MAP OF SPEARFISH
If you've read sections of BENEATH THE COTTONWOODS, or you are at least the curious sort, you might find this map of Spearfish to be quite interesting.
I must say, I was delighted to find it in a gallery on the Spearfish Area Historical Society website. These folks are fabulous people, willing to share a wealth of knowledge.
Do you want to see where BENEATH THE COTTONWOODS takes place? Well! I'm so glad you asked!
Allow me to give you a tour . . .
Remember my post about Decoration Day last Thursday? In the background of that photo stands the Bank of Spearfish. Here, you'll see it circled in red! That corner it sits on is Sixth and H, where a great amount of excitement in BENEATH THE COTTONWOODS happens.
Hazel, our heroine, lives in that yellow house--just a couple of blocks from the bank, where her father works (under false pretenses, but that's another post).
Then you'll see a row of trees. This is where you'll go if you plan to dip your feet in Spearfish Creek. Beyond the trees, our hero lives. Widower Lee Cranston's house and barn are within the blue rectangle.
Not too far of a walk between the two, is it? . . . Which is good because Hazel travels the road daily to pick up Lee's five-year-old son for tutoring lessons.
By the way, if a storm comes up--as it tends to do in the summer--you'll see the clouds rising over Crow Peak, the mountain just beyond Lee's place.
Do you like when authors set their stories in real places?
How does history make a story better?
What are some drawbacks to tying a story so closely to history?
Let me know in the comments!
Janette, this is a wonderful visual. Maybe it could go into the front pages of your book. I enjoy maps. It helps me to picture things more. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a good one for Seattle 1871. Lots of early maps from the 1850's founding, and later maps.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sondra! I enjoy maps too. I hope you find one for Seattle soon! They certainly do make visualizing much easier.
DeleteYou sure found a gem of a map! I love finding old maps of places. I was thrilled when I found a 1860's map of Ostrander, Ohio for my books. I've found some of the drawbacks to writing historicals is trying to stay true to your chosen historical period. If you're not going to be entirely factual about something it has to at least be plausible and that can definitely be a challenge. Beneath the Cottonwoods sounds like it will be a good read. Praying it will find a publisher soon.
ReplyDeleteJen Cvelbar AKA Jennifer A. Davids www.jenniferadavids.wordpress.com
Jennifer, thank you for checking out my website. I went to yours as well, and your books seem right up my alley! I will have to check them out.
DeleteI agree with you about the difficulty of staying within your chosen historical period. While it is a challenge, the results can be very worth the effort! Working within limits sometimes brings out more creativity.
I appreciate your prayers!
Janette, this is great to get a visual of the setting. I love setting my stories in actual places. I don't think I'd be able to write with a totally fictitious story world. And for me it's always exciting to read a book and find out that the place actually exists. I look forward to reading more of Beneath the Cottonwoods and I'm enjoying the story.
ReplyDeleteMarion, thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you liked the visual for Beneath the Cottonwoods. I agree with you - I love finding out that a place I read about is real . . . I'm a research junkie. :)
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