What Happened in Silver City, Idaho

145 Years Ago?

by Jacquie Rogers

In case you don't know about my obsessions with Silver City, Idaho...well, that's where many of my books are set.  The Hearts of Owyhee series is set in Owyhee County where I grew up, and of course that's where Silver City is located.  Silver was a thriving mining town on the top of a mountain but petered out during World War I for several reasons.  It was the county seat clear until 1934 when the Owyhee voters elected to move the county seat to Murphy.

Because I'm gearing up for my readers' event at the Idaho Hotel in Silver (Idaho is in Phase 3 so gatherings 50 and under are allowed), I thought it would be fun to read a few 1875 newspapers to see what was happening there at this time of year 145 years ago.  And it was fun.  Yes, I'll share.

First of all, newspapers had a different tone and writing style in the 1870s.  And they definitely had a better sense of humor.

The Owyhee Avalanche: May 22, 1875

The citizens of Silver City liked to have a good time, and the best of the good times were at the horse races.

The Owyhee Avalanche: June 19, 1875

A sad bit of news was Hill Beachy's death.  Beachy was quite a character and did everything from blaze new trails, round up dangerous outlaws, and as this article points out, "explore the stage route from Winnemucca to this place."  He was widely respected and mourned by many.

The Owyhee Avalanche: May 22, 1875

One thing that always interests me, especially as a writer, are the prices of the time.  Running onto this article was a real stroke of luck.

The Idaho Hotel, where my readers' event is held, was 12 years old when these prices were in effect.

I'm with Honey Beaulieu at the historic Idaho Hotel

Yes, we wear costumes.  Some of us are very serious about them, some of us wear hokey costumes, and some of us are just glad to get there wearing shorts and flipflops.  It's how we roll. LOL.

I hope you'll be able to attend the event July 17-19.  We'd love to see you!

Until then, happy reading!

Jacquie's Website | Amazon author page | BookBub

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Pickle Barrel Bar and Books on Facebook

If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series Hearts of Owyhee series

Book Friends Are Best Friends #PioneerHearts #meetandgreet #booklovers

Book Friends Are Best Friends
by Jacquie Rogers

Book people are a bit on the strange side.  On the one hand, we like nothing better than a quiet house with a crackling fire in the fireplace, a cup of coffee (or tea if you must), a furry friend, and a stack of great books.  We love to lose ourselves in a wondrous story world and become the characters we read.  

On the other hand, most of us also love to occasionally emerge from our reading caves to meet other book lovers.  And that's just what I plan to do the entire month of February.  The weather isn't cooperating but we're bound and determined to... (drum roll)

Go to Texas!  

My husband and I are driving from Seattle to Texas, and the first stop is the Pioneer Hearts Readers and Authors Meet-up at the Legends Bar & Grill, which is in the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma.  I hope you can join us!

You'll rub shoulders with Kristen Osbourne, Maxine Douglas, Patricia Carroll, Caroline Clemmons, Hebby Roman, Kathleen Tighe Ball, Carra Copelin, and lots more!  The meet-up is February 11th at 11 am.  (For those of you who know me, I did NOT set the time, or else it would've been held at 8 pm.)  I see coffee in my future.  If we can get there.

So from Seattle, we drive to Los Angeles, then over to Texas, and north to Oklahoma.  Yikes!  But the roads are too hazardous for us to take the shorter route through Idaho and Utah.  The extra 1,000 miles is worth it.  My book friends are worth it.

Then we're headed south to Ft. Worth, where we'll hang out with Caroline Clemmons and her family.  I've been Caroline's fangirl for at least 10 years.  Her books are wonderful and I've studied them for technique and structure.  While we have differing strengths, I've learned a lot from her and was tickled to death when I actually got to talk to her on the phone.  And now I get to meet her in real life!

And here's a real treat--you can meet Caroline and me somewhere in the Ft. Worth area, time and date TBA.  For more information on this meet-up, check my Facebook page.

Speaking of Caroline, have you read Josephine, the first book of her Bride Brigade series.  It's a compelling and heartfelt story that you sure don't want to miss.  The Kindle version is available for the bargain price of 99¢.  So read it today and then you can talk to her about it next weekend.  How fun is that?

Then we plan to hang out with Honey Beaulieu in San Antonio.  If you live in the area and want to meet up, message me on Facebook.

Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter

I'll have another meet and greet somewhere around Prescott, Arizona toward the end of the month, so keep watch on my Facebook page for information on that.  I'll be hanging out with my friend Ann Charles, the diva wench, and author of the Deadwood Mysteries series, the Jackrabbit Junction series, and the Dig Site Mysteries series.

By then, I reckon my husband and I will be pretty much road-foundered and ready to come home.  There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the
Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series

Hearts of Owyhee series

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Pickle Barrel Gazette

Romancing The West | Pickle Barrel Bar and Books