Happy Birthday Hope Amid Hardship!

One year ago the stories of the sixty men and women in Hope Amid Hardship: Pioneer Voices from Kansas Territory made their first public appearance.  The journey I have taken with these incredible pioneers as I share their personal diaries and letters has been a wonderful experience.   I have traveled through Kansas, Missouri, and Virginia relating, in their words, their experiences in early Kansas from 1854 to 1861.  I have met dozens of interesting, friendly people including Tammy, the Register of Deeds in Jackson County, Kansas and Jim Stickler, a land surveyor in Topeka, Kansas.  Others have shared stories of Kansans in their family tree.  At book talks, historical sites, museums, research rooms, and in book stores, the people I have met, without exception have been gracious, helpful, and incredibly friendly.

In one small town on highway 54, I stopped for gas and had some difficulty with my rental car.  I pulled up to the pump without knowing which side the gas cap was on.  As I got out to check, the alarm on the keyless ignition fob went off.  I got back in, moved the car to the other side of the pump, got out and remembered the fob alarm just as the shrill alarm sounded again.  As I finally put the handle into the gas tank, a kind-looking gentleman walked toward me from his older-model Chevy pickup and asked if everything was okay.

“You look like you are having some trouble young lady,” he said as he eyed the car.  “Just wanted to check to see if you needed any help.”  I explained that the car was a rental and I hadn’t quite gotten used to it, but that I appreciated his concern.

“Okay, just checkin’,” he called over his shoulder as he walked back to his truck.  This friendly demeanor is not unusual or unexpected in Kansas- one of the many reasons I like visiting.

I continued east and north to Mound City, formerly Sugar Mound, population 700.  After researching the location of a lumber mill owned by pioneer Joseph Trego at the Court House, I walked a few block to the mayor’s home. A friend of mine has a farm in Mound City and introduced me (via email) to the mayor, Shayna Lamb.  We had a glass of wine and spent a couple of hours chatting in her kitchen while she cooked dinner for a group of turkey hunters.  What fun! And how refreshing.  A bit different than the political scene in Northern Virginia where I live.

I am so grateful for the many people whose stories I have heard as I have traveled around sharing the stories of pioneers.  Old or new, I never tire of hearing people’s stories.  They connect us.  The words and pictures give our history its personality.

So, at this the one year anniversary of my first book, I would like to thank all of those who have given me their support, encouragement, and friendship.  It has been a wild and interesting ride.  Now I am back to the archives to begin researching my next book.  Stay tuned!