Tag Archives: historical novel

Pioneering in North Dakota

Western Road Trip

Skipping northward today, we take a look at some Western history.  When you travel in the Western United States, you are surrounded by history–not the centuries-old art and buildings that surround you in Europe, but the more recent history of settler’s trails, ghost towns, and mine camps.


Destination: North Dakota

Book: Dakota, or What’s a Heaven For (November 2010)by Brenda Marshall

North Dakota Railroad Tracks
North Dakota Railroad Tracks

This is a big book with a big story to tell.  Although I have read a lot of western history, I had no idea of the way that the Dakotas (at the time of the novel one territory rather than North and South) were settled.  The story of Dakota, Or What’s a Heaven For sweeps you along by focusing in on the individual story of one fascinating woman and her relationships.  Because Frances’ father-in-law is involved with the railroads, a critical component in the settling of the territory, and her husband is in journalism, the family is very well-off and Frances comes into contact with people of all layers of society.  This enables Brenda Marshall to cover the areas of politics, economics, transportation, agriculture, and all the other components of history in the form of  stories rather than dry facts and statistics. Continue reading Pioneering in North Dakota

Shoot ’em Up in Colorado Mining Towns

Contact Creede! Book CoverDestination: 19th century Creede and Cripple Creek, Colorado

Book:CONTACT CREEDE! A Novel of Old Colorado
(NEW 2011) by Barbara Marriott

Contact Creede! is a fun romp with an endearing heroine that travels to two Western mining towns in the early 1800’s . Both towns, Creede and Cripple Creek shriveled after the silver and gold mining booms, but survive as tourist attractions in a beautiful location in Colorado. Continue reading Shoot ’em Up in Colorado Mining Towns

Dutch Settlers in Delaware

The Dutch House, New Castle, Delaware
The Dutch House, New Castle, Delaware (early 1700's)

Destination: Colonial Delaware

Book: [amazon_link id=”B00372644O” target=”_blank” ]Flesh and Grass[/amazon_link] by Libby Cone (Self published via Smashwords and available on all forms of electronic media)

I read Libby Cone‘s first historic novel, [amazon_link id=”0715639722″ target=”_blank” ]War on the Margins[/amazon_link], about the German occupation of British Channel islands and enjoyed it very much. In the newer book, she’s writing  on her own without a graduate committee looking over her shoulder, and apparently without a caring editor. Too bad, because I am fascinated by the Dutch history on the East Coast of America, and loved visiting the old town of New Castle Delaware on a road trip to the Brandywine Valley. This book left me wishing I had not even started it, but it did stir up memories of a  trip to historic America. Continue reading Dutch Settlers in Delaware