Lucky Hat Mine History Quiz

In The Lucky Hat Mine, author J.v.L. Bell includes several not well known historical characters that interact with her main character, Millie. Although she often put words in their mouths and give them fictitious deeds, she does try to include factual events from their pasts or actual things they were known to do. Which character described below did author J.v.L. Bell make up?

  1. Mr. Gould, a worn-out dandy hired to escort Millie from Denver City to Idaho Springs. He tells Millie he once worked for the Bowe brothers in New York, liberating silver coins and other valuables from ships anchored off the East river.
  2. Charlotte Card teaches Millie how to shoot her six-shooter and is described as one of the miners. A woman who wears men’s trousers and mines her own claim like a man.
  3. Mr. Tappan, better known as Old Shakespeare, is a storekeeper in Idaho Springs who woos Millie by quoting the Bard, and hangs signs in his store quoting the Bard’s words about paying one’s debts.
  4. Mrs. Gilson, an Idaho Springs matron, teaches Millie about making money washing miner’s clothing by washtub panning—cleaning the bottom of the tub to find all the gold flakes that had stuck to the men’s clothing.