorite Elmer Kelton character. I love the freedom and confidence that Hewey displays, even when it gets him into trouble. I watched The Good Old Boys when I was a kid and thought, this story is boring, because I wanted to know why there was no gunfight in the movie. As I grew up and actually started reading Elmer Kelton, it became quite clear to me that, even though I love me a good western shootout(still so to this day), that is not where the story lies. The story is in the characters and their individual pursuits. Today, The Good Old Boys is one of my all time favorite western movies and I love the continuing Hewey Callaway series. 

A couple years ago, I was able to travel to San Angelo and go to The Cactus Book Store which has the largest display of Elmer Kelton books I have ever seen. I easily spent a lot of money on signed books, and news articles written by him. From there, I went to the mural of Elmer Kelton and then to the Stephen Central Library that has a sculpture of him and another large section of his books. Finally, after lunch at Twisted Root, I stopped by Elmer Kelton's grave, to pay my respects. He has taught me a lot and even though he had already gone to be with the Lord, he has taught me so much about the craft of writing.

In wrapping this up I strongly recommend if you haven't already, getting an Elmer Kelton book and getting lost in it.  A couple favorites of hand are his"Texas Rangers" series, "Slaughter", "The Far Canyon", "Cloudy In The West", "Six Bits A Day" "Time It Never Rained", "The Wolf and The Buffalo" and "Joe Pepper" to name a few. 

That is it for me for this months Western Perspective. I hope you all have a great week 🤠

Relevant? It Depends

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

Relevant? It depends. I've been thinking about relevance lately. With March as National Women's History Month, the question of women's relevance in Western History is important to me, but is it the same for others?

Relevance: important to the matter at hand. This is the definition that a search brought up.

When we read Westerns, the stories are usually male-oriented, with lots of action, etc. If the story is female-oriented, it seems the same action, etc., or, my personal pet peeve, the woman is 'violated' and needs to be saved or seeks revenge. 

How true or realistic is this in actual history? How many times have men gone off and it's the woman who does her job and his while he is gone? Think about Abigail Adams, Civil War Wives, or any number of occasions when the woman is placed in the position to make the decisions. 

What are your thoughts on the subject? 

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

Part 2:

Blogs, relevant? As the first part mentions, it is important to the matter at hand.

Blogs are a great way for a writer, new or experienced, to showcase their abilities. At the same time, what is contained in the subject matter is also something to consider.

I write about history. Almost everything I post on a blog, Substack, or other social media is usually history-focused, so most of my work will show up on searches. 

Tagging is also relevant to ensure the quality of what you are sharing. The keywords, the means of searching for your work, are also important.

So, Blogs? Relevant? Love to hear your thoughts. Too many blogs, no time? Commenting? Do you like to know how people respond to your work? 

Until next time.

Doris McCraw

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

The Times They Are A-Changin’

 

Again

I’ve been lucky in my career.  I began writing in the middle of the 1970's fantasy boom.  I caught the tail end of the men’s action/adventure books.  Then I saddled up for a long ride with Jake Logan and other series westerns.  These were all done by traditional publishers selling mass market books in ways that have their roots in the Depression.

 The first major change in the business came with the introduction of ebooks.  I started putting titles up on Amazon and other indie venues about 15 years ago, with moderate (to no) success.  But it was an education I needed in producing the book from the ground up.  I coined a term VIPUB–Vertically Integrated Publishing.  The author had to do it all.  Writing, editing, cover, formatting, publishing and promoting. Along with messy business things like how to take money over the internet (and dealing with state taxes on those sales).  The whole enchilada, as we say in New Mexico.  That covers a lot of talents/skills and I am not all that good at many of them.

But the major book publishers still provided paying markets.  For me, over the past 10 years I increasingly focused on the westerns.  But the series began drying up.  No more Jake Logans.  No more Ralph Comptons.

 Smart phones and audio books and Kindles all provided new and different markets, but the bedrock was still the mass market paperback.

 Only now that is changing and we need to figure out what to do as authors, selling our own work.  If you missed it, this is the Publishers Weekly article that details how the publishers and distributors intend to “winnow” mass market pbs by 2026.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/97179-book-publishers-plan-for-a-reduced-mass-market-paperback-footprint.html

 What I read here is that the only print will be trade and hardcover.  In 50 years of writing and over 350 titles published, I have had 3 books (2 westerns) that came out first as hardcovers.  YMMV.  But for me this looks like an asteroid heading for earth (mass markets).

 Original anthologies don’t sell well.  You know how well you do with original ebooks.  Amazon (and others) lets you do Print on Demand.  But sales are nowhere near what the major publishers can offer for mass market originals.  And we have to do VIPUB.  All that work when we could be writing new fiction.

 I don’t have any answers how to survive in a world where mass market (and midlist) books disappear.  So I am asking for discussion from the rest of the Western Fictioneers.  What works best for you?  Are your sales of ebooks and others strong?  What did you do?  Are small presses the answer?  Ads, newsletters, giveaways, podcasts, Kickstarter?  What formats and lengths and topics are most viable?  Is there something you think is a wild idea that’d never work?   Please share it.  This may be the time for wild and crazy ideas.

 We’re all in this writing corral together.  Sharing ideas can be the way we all survive the changing markets.  What can WF do?

 Bob Vardeman

president WF

Jackson Lowry Amazon Page

Karl Lassiter Amazon Page

On This Day in the Old West March 14

 For today, let’s be a little hedonistic. On March 14, 1896, the Sutro Baths opened outside of Cliff House in San Francisco. The baths, the world’s largest indoor swimming pool establishment, were built on the western side of San Francisco by the wealthy entrepreneur and former mayor, Adolph Sutro.

The baths were situated in a small beach inlet below Cliff House (which was also owned by Sutro at that time). Today, both Cliff House and the baths site are a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, operated by the US National Park Service.

In a 1912 article by J.E. Van Hoosear of Pacific Gas and Electric, we learn that Sutro used 100,000 square feet of glass, 600 tons of iron, 3.5 million board feet of lumber, and 10,000 cubic yards of concrete to build his baths. Facilities included:

·      Six saltwater pools and one freshwater pool. The baths were 499.5 feet long and 254.1 feet wide for a capacity of nearly 2 million US gallons. They were equipped with seven slides, 30 swinging rings, and one springboard.

·      A museum displaying an extensive collection of stuffed and mounted animals, historic artifacts, and artwork, much of which Sutro acquired from the Woodward’s Gardens estate sale in 1894.

·      A 2700-seat amphitheater, and club rooms with capacity for 1100

·      517 private dressing rooms

·      20,000 bathing suits and 40,000 towels to rent

 

During high tides, water would flow directly into the pools from the nearby ocean, recycling two million US gallons of water in about an hour. During low tides, a powerful turbine water pump, built inside a cave at sea level, could be switched on from a control room and could fill the tanks at a rate of 6,000 US gallons a minute, recycling the water in five hours.

At one time, the baths were serviced by two rail lines. The Ferries and Cliff House Railroad ran along the cliffs of Lands End overlooking the Golden Gate, from the baths to a terminal at California Street and Central Avenue (now Presidio Avenue). The second line, the Sutro Railroad, ran electric trolleys to Golden Gate Park and downtown San Francisco. Both lines were later taken over by the Market Street Railway.

Sutro was a colorful character with “passions for art and natural history,” and he incorporated his interests into his baths. According to the National Parks Service, “The front entrance contained natural history exhibits, galleries of sculptures, paintings, tapestries, and artifacts from Mexico, China, Asia, and the Middle East, including the popular Egyptian mummies. In addition to swimming, Sutro Baths offered visitors many other attractions, including band concerts, talent shows, and restaurants.”

After Sutro died in 1898, Sutro Baths struggled for years, mostly due to the astronomic operating and maintenance costs. The facilities were sold to a succession of owners, with each trying various ideas to make money. Eventually, the southernmost part was converted into an ice-skating rink, with a wall separating it from the now-dilapidated swimming pools. In addition to financial struggles, the baths became the focus of a significant civil rights battle in 1897, when John Harris sued Adolph Sutro after being denied entry due to his race. Harris won his case, making it a landmark victory against racial segregation in public facilities. This case “set an important precedent for future civil rights actions, underscoring the growing demand for equal treatment and access to public spaces.”

In 1966, a fire destroyed the building, which was in the process of being destroyed to make way for high-rise apartments. All that remains to this day are concrete walls, blocked-off stairs and passageways, and a tunnel with a deep crevice in the middle. The fire was determined to have been caused by arson, and shortly afterwards, the developers left the city and claimed insurance money. The land was eventually purchased by the National Parks.

If you’d like a special treat, watch this 1897 film of the baths by Thomas Edison!

 

J.E.S. Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

 

Hartman, Sierra, “Rare Photos of Sutro Baths on its 119^th Anniversary,” The Bold Italic, https://thebolditalic.com/rare-photos-of-sutro-baths-on-its-119th-anniversary-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-9237ef8da4be

Martini, John, “Signs of Sutro Baths,” Open SF https://www.opensfhistory.org/osfhcrucible/2016/12/

Middleton, Chris , Amber Wright, and Clio Admin. "Sutro Baths." Clio: Your Guide to History. April 16, 2017.Accessed February 23, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/15208

        

A Western Perspective: Why Do We Western? March 3rd, 2025

At three years old I was introduced to the Western through watching John Wayne in Randy Rides Alone and then right after Angel and the Badman. My grandpa, who showed me these, had no idea that this simple action of sharing these with me would create an obsession with not only the Western genre but with American West history as well! 

The Western has been now a part of my life for thirty three years and with all the people I have met that shares that passion, I was struck with a question, "Why do we western?"

It sounds like a very simple question and one that I could easily answer. I was actually asked on a third date what drew me to the Western and once I started speaking, I realized that my answers were coming up kind of hollow in the sense that I could not cover in depth what I felt towards the genre and history. I can be sitting on a bench in an old mining town in Colorado, the smell of rain and camp fire on the air, watching the pine trees sway back and forth and feel myself transported one hundred plus years ago. I can imagine those who have been long gone while being in an old pioneer cemetery and imagining the lives they had. Explaining that to someone who might not fully understand, will look at me like I am crazy. 

I then explained my love for the Western through the lens of story with movies, TV shows, books and song. How strong characters reflect the real people who made the West their home. How they fought the elements, animals and each other to hold onto their land, possessions, dignity and lives. How the landscape is just as much as a character as the figures in the story.

The west was so vast and expansive and represented a promise land to some and at the same time was a sacred place worth dying for. Clash of cultures that at times were peaceful but a lot of the times it was filled with horrific violence. The blood that has soaked into the ground might have a historical monument commemorating the lives lost there and giving the people of today a chance to remember and reflect. Some places however have a shopping mall or parking lot over them and the sacrifices made on that same spot are lost to the pages of history or known by very few. 

The answer to me as to "why we western" Is not something that can be easily explained and the reason for that is because there is so much to the why. Maybe it is enjoying an old movie with legendary actors on the screen. Hollywood gunfights in a dusty town and romantic kisses all embraced by the landscape of desert, plains and mountains. Maybe it is getting transported to the West through a book and letting your imagination set the stage. Visiting historical sites and the majestic terrain. Eating biscuits and gravy to wash down with some cowboy coffee or drinking a cold sarsaparilla while walking down the boardwalk of an old ghost town. Wearing cowboy hats and boots every chance you get. 

Why we western can literally have thousands of reasons why. It is also very unique to each person. It can be the representation of freedom or the stance of bravery that draws us in or also the realistic view of how hard life can be but we can stand strong to face it like those from the past did. It is a way to remember those before us and the sacrifices they made in search for a better life or those who stood to defend their home and loved ones. The west is a place that we can celebrate cultures and people. From a deeper understanding of life to a friendly wave passing by vehicle to vehicle on an old dirt road. 

So for whatever your reason is to western, we are truly blessed to have this sacred history and genre that we can claim as our own and continue to write, read, eat, drink,dance, sing, talk, explore, ride, and enjoy our western heritage. So keep Westering on 🤠

And Next?

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image (C) Doris McCraw

As I ponder what I am going to write in this monthly post, my mind runs through all the research and reading I have been doing. I just finished the Patrick K. O'Donnell book: "The Unvanquished" and have Mosby's Rangers and Jessie Scouts' exploits during the Civil War and beyond swirling around in my mind. 

Add that to the research on the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, an offshoot of the Spanish-American War, for another story I'm working on, and my mind is swirling with reading about the violent history of our country. 

To balance this history, I'm continuing to work on early Women Doctors before 1900 and have added women artists and mountaineers in the West during that same period. It does provide a good balance. I confess that when studying and sharing history, I aim for balance. It is not easy to share history in a way that is engaging while keeping moral and modern sentiment out of the equation. No matter how hard I try, the information is still filtered through my life experiences. 

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

There is also a paper on the statuary, mausoleums, and headstones in Evergreen Cemetery, all of which seem to tie together in my mind.

When we read a book, fiction or non-fiction, we get out of it what we see through our own personal filters. To me, that is why the stories we share as writers are important. We never know when a sentence we've written will make a difference in someone's life. For that reason alone, we need to keep sharing our stories. The reader who needs to read what we've written will find it one way or another. This I do believe, for I've seen it happen, even if the author has passed on.

For those who may wonder, I'm getting ready to read "Man on Fire" about Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a mentor to Helen (Hunt) Jackson, Emily Dickinson, and commander of an all-Black unit in the American Civil War, among other activities. 

Until Next Time - Keep Telling Your Stories

Doris

On This Day in the Old West: February 14

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today, let’s talk Old West technology. In 1837, Samuel Morse filed for a US patent for his electrical telegraph line and in 1838, he sent his first public demonstration of the device over two miles of line in New Jersey. From there, the telegraph spread out across the East Coast, taking decades to become indispensable to Americans. It was the 1850s, however, before the Wild West was connected to the rest of the country. California began using telegraph lines before this date, but the first time the West was hooked up to the East was on Valentine’s Day, 1854, when Marshall, Texas was connected to the Louisiana line.

The Texas and Red River Company opened its first office on that day, offering patrons connections with New Orleans via Shreveport and with Alexandria, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. Lines were strung treetop to treetop, and in many instances, telegraph operators closed their office and rode along the lines to make repairs when the wind swaying the branches broke the wires. Later that year, Houston, Galveston, and other Texas towns were literally brought online. By 1870, there was an estimated 1,500 miles of telegraph line in Texas. Expansion was rapid up to 1890 as the transcontinental railroads laid wire across the state. By 1943, the Western Union Telegraph Company, which began operating in Texas in 1866, was the only telegraph company still operating in that state. They closed the Marshall telegraph office—the oldest in Texas--in1972.

But how does a telegraph work? Let’s talk science. A telegraph transmits electrical signals from a battery through its wires, from a transmitter to a receiver. The wires form a series circuit, where all components are connected end-to-end to form a single path for current flow. The knob on the telegraph key acts as a switch. When the switch is pushed down, it makes contact with the base and closes the circuit. Electrical current can then flow to the receiver. When the knob is released, it opens the switch and breaks the circuit. The receiver contains an electromagnet. When that receives a pulse of electricity, it moves an armature  that makes a click or that is connected to an ink roller. The ink roller marks a strip of paper.

These marks are not in English, however, or any other human language. They are in Morse Code, named after its inventor, Samuel Morse. The letters and numbers in this code are represented by combinations of long and short signals of sound (or you can transmit the code with light flashes as well). The short sounds and flashes are called dots, and the longer ones are dashes. The more commonly used letters are given the shorter patterns. For example, ‘E’ is the most commonly used letter in the alphabet, so its sound is one dot. The letter ‘J,” one used less often, is coded as dot dash dash dash (. - - - ). Telegraph operators became so skilled at deciphering this code that the better ones could translate 45 words per minute!

Your characters would certainly have communicated via the telegraph, one way or another. Perhaps they themselves sent or received a message, or perhaps they read a newspaper whose articles were supplied by a telegraph. Just be mindful of the dates for the Old West towns and territories to be hooked up to this system.

In case you should need it for your manuscript, here is the Morse code, with dots represented by a full stop and dashes by a hyphen.

A . -                          J . - - -                     S . . .                        2 . . - - -

B - . . .                    K - . -                       T -                              3 . . . - -

C - . - .                    L . - . .                     U . . -                       4. . . . . –

D - . .                       M - -                         V . . . -                     5. . . . . .

E .                              N - .                          W . – -                     6 - . . . . 

‘F . . - .                   O - - -                      X - . . -                    7. - - . . .

G - - .                      P . - - .                    Y - . - -                    8 - - - . .

H . . . .                    Q - - . -                   Z - - . .                     9 - - - - .

I . .                             R . - .                       1 . - - - -                 0 - - - - -

J.E.S. Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

Thank you

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

As January comes to a close, I've been thinking a great deal about the past year. Perhaps it's been all the cold and snow or just planning the next year. Either way, here are a few things I thought I'd share.

As I researched the Civil War Veterans and Wives series, I was able to delve deeper into the complexity of the war and how it affected the men, women, and their families. While I didn't always share my thoughts in the posts, it has given me much to think about.

I have also skimmed or read some great books, both old and new, about the conflict. I shared those in the appropriate posts. I'm finishing "The Unvanquished" and will be starting "Lincoln vs. Davis: The War of the Presidents." Having grown up in Illinois, Lincoln was a large part of my history; he even spent time in my part of the state. Davis, or his wife, has always fascinated me, and there is a possible relationship by marriage. Additionally, one of their daughters moved to Colorado, where I currently reside, and is buried in the local cemetery.

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

Finally, I want to say Thank You to all who read and commented on my posts and the posts of others on this site. The comments help us connect and focus on what is of interest to you, the readers.

Finally, it has been an honor to be a part of Western Fictioneers and as the President for the past two years. This is a wonderful and supportive group of writers, and I consider myself lucky to be a member. Thank you for being you.

Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines.

On This Day in the Old West January 10

 On This Day in the Old West January 10

On January 10, 1878, Joint Resolution, S.J. Res. 12, proposed an amendment to the US Constitution prohibiting suffrage on the basis of sex. This was the first proposed amendment to specify women’s suffrage.

The first convention for women’s rights, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. This convention produced a list of demands called the Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on the Declaration of Independence. It called for broader educational and professional opportunities for women and the rights of married women to control their wages and properties. After this historic gathering, women’s voting rights became a central issue in the emerging debate about women’s rights in America

Many of the convention’s attendees were also abolitionists, whose goals included universal suffrage—the right to vote for all adults. The American Equal Rights Association was formed in 1866. This organization advocated for suffrage “irrespective of race, color, or sex.” In 1870, this goal was partially realized when the Fifteenth Amendment granted black men the right to vote. The AERA was split into two groups over disagreements about the Amendments.  

New York’s National Women Suffrage Association (NWSA, formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony) focused its efforts on federal legislation, while the Boston group, the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA, formed by Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson) targeted state legislation. The NWSA opposed the Fifteenth Amendment because it excluded women. In the year following the ratification of the Amendment, they sent a voting rights petition to the Senate and House of Representatives requesting that suffrage rights be extended to women and that women be granted the privilege of being heard on the floor of Congress.

The AWSA supported the Fifteenth Amendment and protested the confrontational tactics of the NWSA. They concentrated on gaining women’s access to the polls at state and local levels, in the belief that victories there would gradually build support for national action on the issue. The AWSA did, however, send an 1871 petition asking that women in DC and the territories be allowed to vote and hold office.

In 1869, new territory Wyoming passed a bill giving women full voting rights. It would be nearly a quarter of a century before any other state followed suit. The first federal legislation proposing equal suffrage for men and women on the basis of citizenship was in 1868, but the resolution was not debated. It “laid on the table.” The first federal legislation proposing equal voting rights specifically for women was the one in 1878, but it was not acted upon until 1887, when it was defeated in the Senate by a 16-to-34 vote.

In 1890, the NWSA and AWSA merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which became the largest woman suffrage organization in the country. They led much of the struggle for the vote through 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. The organization was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton as president, Susan B. Anthony as vice-president, and Lucy Stone as chairman of the executive committee.

Suffragists did more than just send petitions to Congress. Susan B. Anthony registered and voted in the 1872 election in Rochester, New York. As planned, she was arrested for “knowingly, wrongfully and unlawfully voting for a representative to the Congress of the United States.” Anthony was convicted by the State of New York and fined $100, which she insisted she would never pay. On January 12, 1874, she petitioned Congress, requesting “that the fine imposed upon your petitioner be remitted, as an expression of the sense of this high tribunal that her conviction was unjust.”

Wealthy white women were not the only supporters of women's suffrage. Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, formerly a slave, was also an advocate. He attended the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. In an editorial published that year in The North Star, the anti-slavery newspaper he published, he wrote, "...in respect to political rights,...there can be no reason in the world for denying to woman the elective franchise,..." By 1877, when he was U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia, Douglass's family was also involved in the movement. His son, Frederick Douglass, Jr.; daughter, Mrs. Nathan Sprague; and son-in-law, Nathan Sprague, all signed a petition to Congress for woman suffrage "...to prohibit the several States from Disfranchising United States Citizens on account of Sex."

A growing number of Black women actively supported women's suffrage during this period as well. They organized women’s clubs across the country to advocate for suffrage, among other reforms. Prominent African American suffragists included Ida B. Wells-Barnett of Chicago, a leading crusader against lynching; Mary Church Terrell, educator and first president of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW); and Adella Hunt Logan, Tuskegee Institute faculty member, who insisted in articles in The Crisis, a publication of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), that if white women needed the vote to protect their rights, then black women – victims of racism as well as sexism – needed the ballot even more.

Forty-one years later, when the Nineteenth Amendment is passed, it is worded exactly the same as the 1878 Amendment, laid before the Senate on January 10. Depending on when your characters lived, they were almost certainly aware of the fight for women’s votes. They may have known a suffragist or even had one in the family. The battle for women’s rights could make an interesting subplot in your next story.

 

JES Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

Western Movie Taglines Blog Series – Series Finale Movie Taglines #movietaglines #westernmovies

My 2024 blogging series, Western Movie Taglines, began in January when I explained what a tagline is and gave examples of good non-western movie taglines followed by several disappointing taglines from western movies.

I did not finish this series in 2024, because…circumstances… I’ll leave it at that. I'm wrapping up this series today with the final movie taglines.

Recap:

January Movie Taglines

February Movie Taglines

March Movie Taglines

April Movie Taglines

May Movie Taglines

June Movie Taglines

July Movie Taglines

August Movie Taglines

September Movie Taglines

October Movie Taglines

Series Finale: Movie Taglines Finalized in January 2025

We have reached the top 25 Western Movie Taglines. Counting down to Number 1…

25 – The Man from Snowy River (1982)

The story of…
a boy suddenly alone in the world
the men who challenge him
and the girl who helps him become a man.

24 – Quigley Down Under (1990)
There’s a price on his head.
A girl on his mind.
And a twinkle in his eye.

***

The west was never this far west.

23 – The Magnificent Seven (1960)
There were seven…
They fought like seven hundred.

22 – Silverado (1985)
A dangerous place, in a lawless time…
‘Til four friends risked all to make things right.

21 – The Cowboys (1972)
All they wanted was their chance to be men…
and he gave it to them.

***

The youngest was nine.
There wasn’t one of them over fifteen.
At first, he couldn’t stand the sight of them.
At last, he couldn’t take his eyes away.

20 – Cowboys and Aliens (2011)
First contact. Last stand.

19 – The Mask of Zorro (1998)
No one has seen his face...but everyone knows his mark.

***

When Freedom is a memory and justice is outlawed, the just must become outlaws.

18 – Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
Best of enemies. Deadliest of friends.

17 – Quick and the Dead (1995)
Think you’re quick enough?

16 –  3:10 to Yuma (1957)
A hundred yards to the station...
A hundred seconds to get there...
A hundred bullets betting they won’t make it.

15 – 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Time waits for no man.

14 – Hang ‘em High (1968)
The hanging was the best show in town.
But they made two mistakes.
They hung the wrong man,
and they didn’t finish the job.

13 – Big Jake (1971)
They wanted a ransom in gold.
He gave ‘em lead.

12 – For a Few Dollars More (1965)
The man with no name is back.
The man in black is waiting…

11 – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
For three men, the civil war wasn’t Hell.
It was practice.

10  – High Plains Drifter (1973)
They didn’t know his face –
They didn’t know his name.
But they’d never forget
The day he drifted into town.

9 – High Noon (1952)
The story of a man who was too proud to run.

8 – The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
From the four winds they came, the four brothers, their eyes smoking, and their fingers itching.

7 – Young Guns 2 (1990)
You-Hoo. I’ll make you famous!

6 – Unforgiven (1992)
It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man.

Here we are at the Top 5.

Numbers 5, 4 and 3 have taglines of my creation. These three movies did not get the taglines they deserved, so I fixed that most egregious oversight. 😊 Funny how my taglines made the top five. hahaha

5 – How the West was Won (1962)
The west was won by its pioneers, settlers, and adventurers.
Those tracks in history will never be forgotten.

4 – The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
I will find you.

3 – The Man who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

The Top 2 Best Western Movie Taglines – Drumroll, please…

2 – The Searchers (1956)
…he had to find her…he had to find her…

1 – Shane (1953)
Somebody’s comin’, Pa… Well, let him come.

 Kaye Spencer