by Donna Klein Now that Thanksgiving and the initial shopping frenzy is done, it's decorating time at my house. Are you decorating Steampunk this year? Maybe you already have, but if you haven't or want to do more, here are some ideas to spark your imagination. DIY Holiday Decorating Do you [...]
by Donna Klein Holiday Walking Tour at Meadow Brook Hall Each Thanksgiving, we go over the river and through the woods and eventually arrives in Rochester Hills, Michigan to share the holiday fun and food with about 30 members of our family. We were looking for something other than shopping to do on [...]
By Donna Klein Thanksgiving During the Gilded Age Thanksgiving is here! As I thought about the holiday, I wondered what it was like during the glory years of the characters on Downton Abbey. I know the British don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but what was it like for their American counterparts? What was Thanksgiving like [...]
A prolific author with more than 20 books to her credit, Chris Enss really gets into the characters she writes about when she tells the tales of the women who populated the America’s old west. She chronicles such interesting ladies as mail-order brides, frontier teachers, and Cheyenne Indians. Most recently, Chris is working on [...]
What Made Sister Blandina Segale's Service in the Old West Extraordinary? Sister Blandina Segale wrote a memoir of her time in Colorado Territory, titled At the End of the Santa Fe Trail. Stories of her adventures while serving in the Old West have been featured in novels, television programs, histories, and even a comic book. The CBS [...]
Sister Blandina Segale, Servant of God Sister Blandina Segale has been in the news lately. Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe (New Mexico) closed its inquiry on why she should become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. The file has been sent on to the Vatican for consideration. So, who was Sister [...]
By Donna Klein Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 The Real Lone Ranger Let's take a look at what makes him a legend and most likely the inspiration for the “Lone Ranger.” Bass Reeves was an expert marksman, he rode a white or gray stallion, was “pressed and dressed” with [...]
by Donna Klein Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Bass Reeves Rides the Oklahoma Range Starting Bass in 1875, Reeves served as a Deputy U.S. Marshal on the Oklahoma Range, a territory that covered about 75,000 square miles. Often, he set out with a wagon, a cook, and a Native [...]
by Donna Klein Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Who was Bass Reeves? When thinking of lawmen of the American Old West, minds drift to men like Wyatt Earp, not Bass Reeves. My first exposure to Bass Reeves came earlier this year. There is a program on AHC (American Heroes [...]