When I was writing a chapter for the second volume of my book, The Yankee Road, I told the story of John Butterfield and his Overland Mail Company, which operated a stagecoach line between St. Louis and San Francisco between 1858 and 1861; its existence cut short by the outbreak of the Civil War. The… Continue reading The Second Butterfield Stage (Sort Of)
Tag: yankee
A Story for Labour Day
In these days of ‘gig’ employment and lots of home delivery options, we may forget why there is a day dedicated to those who work for a living—that is, most of us. In the late 1800s, there was a lot of labour unrest, in part because of long hours, over-controlling bosses, low pay and dangerous… Continue reading A Story for Labour Day
A Unionist and Two Yankees in Montana
When US 20 leaves the western bounds of Yellowstone Park, it passes through the small southern tip of Montana for about ten miles. Montana therefore deserves a spot of recognition in this tale. Let’s focus on the gold rush to Montana during the Civil War, and on two Yankees and a Georgia Unionist who played… Continue reading A Unionist and Two Yankees in Montana
Wyoming: More Ladies, Please
We will remain out of the Union a hundred years, rather than come in without our women [voters]! - Message about Acquiring Statehood from the Wyoming Legislature to the US Congress, 1890. In 1869, The Union Pacific (UP), commonly called ‘the transcontinental railroad’, was about to join up with the Central Pacific Railroad (CPR) in… Continue reading Wyoming: More Ladies, Please
Those Healthy Yankees Part 1: Graham and Alcott
This is the start of a two-part piece on the early 19th Century Yankee contribution to healthy lifestyles. The parallels with today’s pandemic are most interesting. The material comes from a chapter in volume 2 of my book The Yankee Road. In 1832, the Great Cholera Epidemic hit the United States. It was another of… Continue reading Those Healthy Yankees Part 1: Graham and Alcott
The Yankee Origins of Baseball
The following is adapted from my book, The Yankee Road: Tracing the Journey of the New England Tribe that Created Modern America My wife and I have visited Cooperstown at least four times, primarily to view the Baseball Hall of Fame. The “downtown” of today’s village of two thousand people is a standard tourist trap:… Continue reading The Yankee Origins of Baseball
Old Professor by the Sea 