Narrative History or Historical Fiction?
Most of the time I think I’ll write my next book, Encounters in Yellowstone, as narrative history, but when I hit a dead end in my research, I’m tempted to switch to historical fiction.
Monthly Archives: September 2010
A Tale: Woman Fends Off Attacking Bear With Zucchini
Today’s new about a woman warding of a charging black bear with a garden fresh zucchini wouldn’t have surprised Yellowstone tourists a hundred years ago.
A Tale: Angering Old Faithful — 1877
Did you ever wonder what would happen if you dumped a ton of rocks and rubble into Old Faithful? Frank Carpenter found out.
Early Yellowstone Entrepreneurs
In case you missed, I’ve posted a link to my Big Sky Journal article on the first intrepid entrepreneurs who tried to turn a dollar in Yellowstone Park.
Why I’m Interested in Yellowstone Stories
When I was a little boy, my grandmother used to tell me stories about her trip to Yellowstone National Park …
A Tale: Colter’s Run — 1807
John Colter really did cross the plains naked after outrunning hundreds of Blackfeet warriors who were screaming for his scalp. He was the first white man to visit what is now Yellowstone Park. And his reports of a stinking place where springs spout steam and boiling water were greeted as fantasy and labeled “Colter’s Hell.”
A Tale: Watching Bears Fight at a Dump — 1896
A famous naturalists buries himself in garbage and watches a moma black bear attacks a grizzly to protect her darling.
Researching Attitudes Toward Indians
What would it feel like to wake up in a wilderness with a lead slug embedded in your skull and remember watching your wife being dragged away by hostile Indians?
A Tale: Little Invulnerable —Langford, 1870
A diminutive horse’s perseverance earns him a place in history.
News: My Upcoming Events
I lead a dinner conversation in Helena on November 17 and make a presentation in Bozeman on February 17.
