Colorado – Adventures in Western History

Colorado Day — August 1, 1876

By joyce4books | July 31, 2017 by joyce4books

How did Colorado Territory’s citizens, referred to by eastern politicians as living in a “state of semi-barbarism,” achieve statehood? When John and Eliza Routt stepped off the train in Denver in 1875, Colorado Territory citizens were skeptical and suspicious. Seven governors had rotated in and out of the office over fifteen years. The latest in the string of carpetbaggers and inept politicians was Edwin M. McCook, who had misused his power and position until Coloradans…

Colorado Treasures

By joyce4books | June 23, 2015 by joyce4books

People often ask how I find the treasures of information about people for my biographies, along with nuggets of details about Colorado’s colorful history. I have a system, which boils down to “making the rounds” to various hot spots and collections pertaining to my subject. Whenever possible, I begin at the cemetery. By visiting a family plot, I get a sense of dates and family members during the final days of a character’s life. Then…

2014 Women Writing the West Conference

By joyce4books | October 28, 2014 by joyce4books

Mid-October marked the culmination of a year and a half of planning for Women Writing the West’s 20th Anniversary Annual Conference in Golden, Colorado. The result of work by Colorado’s WWW Conference Planning Committee to plan the event spread among several venues was a huge success. The City of Golden was a perfect fit for our group. A synopsis of highlights will give those with a passion for the craft of writing an idea of…

Same Road, Different Day

By joyce4books | May 6, 2014 by joyce4books

Writing feels all-consuming at times. When I have been pushing hard on a historical biography, a change of scenery can jolt my brain like a bolt of lightning. Once again, I found myself on the highway near Meeker when we encountered an unlikely greeting committee. Traffic came to a halt as literally hundreds of sheep surrounded the automobiles. The herd extended beyond our vision. I rolled down my window to enjoy the sounds of plantive…

Elusive Historical Markers

By joyce4books | March 3, 2014 by joyce4books

Meeker Massacre Historical Marker How many times have you passed a historical marker, thinking that you would stop to see it “next time”, only next time never comes? As we were driving through the Rio Blanco, or White River Valley in Colorado last week for the umpteenth time, my hubby surprised me by stopping at the historical marker. I always wondered where the Meeker Massacre took place, and whether this marker might enlighten me. It…

Riverside Cemetery Halloween Crawl

By joyce4books | October 30, 2013 by joyce4books

Although I’ve spoken and presented programs to about 150 groups up and down Colorado’s Front Range and beyond, I’ve never before portrayed one of my biographical characters. It was a blast! What a great way to really turn back the hands of time and embrace history, and to enjoy the most beautiful fall day imaginable in Denver’s historic boneyard. My subject was Eliza Routt, which was a no-brainer to me as a portrayal. Eliza, the…

Late Summer Reading

By joyce4books | August 15, 2013 by joyce4books

With a lull in my Colorado book tour, I thought I would share reviews of books I have read this summer. As administrator for Women Writing the West, I am fortunate to meet many talented and interesting writers on my journey. These books were written by folks I am proud to call my peers and friends. As far as my plans go, I will be spending some quality time with family and friends over the…

Summer Road Tour

By joyce4books | July 22, 2013 by joyce4books

As summer moves along, my road tour of book events and history presentations at Colorado mountain towns and historic sites is moving forward. Next stop after Leadville was Estes Park, a busy tourist community at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. Their genealogical society hosted a seminar which featured a military records theme this year. With his strong Civil War history, my character General William J. Palmer fit in very nicely with their program.…

An Interview Revisited

By joyce4books | June 4, 2013 by joyce4books

This week, Wyoming Author Jean Henry Mead revisited her 2011 interview with Joyce B. Lohse. Jean’s interview is shared here for the first time. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Joyce Lohse is an award-winning biographer and journalist, who accepted induction in the Colorado Women Hall of Fame for Eliza Routt, the subject of one of her biographies. Since 2002, she has worked as administrator for Women Writing the West. Joyce, your books have won quite a few awards, which…

A New Frontier and a FREE Download

By joyce4books | May 20, 2013 by joyce4books

Communication has taken many forms throughout history. Ancient people left messages by drawing art and chiseling petroglyphs on rock. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable press type around 1440 replaced the only means of duplicating print, copying with pen on paper. Movable lead type was used for printing into the 20th century. For the past half century, my work has been deeply involved in writing and publishing, and I’ve seen a few changes. In college while…