June 6th, 2007

Back in Grass Valley, California after an enlightening research trip. Kansas is a lovely state and it was a treat to be able to walk the same streets traveled by Wild Bill Hickock and Bill Tilghman. I’m putting the finishing touches on the book about women miners of the Old West. It will include a glossary of mining terms – one of which has always baffled me – the term “sourdough.” The term now refers to a “veteran inhabitant of an area,” but during the Yukon gold rush of the late 19th century, sourdough bread was a staple in the prospector’s camp, and the prospectors themselves became known as sourdoughs.