When the Spanish Flu swept the nation in 1918, people responded much as they are responding to today’s pandemic. Here is a fun look at some of the things that appeared in Colorado newspapers of the time. The federal government issued a health bulletin to be printed in most newspapers. It included this picture. Doesn’t this just look like something the government would publish? For a time, public meetings were banned, and businesses and schools were closed, usually on a local

It’s been a while since I’ve posted fun tidbits from historic Colorado newspapers. My daughter/blog editor pointed this out. I’d almost forgotten how entertaining old news could be. It’s a reminder that, as a society, we haven’t come as far as we thought. Take, for example, the current trend of posting cute kitten videos. I found the following clip in a description of a church sociable. I want to call it a “social,” but the article uses “sociable.” Who am I to argue? I wasn’t

Research is part of the fun in writing historical novels. For me it’s often an excuse to go on a rabbit trail—in other words, “squirrel!” The heroine of my story in Mending Sarah’s Heart (which releases in the Thimbles and Threads Collection in July) is a seamstress. I typed the words. “Sarah pushed one last pin into the sleeve.” But wait, did they have pins in 1884? I Googled the history of pins. While not the most accurate resource, Google is a start. The short answer is ye

Apparently, roller skating was a big thing in the metropolous of Leadville, Colorado in the 1880s. Who knew? With all of the historical novels I read, I should have run across this before. But, there it is, in black and white. After a little research, I learned that roller skating was a big thing in all major U.S. cities in the 1880’s. Roller skates had been invented about twenty years before and the technology had improved enough for mass adaptation. Roller skating provided

Old Time Bloopers People of modern times may think bloopers are a recent invention. They’re not. The name may be new, but early newspapers reported “curiously worded advertisements” for all to enjoy. The January 3, 1884 edition of The Leadville Daily Herald reported these from a London paper. “Mrs. And Miss May have left-off clothing of every description. An inspection is invited.” Oh, my. I hope the inspection is of the clothing and not the ladies. “Wanted – A nurse for an i

In researching for my historical novels, I’ve read through old newspapers from Colorado’s early mining days. I planned fun trips to historical archives and libraries only to be told that the historic newspapers had been scanned and are available online. I could read them from the comfort of my easy chair. So much for writing off research trips as a business expense. The easy chair is comfortable, but the print is tiny and scans can be hard to read. Still, the newspapers give