Women Doctors in Dakota Territory
Medicine was an unconventional career path for women. In 1871, American Medical Association President Alfred Stille stated that women were “morally unfit” to be physicians.
Civil War Reenactment Brings the Era to Life
Edit Column
The Civil War came to South Dakota when nearly 150 reenactors spent two days in August on a field near Canton, SD.
Medicine Creek Claim Research
Before I started writing Medicine Creek Claim, the third book in the series, I did some research – and a lot of reading.
Inspiration: Land of the Burnt Thigh
Medicine Creek Claim is about two sisters who staked claims in Dakota Territory – much like Edith and Ida Mary Ammons. The Ammons sisters came to South Dakota in 1907, homesteading near the Lower Brule Indian Reservation. I
Godey’s Lady’s Book: Fashion Bible
Medicine Creek Claim includes several mentions of Godey’s Lady’s Book, but I also referenced this 19th-century “fashion bible” for my earlier books.
Godey’s is a treasure trove for historical fiction authors.
Range wars: cattlemen vs sheepherders
Cattlemen vs. sheepherders seemed a logical plot point for Lone Tree Claim: On the Dakota Frontier.
Forces of Nature
From floods and fires to tornados and blizzards, pioneers were constantly watching – and battling – the weather.
Sheep to Shawl
In a processing center on a farm near Groton, SD,. Kelly Knispel owns and operates a wool processing business that provides “sheep to shawl” services for shepherds and fiber artists.
Researching the art of cheesemaking
When I give an Author Talk, I’ve found that audiences are very interested in the research involved in writing a historical novel. In Proving Her Claim, Anna Olson travels from Wisconsin, the #1 cheesemaking state in the country. She plans to start a dairy farm and make cheese. That meant I needed to learn how to […]