A History Presentation by Author Joyce B. Lohse: “Mining for the Real Baby Doe Tabor” at Historic Tattered Cover LoDo Bookstore 1628 16th St. at Wynkoop in Denver Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. A legendary pioneer woman, Baby Doe Tabor, provided us with one of the greatest rags-to-riches-to-rags stories in America’s western history. Award-winning biographer Joyce B. Lohse has written her biography set in Colorado’s days of boom and bust. The story appeals…
Waiting for a book in production conjures up a combination of excitement and drama. After concentrating and struggling with many edits, it is hard watch the little bird fly from the nest as it wings its way off to the print shop. As the author, it is hard to let it go after a couple of years of concentrated effort, and it seems too soon to watch it fly away, out of reach and beyond…
Sometimes it is easy to become complacent and forget about the rich history in our own backyards. A walk on a sunny Saturday morning in Denver led us to Civic Center Park, where we stepped into the recently restored Greek Theater in the South Pavilion to enjoy a historic scene called “The Trapper”, a 1920 Allen True mural. Allen True was a local artist and illustrator who provided the city with public art, which we…
I love fall. When the morning air gets crispy, it is time to take a drive along Federal Blvd. in Denver, with the car windows open, to smell the aroma of roasting chiles. As if by magic, stands spring up along this busy city thoroughfare. A tent in a parking lot marks the spot where one can stop and buy produce from New Mexico. Before your eyes, Hatch chiles are thrown into a cylindrical cage,…
Filter Press hosted a fabulous garden party last weekend to launch author Patricia Werner’s book, The Walls Talk: Historic House Museums of Colorado. The circumstances were unusual. A fine author and researcher, and a member of Women Writing the West, Pat passed away a couple of years ago following her struggle with cancer. Filter Press fulfilled their agreement to publish Pat’s book, which she struggled to finish during her final days. Much work was then…
100 degree weather in Denver sent me scurrying off to the high country. Luckily, the Estes Park Genealogical Society invited me to speak at their conference on Saturday. It was a fine event — friendly, well-organized, and productive. I spoke about Pioneer History and some of the research methods I’ve used with much success to learn about the characters for my biographies, and to sort out the truth about their lives from legends which surround…
Writing is sometimes a solitary endeavor. Not this week! Looking back, I am grateful for my support system, which helps make all things possible. On Tuesday evening, I attended the Colorado Authors’ League (CAL) banquet with my hub and partner, Don, who is my anchor in all aspects of life. My publishers from Filter Press, Doris and Tom Baker, braved a spring blizzard to attend with us. My friend from Women Writing the West (WWW),…
While attending a Denver Open Doors event, I found a bronze plaque commemorating General William J. Palmer in Union Station. In 1929, five of these plaques were installed in various key locations: Mexico City, Salt Lake City, Hampton Institute in Virginia, Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and Union Station in Denver. I looked high; I looked low. I never could find the Palmer plaque in the historic old Denver train station. The bronze memorial must…
A colorful historical character, Soapy Smith, provided a great story from the Old West, and considerable food for thought in my previous blog entry. To follow up on this subject, his great-grandson and namesake, Jeff Smith, has graciously agreed to answer some questions here, about his search for truth regarding his famous ancestor. When you were researching your great-grandfather Soapy Smith’s life, what were your favorite discoveries? I would say my favorite discovery was the…
Family history is a hot topic. On Friday evenings, a television show called, “Who Do You Think You Are?” features well-known actors or actresses, who embark on a journey of self-discovery by searching for clues and stories about their ancestors. This is an exciting prospect for anybody who is interested in family history. The bad news, as has been discussed by my local genealogy society, is that the personalities featured on the show have the…