J.v.L. Bell loves to research history and many of the stories she puts in Murder at Buckskin Joe are historically accurate (or at least stories she didn’t make up!) Still, every now and then she loves to make up a few historical stories. Which story did she make up?
- George Drouillard? – Was George Drouillard really the hunter for the Lewis and Clark expedition?
- Death by Crinoline? – In 1855, was Sophronia Souter, while wearing a skirt with a wide crinoline, swept off the cliff near Niagara Falls?
- Buckskin Joe or Laurette? – Was the town named Buckskin Joe after Joseph Higginbottom or Laurette after Laura and Jeanette Dodge?
- Trading a mining claim? – Did Joeseph Higginbottom really trade his mining claim for a gun and a horse and give up his water rights to pay his whiskey bill?
- The Bellyache School? – Was there a school in Colorado named the Bellyache school because of the foul water flowing nearby?
- Ute Scalp Dance? – Did Ute Indians really ride through town to invite pioneers to their scalp dance?
- Pemley avenging his sister? – Did Dave Pemley really kill his best friend in a duel because his friend deserted his sister, leaving her in a family way?
- Augusta Tabor and Maxcy Float Away? – While crossing the Arkansas river, did the Tabor’s wagon frame lift off the wheels and float downstream with Augusta and baby Maxcy on top of it?
- Londoner riding a goat? – Did Mr. Londoner ride a smelly goat down the streets of Denver, believing it was part of his initiation into the Odd Fellows Society?