Flagler Goes from Rags to Riches When we left Henry Flagler in Part 1 of this story, he was living in Ohio and the Civil War had recently broken out. But it would be family tragedy, rather than any casualty of war, that devastated the Flagler household in 1861. As you’ll remember, Flagler […]
The Early Life of Henry Flagler
The Early Life of Henry Flagler It was January 22, 1912, when Henry Flagler steamed into Key West aboard his private rail car – a hero. His Florida East Coast Railway had just completed the some-said-impossible task of connecting that southernmost key with Florida’s mainland by rail. Flagler had just […]
An 1853 Cabin in Marshfield, MO
An 1853 Ozarks Original . . . . Marshfield, Missouri wasn’t on my list of must-see places, I confess. It is now! When history-friend Hellen Newman reached out to me recently about this “sleepy little town” in the Ozarks, she described it as “nothing fancy. . . Just good, honest folks with small-town […]
Harriet Walley, a Hidden Heroine
A TALE OF A HIDDEN HEROINE: Just a few days from now would be Harriet Walley’s 210th birthday — April 19th to be precise. But unlike her famous husband, David Walley, Harriet’s name has been largely forgotten. Born Harriet Jane Talmadge, she entered the world in 1815 in the scenic Berkshire mountains […]
A Legacy From Empire, NV
A Legacy From Empire, NV. . . . The fledgling town of Empire, Nevada was less than five years old when Ab (Charles Albert) Ambrose was born there in 1866. Ab’s father, known to all as “Dutch Nick,” was the high-flying founder of not only the local hotel and saloon, but […]
The Slough House Cemetery: From Walking the Plank to Finding Gold
It started with a near-murder. . . The Slough House Pioneer cemetery is a tiny gem in Cosumnes Valley, just over an acre and a half in size. Dating back to 1850, it’s one of the oldest pioneer cemeteries in Northern California. So how did this little cemetery come to be? […]
Grit, Gumption, and a Darn Good Heart
Grit, Gumption & A Darn Good Heart: If you’ve never heard of Laura Naileigh Ellis Dettenrieder, you’re not alone. I confess I hadn’t, until a historian-friend kindly shared her story. As a young woman, Laura came west with the Gold Rush, then bravely left an abusive marriage – a step few women […]
A World War I Diary – Part 2
A Diary from World War I This is the Part 2 of the diary of Nate Arnot, a 26-year-old American stationed in France with the Meteorological Section of the Signal Corps for the American Expeditionary Forces. To read Part 1 of the diary, click here. Sept 25, 1918 Wed. Considerable artillery action all last night. […]
Story of a Plain Girl: A Q&A with Memoir Author Marian Beaman
Looking for a little Memoir inspiration? Well, author Marian Beaman has not just one inspiring memoir in print, but two. Her first book, Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl, debuted in 2019. And her second, My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir, followed in 2023. Marian’s intriguing first book shares stories of growing up […]
A Lifetime of Service: Dr. Eliza Cook
Was Eliza Cook really Nevada’s first woman doctor? Despite what you may have heard, the answer seems to be no. None other than legendary Nevada historian Guy Rocha debunked that common myth, pointing out that other female physicians were already in practice more than a decade before Eliza received her medical degree in 1884. […]
The Diary of William Heitman
The Diary of William Heitman William Henry Heitman was the son of local miller Peter Heitman and his wife, Louise [Sarman] Heitman, born in Gardnerville, Nevada in 1888. You may remember our recent story about his father and the Heitman/Sarman flour mill. In June, 1958, William wrote a fascinating account of […]
The Hawkins’ Tale
The Hawkins family hasn’t lived there for over half a century. But here in Alpine County, people still know their early Woodfords homestead as the Hawkins Ranch. If you’re headed south on Hwy 89 from Woodfords, what’s left is a ramshackle collection of buildings to your left. The small residence has recently been upgraded and […]