Chinese laborers at work on construction for the railroad built across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, circa 1870s. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images- History.com In my previous post, I shared some excerpts from a speech given by Brigham Young in 1850. Although some of the comments made in that speech are rightfully considered racist by present day standards,… Continue reading Racism in America
Author: Ralls Melotte
The Mormons, Cat’s Cafe Ch. 5 and 6 notes (edited)
Brigham Young, Sr. Photo courtesy Library of Congress Accuracy, objectivity, and fairness without interpretation in these notes is of supreme importance to me. If something doesn’t look right, please let me know. It’s a challenging subject, to be sure. I’ve noted references below. Brigham Young, Sr. who was often referred to as the “Mormon Moses”… Continue reading The Mormons, Cat’s Cafe Ch. 5 and 6 notes (edited)
Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 5
View of the Mormon Temple in Idaho Falls beyond the Snake River Dam. Numerous Mormon temples can be found in many cities throughout Utah and Idaho as well as almost every state in the Union. Photo taken in 2021 by Ralls Melotte Joseph Smith (Jr.) as a young man. Photo found in the Library of… Continue reading Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 5
Cat’s Cafe Review in Illinois Times
Photo of landscape south of Idaho Falls taken in 2021 by Ralls Melotte somewhat similar to what it might have looked like in 1879 but without the barbed wire fence. Photo of early combined bank, dry goods store and post office in Eagle Rock, now Idaho Falls, probably around the mid 1880s. Courtesy of the… Continue reading Cat’s Cafe Review in Illinois Times
Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 20
This photo can be found in the current issue, dated December 16, 2022, of Socialstudiesforkids.com in an article explaining the significance of Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph. He was issued a patent in 1840 for his original design which looks quite different from the one shown below that was probably in use by the… Continue reading Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 20
The first reviews are in!
It takes weeks to get even a paid review. But my first two are finally in and they're good. Interestingly, they don't actually fully agree. One dinged me on the dialect and footnotes, the other really liked it. Until I can actually contractually release the reviews, here are some snippets from each. "... depicts historical… Continue reading The first reviews are in!
Cat’s Cafe, Characters
My brother Rod just finished my book and said he really liked it, but would like it even more if he could look at a "cast of characters" while he was reading. This is for you, Rod! A little late, but better than never. Listed in order of appearance*indicates a true historical individual Edgar Potts… Continue reading Cat’s Cafe, Characters
Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 14
What's old is new again. Area newspapers of the late-1800s western frontier described every kind of remedy, printed as much news as they could find from near and far, and sold whatever anyone was willing to advertise. Read this issue at Newspapers.com. Chapter 14 ~ All the news . . . William E. Wheeler was… Continue reading Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 14
American Westward Expansion
The 43-star American flag of 1890, as shown on Wikipedia. Five stars were added at this time for Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington states. America went through a major transformation during the thirty year period between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th century. The Industrial Revolution… Continue reading American Westward Expansion
Purchase Cat’s Cafe
Eagle Rock Trilogy Book One introduces Catherine Callaway and characters, both righteous and ruthless, amidst the raw beauty of a rail town that rises, falls, and rises again — first at the hand of corrupt managers and tycoons, and ultimately from the efforts of entrepreneurs and visionaries who helped lead the town and territory to… Continue reading Purchase Cat’s Cafe