Journal Notes

So many times when I’ve been doing research for one story I happen onto interesting facts about a seemingly unrelated person’s life. Such is the case with the book about schoolmarms of the Old West and the chapter I’m writing on Sister Blandina Segale. This dedicated nun and school teacher kept a diary that described her life in the Southwest. While working in Trinidad, Colorado she met Billy the Kid. Her description of the outlaw and his actions at the time are fascinating. According to Sister Blandina, Billy had “steel-blue eyes, which tell a set purpose, good or bad.” I’m looking forward to learning more about this remarkable woman and about the many legendary characters she met in ther life.

One of my favorite magazines about the Old West is Chronicles of the Old West. It’s not only a well edited newspaper, but the folks that handle the publication are quality individuals. Sunny and Dakota Livesay are two of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet and are quite knowledgable about Old West history. There are some historians that behave as though they have a copyright on what happened in the Old West and seek to destroy anyone who writes about it. Sunny and Dakota want nothing more than to help any writer working on books or articles about that period of history and are generous with their time and own research on the subject. They are a real joy and I’m proud of the work they do.

I stopped by the local bookstore today and was pleased to see a copy of Tales Behind the Tombstones on the shelf. I hadn’t seen it in it’s final form. I’m grateful to have another book on the market and hope that it is well received. I dedicated it to a good friend of mine, Chris Navo. He and his wife and children have been an inspiration to me and he is one of the key players in the Christmas in Bethlehem program that is produced at our church. He also hosts a haunted house every year and people from all over the county stop by to visit. If anyone would appreciate a book about tombstones it’s Chris Navo.

It’s amazing how many different accounts are written on one historical event. And everyone insists their version of the event is accurate. Many historians out there claim to be the experts on a subject and are offended should you bring up another version of the story. In the “letter to the editor” in the most recent edition of True West Magazine a distant relative of Soapy Smith took writer Cathy Spude to task about an article she had written about the famous character. I really liked her response. She said, “Like horse racing, differences of opinion make for better Western history.” I agree that it makes for better Western history, but dealing with all the differences of opinion can be a giant pain in the backside.

Started writing about the death of western entertainer Dora Hand today. I think this story is going to be a fascinating one to put on paper. It’s sure been a joy to research. I love the Old West. Think I was born 150 years too late.

Tales Behind the Tombstones is due out today. I haven’t seen a copy of the book in its completed form yet. It’s always a treat when the finished product arrives. This book is filled with photographs and I hope it is well received. Writing the piece made me aware of the many cemeteries across the country that are in a state of disrepair and of the many tombstones that have been vandalized. It’s unfortunate the lack of respect some people have for an indivdual’s final resting place.

I have been reviewing the edited pages for the book about women gamblers of the Old West. I was intrigued all over again about the ladies that dealt cards to the rough cowhands and fascinated with their ability to master the games of poker, faro, and blackjack. I believe readers will find the subject interesting as well.

One of the most difficult, and often times expensive, aspects of writing books about the Old West is securing the photos to use in the manuscripts. Historical libraries have archived thousands of wonderful photographs, but the process of acquiring the pictures and getting all the permission paperwork signed by the proper person is time consuming. The end result is an aesthetically pleasing book, however. The book I’m wrapping up now about women miners of the Old West will feature pictures that capture ladies digging and panning for gold. Priceless bits of history that are well worth the effort.

I miss working with author Joann Chartier. She was a joy to collaborate with and a true friend. There are very few women I admire and Joann is one of them. She moved away a few years ago and is living in a beautiful valley in Oregon, painting and writing. I know she’s happy and I’m happy for her.

Of all the women I’v written about, business owner and prospector Nellie Cashman, has to be one of my favorites. She labored diligently alongside male prospectors in mountainous creekbed and streams from Alaska to Arizona. She was outspoken and direct and her fellow miners respected her. She wouldn’t tolerate any improprieties was not afraid to standup to any man who dare cross the line. She never used her feminine wilds to make life easier. “Some women think they should be given special favors because of their sex. Well, all I can say is that those special favors spell doom to a woman and her business…. I’ve paid my bills and played like a man.” Nellie was one of a kind.