The Women of the Postage Stamps—Part 5

by Jennifer Uhlarik 

Happy June, everybody! This year of 2026 is nearly half over already, and I’m simply shocked! Aren’t you?

 

Let’s continue with our series on the women who have been featured on the U.S. Postage Stamps. Last month, we left off with stamps issued in 1981. Today, we pick up in the same year with Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay picked up the pen early in life, writing poetry from childhood until her death. After entering a poem in a contest where one judge prematurely awarded her first prize, then had that award stripped and came in fourth overall, she gained a bit of notoriety. This led to a supporter offering to send her to Vassar College in 1917. Her time there wasn’t exactly peaceful, as Millay refused to live by the code of ethics for young ladies. However, she managed to graduate, and during the 1920s, Millay rose to fame through her lyrical poetry. In 1928, she became the second person (and first woman) to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. During World War II, she joined the Writers’ War Board, where she wrote propaganda for the American war effort. Her fame as a poet took a hit because of this, though Millay didn’t allow that to stop her. She died in 1950 after breaking her neck due to a fall down the stairs in her home.

 

Our next lady of the stamp is Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Before she became a renowned in other ways, Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrickson competed in and won sewing competitions, as well as made some professional music recordings. Her major claim to fame, though, was as an amateur athlete in multiple sports. While working as a secretary for an insurance company, Babe was allowed to compete on the company’s amateur team in basketball. She was named an All-American athlete for her work on this team three years in a row, and in 1932 they even competed in the championship. During the same timeframe, she represented the same company in the 1932 Amateur Athletic Union Championships, where she entered eight of ten events and won first place in five of them. Later the same year, she represented the United States in track and field events in the Summer Olympics, where she brought home three medals—two golds and a silver. She also competed in baseball, bowling, billiards…but her greatest claim to fame was in golf. Babe Zaharias was the first woman to ever compete in a regular PGA tournament, was a founding member of the LPGA when it was created a few years after she took up the sport, and was said by New York Times writer Charles McGrath that “Except for perhaps Arnold Palmer, no golfer has ever been more beloved by the gallery.”

 

Dr. Mary Walker is the next woman featured on a postage stamp, this time in 1982. I’ve written about Dr. Walker before, so if you’d like more information on her, please refer to my earlier post here. She was an abolitionist, a Civil War surgeon, a prisoner of war for four months during 1864, received a medal of honor, and fought for women’s suffrage and many other things after the war’s end.

 

In 1982, Dorothea Dix earned her place in postal history due to her work for the poor and indigent mentally ill. It was during a stay in Europe during the 1830s that Dix first became aware of the plight of the mentally ill. After returning to America, she began to investigate how the mentally ill were treated when they had no family who could or would take care of them. In Massachusetts, she found that many were locked away in the darkest basement cells in prisons or almshouses, relegated to the areas reserved for the worst criminals. The air was often putrid and foul, with no light by which to see. After presenting her findings to the state legislature, she moved on to a similar task in New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina, and many other states. All told, her efforts resulted in opening thirty-two mental hospitals in various states, as well as schools for children with learning disabilities, schools for the blind, and nursing schools.

 

Next up is Pearl S. Buck, a renowned novelist best known for The Good Earth, which earned her a Pulitzer Prize. Raised by her missionary parents in China, Buck spent much of her life in this country, developing a deep love for it and its people. Many of her writings focused on her experiences in China and Japan. After moving back to the United States, Buck spent her later years advocating for the adoption of mixed-race children from other countries. She began the first foster home for such children, located next to her own home—and when it quickly became too crowded for simply fostering these kids, she turned it into the first international adoption agency. She also started orphanages in various other countries.

 

As we wind down our post for today, let’s take a look at Lillian M. Gilbreath, who was featured on a postage stamp in 1984. This interesting lady was mother two twelve children, and also both a psychologist and an industrial engineer. Along with her husband Frank, she paired her two areas of expertise to do studies on how workers used machinery and find ways to streamline those machines to make them more productive. She and Frank were on the cutting edge of this burgeoning industry of “industrial and organizational psychology” (a precursor to our modern-day ergonomics). The husband and wife team worked with many large companies like Macy’s and Johnson & Johnson, and after Frank’s death, Lillian continued her business. She also found ways to streamline the tasks of the typical housewife to make her household chores and duties faster, so that she could seek work outside the home. In that vein, Lillian is credited with created the “work triangle” setup of many modern kitchens. Two of her children—Frank Jr. and Ernestine—wrote two humorous books about life in the Gilbreath family. You’ll certainly recognize at least one of the titles. They were Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes.

 

It’s Your Turn: Which of the women who were honored with their own stamp do you find the most memorable, and why?

 

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered western novels at twelve when she swiped the only “horse” book from her brother’s bookshelf. Across the next decade, she devoured westerns and fell in love with the genre. While attaining a B.A. in writing from the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. She has finaled in and won numerous writing competitions and appeared on various best-seller lists. Besides writing, she’s been a business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, a historical researcher, a publisher, and a full-time homemaker. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband and fur children.

 

Available Now: Love and Order: A Three-Part Old West Romantic Mystery

 

Wanted: 

Family, Love, and Justice

One Old West Mystery Solved Throughout Three Short Romantic Stories

Separated as children when they were adopted out to different families from an orphan train, the Braddock siblings have each grown up and taken on various jobs within law enforcement and criminal justice.

 

Youngest child, Callie, has pushed past her insecurities to pursue a career as a Pinkerton agent. Middle child, Andi, has spent years studying law under her adoptive father’s tutelage. And the eldest and only son, Rion, is a rough-and-tumble bounty hunter. 

 

When the hunt for a serial killer with a long history of murders reunites the brother and sisters in Cambria Springs, Colorado, they find themselves not only in a fight for justice, but also a fight to keep their newly reunited family intact. How will they navigate these challenges when further complicated by unexpected romances?

 

 

 

 

The Great Halifax Explosion and the Blind Mechanic

By Terrie Todd

“I always knew it was a story that should be told to a wider audience.”

–Marilyn Davidson Elliott

As a toddler, Eric Davidson was playing with a toy train in his Halifax, Nova Scotia home on the morning of December 6, 1917. While his mother prepared breakfast, he pushed the train back and forth on the windowsill, no doubt making the noise of the engine. Suddenly, the window, inches from his face, exploded inward. Shards of glass became embedded in Eric’s face, including his eyes. Later that day, he would become the youngest survivor of the Halifax Explosion to have both eyes surgically removed. He was two and a half. At such a young age, Eric did not understand why it was always so dark and repeatedly asked his parents to turn on the lights.

Some of the babies recovered from the disaster area, many unidentified. The child standing was blinded by flying glass, like Eric.

Educated at the Halifax School for the Blind, Eric decided upon his graduation that he wanted to be an auto mechanic. But the trade school he approached told him no one would hire a blind mechanic and that he should consider fixing washing machines. Eric believed there had to be a way. He bought some auto manuals, had his family members read them to him, and began tinkering with old cars in the backyard. Once they were working, he’d disconnect something and listen to the sound the engine made. Soon, he could identify a vehicle’s problem by simply listening to it.

Halifax School for the Blind

Eventually, Eric became a licensed mechanic in 1948 and enjoyed a long and successful career with the City of Halifax, retiring in 1980. His accomplishments also generated a lot of attention, but interviews and accolades made him uncomfortable. “He never understood what all the fuss was about,” said his daughter, Marilyn Davidson Elliott, in her book The Blind Mechanic. (2018, Nimbus Publishing).



Eric married Mary Zinck, a partially sighted woman, in 1950. They had three children, all of whom had excellent vision, but appreciated their exposure to vision loss and the courage it instilled in a warm and loving family.

Eric Davidson

At the time of his death in 2009, Eric Davidson was the second-last living survivor with permanent injuries from the Halifax Explosion, which killed more than 1,600 people. “Everyone always says that they came away from being with my father feeling better about themselves and life in general, and that was just his positivity,” said Marilyn. “People were amazed at this man.”

 

The Reluctant Healer of Halifax, a novel of the Great Halifax Explosion of 1917, is a story of love, loss, faith, and honor set against Canada’s most devastating moment of the First World War. It releases from Barbour Publishing on August 1, 2026.

Terrie Todd is the award-winning author of ten historical novels, all set in Canada, where she lives with her husband Jon. A former church drama team leader and newspaper columnist, she’s also a frequent contributor to Guideposts Books, a mother of three, and grandmother of five.









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STRIKE THAT

  

By Mary Davis

 

 

Creating a flame from nothing had long been a laborious task. Scientists, chemists, engineers, and inventors played around with chemicals for centuries to produce a way to make fire more instantaneous.

 

“If there occurs an emergency at night it may take some time to make a light to light a lamp. But an ingenious man devised the system of impregnating little sticks of pinewood with sulfur and storing them ready for use. At the slightest touch of fire, they burst into flame. . . . This marvelous thing was formerly called a “light-bringing slave”, but afterward when it became an article of commerce its name was changed to ‘fire inch-stick’.”

Records of the Unworldly and the Strange

by Chinese author Tao Gu in about 950 AD

 

Early matches were downright dangerous, from spontaneously igniting to causing a terrible bone disease.

 

Hennig Brandt, an alchemist from Hamburg, was attempting to turn an olio of base metals into gold in 1669. He failed but accidently produced phosphorus instead. Disappointed, he brushed the discovery aside.

 

However, British physicist Robert Boyle was very interested in it. Therefore in 1680, Boyle took a course square of paper and coated it with phosphorus. He tipped a splinter of wood with sulfur to go with it. When the splinter was pulled through the folded paper, it created a flame. This was the first example of a chemical match. Because phosphorus was scarce, the general public never knew this match existed.

 

Notice the wooden matches still attached at the base.

In 1817, a French chemist developed his own version of a match by treating a strip of paper with a compound of phosphorus that would catch fire when exposed to air. This paper was sealed in an evacuated glass tube. How he got it in the tube without exposing it to air is more than this creative brain can fathom. A person need only smash the glass so that the paper ignites and then hasten to light their kindling before the fire burned out. He demonstrated his impractical “match” to his university colleagues. My question is, what about the shards of shattered glass?

 

Then came apothecary owner John Walker in 1826. While in his backroom stirring chemicals (a non-phosphorus formula) to make a new explosive, he noticed a teardrop shape had formed on the end of the stick. To remove it, he rubbed it on the stone floor. Much to his surprise, it ignited, giving birth to the strike-anywhere friction match in a blaze of glory. Samuel Jones, who attended one of Walker’s demonstrations, saw the commercial potential and set up a match business, calling them Lucifers. In the aftermath of matches being invented, tobacco smoking of all kinds increased significantly.

 

“Early matches ignited with a fireworks of sparks and threw off an odor so offensive that boxes of them carried a printed warning: ‘If possible, avoid inhaling gas. Persons whose lungs are delicate should by no means use Lucifers.’ In those days, it was the match and not the cigarette that was believed to be hazardous to health.”

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, p109

 

 

The repugnant odor of the Lucifers offended the French, so in 1830, Paris chemist Charles Sauria invented a compound with phosphorus that eliminated the offensive smell. However, matches made with it ignited a deadly disease known as phossy jaw—a poisoning of the bones, especially the jaw—that plagued hundreds of factory workers. In 1888, the London matchgirls went on strike because of it. There was enough phosphorus in a pack of matches to commit suicide or murder. Both of which were reported.

 

Anton von Schrötter, German chemistry professor, created the safety match in 1855. Other matches of the day, could easily be ignited by rodents gnawing on them and started many kitchen fires. The safety match separated the phosphorus head of the match (still poisonous) from the igniting sulfur that they put on the outside of the box.

 

In 1892, attorney Joshua Pusey invented the matchbook but ignored warnings, by putting the strike area inside with the matches. The Diamond Match Company bought the patent three years later and moved the strike area to the outside. Eventually, matchbooks were used to advertise everything from motels, political candidates, furniture, businesses, Christmas greetings, and anything else someone wanted to advertise. There were even some that were a bit risqué.

 

 

The Diamond Match Company introduced the first nonpoisonous match in 1911. It used sesquisulfide of phosphorus, and the company forfeited the patent right as a humanitarian gesture.

 

Look how short these were. Watch out for your fingers.

I always thought the strike strip on the outside of a box or book of matches was nothing more than very fine sandpaper. I wondered why striking a match on any ol’ rough surface wouldn’t light them. Now, I know why.

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

Resources

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, p108-111

https://www.historyofmatches.com/matches-history/history-of-matches/

https://www.britannica.com/science/match-tinder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match

When is a Young Lady "Out"? Debut Ages and Regency Expectations

By Camille Elliot/Camy Tang

A Regency couple dancing at a ball—AI-generated image evoking the very moment a young woman’s debut came alive with possibility, anticipation, and careful observation.

Most of us have never been a debutante, but historical romance readers can imagine the flutter of a first Season—the nervous anticipation, the whispered judgments, the delicate balance of being noticed without being too noticed. For modern sensibilities, the Regency debut can feel both enchanting and impossibly rigid.

At its heart lies a simple but loaded question: at what age was a young woman considered ready to enter society?

In Jane Austen’s world, the answer was far more fluid than a single birthday. A girl was “out” when her family declared her available for courtship, and this could happen anywhere from fifteen to twenty or even later, depending on family circumstances, maturity, and social strategy.

Take Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. At just fifteen, she is already “out,” attending balls and flirting shamelessly. Austen uses her to show the dangers of launching a girl too early—Lydia’s impulsiveness and lack of guidance lead to near-ruin. By contrast, her older sister Jane, at twenty-two, is the model of graceful eligibility. The difference isn’t just age but readiness.

Fanny Price in Mansfield Park offers another view. At eighteen, Fanny has not yet been formally brought out into society—her quiet nature and position as a poor relation made an early debut feel inappropriate. But when her brother William visits and expresses a wish to see her dance, Sir Thomas thoughtfully arranges a ball at Mansfield. This event serves as Fanny’s gentle introduction into the neighborhood, showing that “coming out” was never merely about turning a certain age—it was a carefully timed social signal shaped by family judgment.

This same careful timing appears in Lissa and the Spy. The Gardinier family holds to a tradition of waiting until their daughters turn nineteen.

Mrs. Gardinier pulled Lissa with a grip like a vise on her elbow. “Come. Let us speak to Lady Wynwood. Perhaps she may find you an acceptable partner.”

“Isn’t she occupied with finding Phoebe an acceptable partner?” The Gardiniers’ family friend, Miss Phoebe Sauber, was debuting this year, sponsored by her aunt, Lady Wynwood.

Lissa’s younger sister had wanted her comeout at the same time, but the Gardiniers had a tradition of allowing their daughters to debut only once they turned nineteen. Lissa herself had turned twenty during last Season, which made her feel ancient next to the dewy seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds around her.

Lissa’s self-consciousness isn’t just about age—it reflects the pressure of perfection in a world that valued youth, poise, and strategic silence. Her mother’s constant corrections remind us that the debut wasn’t only about finding a husband—it was about proving the family’s refinement and protecting their reputation.

Lissa might have worn an evening dress like this one from the fashion magazine, La Belle Assemblee, published in 1807.

For families like the Gardiniers, waiting until nineteen balanced protection with opportunity. Launching too early risked gossip and missteps (as with Lydia). Waiting too long risked being labeled a spinster (as Lissa fears at twenty). The “right” age was always a moving target shaped by family strategy, finances, and social standing.

Yet beneath the etiquette and anxiety lay something deeper. Whether at fifteen or twenty, every young woman stepping into society carried the same quiet hope that she would be seen, valued, and perhaps even loved for who she truly was.

In Lissa’s case, that longing leads her down unexpected paths—toward secrets, danger, and a love that sees beyond the performance. Because sometimes the most important debut isn’t the one society notices, but the one where a young woman finally finds her own voice.

About the Author

Camy Tang writes Christian historical and contemporary romance filled with intrigue, adventure, and faith. Under the pen name Camille Elliot, she writes the Christian Regency romantic suspense series Lady Wynwood’s Spies, set in 1811 London where secrets, espionage, and slow-burn romance unfold against the glittering backdrop of high society.

If you enjoy Regency romance with adventure and a dash of humor, you can receive her novella Lissa and the Spy free when you join her newsletter.

Lissa and the Spy

A Regency Romantic Suspense Novella

In her quest for a marriage of convenience, plain and unpopular Lissa finds herself entangled with the enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude, who has a secret mission for the Crown. As danger stalks them, they must navigate a labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love.

Click here to get Lissa and the Spy

The Island Paradise: Where Royal Women Disappeared

by Liisa Eyerly

There is no shortage of dark deeds in Roman history. For historical novelists, weaving these real people, places, and scandals into fiction is one of the most rewarding ways to bring the ancient world to life.

In the first two books of the Secrets of Ephesus series, Emperor Domitian's relentless persecution of Christians makes faith a dangerous choice. His assassination sets the stage in the upcoming book, Powers of Death, and sends my sleuth, Sabina, on a trail of clues that leads to the eerie island of Pandateria—modern-day Ventotene.

Like the other Pontine Islands, Pandateria belonged to Emperor Augustus (31 BC–AD 14). Early in his reign, he transformed the remote volcanic outcrop into a lavish imperial retreat complete with terraces, gardens, expansive thermal baths, aqueducts, and sea-facing promenades. From a distance, it must have appeared idyllic—a glittering paradise rising from the Mediterranean.  (image by ChatGPT)

Yet beneath the luxury lurked a darker purpose.

Its isolation made Pandateria an ideal place to send inconvenient relatives. Roman society frowned upon openly murdering family members, especially imperial women. Exile offered a more respectable solution. A troublesome wife, daughter, or niece could simply vanish from public life while technically remaining alive.

A gilded prison, however, was still a prison.

Augustus banished his daughter, Julia the Elder, to Pandateria in 2 BC. In AD 29, Emperor Tiberius exiled Agrippina the Elder there, where she eventually died of starvation. Later, Domitian reportedly exiled both his wife, Domitia, and his niece, Flavia Domitilla, who is honored today as a Christian saint. Across the empire, exile was a familiar tool of control; even the Apostle John received the visions recorded in Revelation while banished to the island of Patmos. (Agrippina the Elder via Creative Commons, Wikipedia)

Today, the remains of Augustus's vast seaside complex—known as Villa Giulia—still cling to Ventotene's windswept cliffs. Archaeologists have uncovered courtyards, cisterns, servants' quarters, and subterranean service passages leading down to the sea. 

Much of the palace itself has vanished after centuries of stone robbing, treasure hunting, careless excavations, erosion, and quarrying. Entire wings, upper stories, and decorative elements have disappeared, leaving only fragments of what was once a sprawling imperial estate. 

That loss somehow makes the site even more haunting. 

Standing on Punta Eolo, gazing across the same waters once viewed by Augustus, Julia, Agrippina, and perhaps Flavia Domitilla, it is easy to imagine the uneasy contrast between beauty and captivity. The surviving baths, terraces, and underground corridors hint at extraordinary luxury. Yet they also whisper of isolation, political intrigue, and lives quietly erased from history.  https://magazine.snav.it/ventotene-punta-eolo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Pandateria was paradise for some.  For others, it was the last place they were ever truly free.

Step into the shadowy streets of 96 AD Ephesus, where danger lurks around every corner, and the line between friend and foe is razor-thin. Winner of the Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award, Obedient Unto Death launches a gripping historical mystery series set in the perilous world of first-century Rome. In Fortunes of Death, fearless Christian sleuth Sabina returns—risking everything to expose murder, magic, and corruption beneath the empire’s glittering surface. With rich historical detail and powerful spiritual themes, author Liisa Eyerly delivers intrigue, danger, and hope in equal measure. Reviewer Deborah Anne raves: “Murder mystery—Intrigue—Love—Fellowship through Christ. This series has it all! Eyerly is wonderful! If you’re tired of boring—read this series! I love a good mystery!” Prepare to be hooked!

Visit me at my website, on my Author Facebook page,

or purchase my books at:

Fortunes of Death

Obedient Unto Death

My Amazon book page

Mystery, murder, and mayhem aren’t your typical Christian themes—but why should secular authors have all the fun solving crimes in ancient Rome? My love of history, scripture, and whodunits led me to blend faith with intrigue, bringing the world of the early Christians to life. Writing from my home in the woods of northern Wisconsin, I also draw inspiration from my travels to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, where I’ve walked the same streets my characters once did. Through historical mysteries, I explore a time when faith was a matter of life and death—literally.

Western Hearths: Cowboy Chuckwagon Meals

June brought hot days and endless miles for cowboys driving cattle across the plains. Life on the trail could be difficult, but they could look forward to a hearty meal at the end of a long day. For cowboys, a meal provided more than fuel. It gave them the chance to sit around the fire and swap tall tales or sing songs.

The Heart of the Cattle Drive

An authentic chuckwagon that accompanied cowboys as they drove cattle across the dusty plains of the early American West. (public domain image courtesy of Carol M. Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons)

Outfitted with a simple stove, storage for provisions, and a generous supply of coffee, the chuckwagon was the heart of a cattle drive. The cook, often nicknamed Cookie, was highly respected. Besides turning dried goods, salted meat, and basic staples into filling meals, the cook kept spirits high and tempers cool.

Chuckwagon staples included:

• Beans and bacon
• Biscuits or cornbread
• Coffee (often strong and black)
• Bacon, salt pork, or jerky
• Occasional canned or dried fruit
• Simple desserts when time allowed

Cowboys spent long hours in the saddle, and the chuckwagon’s provisions needed to sustain them from dawn until dusk. Many a cowboy hit the trail with an extra biscuit and jerky in his saddle bag.

Chuckwagon Skillet Beans

You can’t get more traditional than a pot of chuckwagon beans with bacon and onions. Easy to prepare over a fire or stove, this simple supper serves up a taste of the open range.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked beans (pinto or kidney)
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat, lard, or butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2–3 slices of bacon, diced
• ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Optional: a pinch of chili powder or paprika

Instructions

• Heat bacon fat in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
• Add diced bacon and onions, cooking until bacon is crisp and onions are translucent.
• Stir in beans, salt, and pepper (plus optional spices).
• Cook until the beans are heated through and flavors meld, about 10–15 minutes.
• Serve with fresh biscuits, cornbread, or flatbread.

Variations

For extra flavor, add a spoonful of molasses or brown sugar near the end of cooking—cowboys often enjoyed a touch of sweetness with savory dishes. You can also turn up the heat by adding chopped jalapenos or other peppers.

Bringing the Trail to Your Table

Recreate this chuckwagon meal to honor the cowboys who shaped the American West. 

As you eat, picture them gathered around the fire sharing food on the open range or mounting their horses at the start of the day.

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt fell in love with literature at an early age when her father read chapters from classics as bedtime stories. When Janalyn grew older, she put herself to sleep with tales "written" in her head.

Today Janalyn is a storyteller who writes in several genres. Her Montana Gold historical romance series is based on actual historical events. Montana Gold explores faith, love, and courage in the Wild West.

Learn more about Janalyn, read the first chapters of her books, subscribe to her e-letter, and join her reader clubs at http://janalynvoigt.com.

Gilded Age Cruising the Thousand Islands

During the Gilded Age, cruising the Thousand Islands was far more than transportation—it was a symbol of elegance, leisure, and social standing. Stretching along the St. Lawrence River between New York and Canada, the region became a fashionable summer retreat for industrialists, politicians, and wealthy families seeking scenic escape and refined recreation. To arrive by water was part of the experience—to cruise was to belong.

Steam-powered vessels defined the era. Graceful side-wheel and screw steamers carried visitors from hubs like Clayton and Alexandria Bay through a maze of islands and shorelines. These boats served as floating parlors, featuring polished interiors, attentive service, and spacious decks designed for sightseeing and socializing while the river scenery unfolded around them.

For the elite, private yachts became the ultimate status symbol. Built by premier shipyards, they blended luxury and innovation with brass fittings, upholstered lounges, and shaded decks for afternoon conversation. Cruising routes often became social stages where travelers admired—and quietly judged—one another’s vessels, clothing, and grand island estates.

Excursion cruises opened the experience to middle-class tourists eager to sample the glamour of island life. Narrated tours highlighted famous summer homes and landmarks like Boldt Castle, adding romance and mystique to the journey while allowing ordinary visitors a glimpse into elite society.

Cruising also shaped daily life throughout the region. Steamers connected islands, hotels, and mainland towns, delivering mail, supplies, and guests on dependable schedules. Beneath the elegance, however, navigating narrow channels and hidden shoals required expert pilots and expanding lighthouse systems.

Gilded Age cruising captured the spirit of the time: faith in technology, celebration of leisure, and the pursuit of beauty best enjoyed from the deck of a well-appointed boat. Gliding across the sparkling river at sunset, passengers embraced the era’s romance, privilege, adventure, and confidence in modern progress and luxury.

ABOUT A SUMMER AT THOUSAND ISLAND HOUSE:

Addison Bell has always had an enduring love for children, so she nannies at the renowned Thousand Island House on Staple’s Island? As Addi thrives in her work, she attracts the attention of the recreation pavilion’s manager, Liam Donovan, as well as the handsome Navy Officer Lt. Worthington, a lighthouse inspector, hotel patron, and single father of mischievous little Jimmy. But when Jimmy goes missing, Addi finds both her job and her reputation in danger. How can she calm the churning waters of Liam, Lt. Worthington, and the President, clear her name, and avoid becoming the scorn of the Thousand Islands community?

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has sixteen in her fiction line. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.