Deeply Devoted (34 page)

Cheyenne, Wyoming, was aptly nicknamed the Magic City of the Plains and frequently referred to by its nickname in the local newspaper, the
Cheyenne Daily
Leader
, as early as 1867. I was fascinated to learn that it was dubbed the Magic City because of its boom and rapid growth, after starting from a ramshackle city on the empty plains. Early on, bullwhackers, thousands of men, and a few hundred lewd women drank and gambled in the raw railroad town, bringing debauchery and violence, which left a stain on Cheyenne’s reputation. Thankfully, Rev. Joseph W. Cook, an Episcopalian, set about to institute order in the community with the aid of other urban pioneers, starting churches and schools and civilizing its inhabitants.

I was simply in heaven on this trip of research, because this was, after all, cowboy country. When I visited, the first thing that struck me about Wyoming was the windswept prairie and wildlife. Walking the historic district of Cheyenne ignited my desire to photograph and read about the old buildings and homes that are still intact today. With such rich history, I tried to give a glimpse of its details in my story, but there is so much more that could be told.

Mail-order brides were a huge part of settling the West. My heroine was from Holland and many Dutch brides settled in Minnesota, but I took the liberty of having her travel to Wyoming to marry a wheat farmer.

Grasshoppers, or locusts, were a severe problem, not only in Wyoming but in many parts of the West. For reasons unknown, the Rocky Mountain grasshopper or locust is extinct now, as a result not of pesticides but of habitat loss. They destroyed entire crops very quickly. In 1877, Congress created the United States Entomological Commission to deal with the plight of the farmers caused by major locust crises.

My first glimpse at the Union Pacific depot as I entered the city of Cheyenne left a lasting impression on me. With its multicolored sandstone and pitched roof resembling a castle, I decided it would be the starting point in my novel. I marveled at the details of the building and enjoyed the museum there. By the time my heroine arrives, the clock tower has not yet been erected and wouldn’t be until 1890. There was a beautiful park in front of the depot with trees, a bronze cannon, and a fountain, all of which is still there today.

Most of the government, commercial, and residential buildings owe their significant design to William Dubois, a prominent architect of Cheyenne. The Inter Ocean Hotel on Sixteenth and Capitol Street is the hotel where Peter arranged for Catharine to stay when she arrived. It was built by Barney Ford, a former slave, and was considered one of the finest in Cheyenne.

Laramie County courthouse on Eighteenth Street was built in 1872, with an adjoining structure in the rear that was the jail and sheriff’s residence. In 1903, Tom Horn, a notorious hired assassin, was hanged in the jail’s yard.

Bryan takes Greta to a classy speakeasy, the Tivoli. The three-story Victorian brick building is still standing today and is being restored. It was rumored that the upstairs was a brothel and had hidden passages.

The Rollins Hotel where Catharine takes her sisters was one of the first hotels constructed in 1867. It boasted a bath house, a bar and billiard room, and a barbershop and could accommodate two hundred guests. The Depot Exchange Café was a popular café owned by Leopold Kabis, a restaurateur and caterer.

The stylish brick Terrace Row where Clara lived was built in 1883 on Eighteenth Street and was nestled between Capitol and Carey Street.

Warren’s Emporium, where Peter takes Catharine when she arrives in Cheyenne, opened in 1884 to provide women with an extraordinary shopping experience. It was built by Francis Emroy Warren, an ambitious and successful mayor who became governor of Wyoming territory from 1885–86, and again later in 1889–90. The building is no longer there.

Helen Warren, the first lady of Wyoming, was a sweet and gracious woman. She was a prominent member of Cheyenne’s society and was responsible for helping establish the First Baptist Church, of which she was a stalwart member. The original church building became unsafe, and a new church was constructed in 1894. I took the liberty of making Helen a friend to Clara.

Ester Hobart Morris was the first woman appointed as a justice of the peace. Wyoming was the first state to allow women the right to vote and hold public office. Ester’s marrying Peter and Catharine is purely a work of fiction for my story.

Sarah Bernhardt performed
Fedora
with her company at the Cheyenne Opera House. Her understudy, Maggie O’Neal, was created from my imagination and was named after my oldest granddaughter, who loves acting and singing. Maggie O’Neal was also my mother’s name.

The hero in the book was named after my dear grandson Peter.

Angelina Cristini was named after my sweet granddaughter Angelina.

Thomas Sturgis, briefly mentioned, was the secretary of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA).

Crow Creek, which runs north along Cheyenne, is where I placed Peter Andersen’s farm. It once caused incredible flooding of the town.

Since I mention it in my story, I should point out that Fort Russell established its military headquarters three miles northwest of Cheyenne in 1867. After Francis Warren’s death in 1929, it was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.

There are differing opinions as to when tiramisu, meaning “pick me up” in Italian, was first invented. Some say it was a “Tuscan trifle” created in Siena, Italy, for the visit by Grand Duke Cosimo de’Medici III in the seventeenth century. He brought the dessert, called
zuppa del duca
, home with him to Florence in the nineteenth century. Later, it was taken to England and grew popular, making its way to Venice.

Others say that tiramisu was a favorite of Venice courtesans who needed a “pick me up” between their encounters above the Le Beccherie restaurant, where it was created. Still others say it was invented by a chef at Trevso near Venice in 1969. Whatever the case, it makes for a lively story. For my purposes in the story, I decided to go with the earlier proposed date.

I’d like to acknowledge my son-in-law Bobby Christine’s father, Alexander Christine, who died when I was near the end of writing
Deeply Devoted
. It was from the Christine family that I portrayed the Cristinis in this book. When Al’s family came to this country from Italy, they changed the spelling of their name from Cristini to Christine. Many Italian immigrants brought art, culture, and much more to America to make it what it is today.

Al was deeply devoted to his family and country, and it seemed appropriate for me to dedicate my book to him since he touched our family’s lives, including my grandchildren. He served three tours of duty in Vietnam and was honored with three Purple Hearts. Bobby is walking boldly in the shadow of his dad’s footsteps—he is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Guard and served time in Iraq.

Thanks to all the folks at The Bookmark at JFBC who are big supporters of my books.

I especially want to thank my personal prayer team, Mag’s Peeps, who prayed for me every day as my deadline loomed, after my brother died, and with my own personal issues. Many thanks to Sheri Christine, Kelly Long, Karen Casey, Gaye Orsini, Connie Crawford, Linda Underwood, and Linda Hoffner. May God bless you richly!

Thanks to my readers for their continued support and interest in my books.

Maggie Brendan
is a bestselling author. She is a member of the American Christian Writers (ACW), the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), the Romance Writers of America (RWA), and the Georgia Romance Writers (GRW). She was also a recipient of the 2004 ACW Persistence Award. Maggie led a writers’ critique group in her home for six years and was quoted in
Word Weavers: The Story of a Successful Writers’ Critique Group
. She was a guest speaker at a recent Regional Church Bookstores and Libraries conference in Marietta, Georgia, on the value of Christian fiction.

A TV film version is currently in development for her first novel,
No Place for a Lady
, book 1 of the Heart of the West series.
Romantic Times
awarded
No Place for a Lady
a 4.5-star review and also gave
The Jewel of His Heart
a 4-star review.

Maggie is married and lives in Georgia. She has two grown children and four grandchildren. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, singing, painting, scrapbooking, and being with her family. You can find Maggie on her website,
www.MaggieBrendan.com
, and on her blog, http://southernbellewriter.blogspot.com. She is also a resident blogger on
www.bustlesandspurs.com
.

Books by Maggie Brendan

Heart of the West

No Place for a Lady

The Jewel of His Heart

A Love of Her Own

The Blue Willow Brides

Deeply Devoted

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