Story Sparks Multi-author Giveaway:
125th Anniversary of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893
Welcome to the Story Sparks multi-Author Blog Tour.. Between May 21-26, 2018, readers get a chance to enter and win ebooks from six different authors Today, Jodie Wolfe is the featured author. Two lucky winers will be awarded either her To Claim Her Heart or Mrs Wigglesworth's Essential Guide to Proper Etiquette and Manners of Refined Society. Jodie will be talking about the Cherrokee Strip Land Run of 1893. Read on to discover what sparked Jodie's creativity and to enter the Rafflecopter (found at the end of the post) to win her heartwarming book.
September 16th will mark the
125th anniversary of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. It was our
Nation’s last great race for land. 115,000 people showed up to race for 42,000
plots. I can clearly picture that day. It was hot and dry. Folks gathered along
nine different starting places located along the Kansas border and south of the
Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma Territory.
All manner of conveyances could be seen—people
on foot, horseback, buggies, wagons, bicycles, trains, etc. I can easily
imagine the clamor and chaos as all those assembled awaited the gunshot that
would signify the start of the race at noon. People were desperate. The country
had undergone an economic catastrophe with the plummet of the New York Stock
Exchange due to the overinvesting in the railroads. Many businesses that
depended upon the railroad were forced to close their doors. Quite a number of
banks either closed or called in their loans. It was a difficult time.
Such is the backdrop for my new novel, To Claim Her Heart. This book is
especially significant to me since it was my dear mother-in-law who introduced
me to the history of the land run. It mattered to her because she had several
relatives who completed in the land race and found claims. I vividly remember
the summer of 1997 when we stopped off in Oklahoma to see one of those original
properties. My sons and I tromped over the land and saw the homestead that was
built in 1894. The first home had been a soddy that didn’t last longer than a
year.
The rock home I saw was partially built
into the side of a hill and in a state of disrepair. A stream gurgled nearby and
within a couple of miles, the Gloss (Glass) Mountains cropped out of the
landscape. It didn’t take much for me to start imagining characters tromping
through the area and choosing to settle there.
While Mom never lived to see this book
finally published, she knew that I was working on it in her last days. I’m so
thankful that she shared her rich family history with me. Quite a few of the
family stories she told me were included in my book.
Here’s what the back cover blurb says:
In 1893, on the eve of the great race for
land, Benjamin David prays for God to guide him to his 'Promised Land. Finding
property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased
fiancée. He hasn't counted on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing
to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the
homesteading know-how he is sadly lacking.
Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith's only hope for
survival, and not just any plot, she has a specific one in mind. The land's not
only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for
herself. She's willing to put in whatever it takes to get that piece of
property, and Elsie's determined to keep it.
Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has no intentions of allowing that
preacher to lay claim to her land . . . or her heart.
Links:
Bio:
Jodie Wolfe
creates novels where hope and quirky meet. The power of story to influence
lives and change hearts is what motivates her to weave tales that tell of the
Savior's faithfulness and forgiveness. She's been a semi-finalist and finalist
in various writing contests and is a member of ACFW and RWA. When not writing
she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking,
and being a Grammie. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.
Here’s
the first scene:
Chapter One
Competition
should be relegated to the male species. Proper young ladies should avoid a
situation which permits rivalry, particularly involving the male species. If
unavoidable, allow the gentleman to win. Be above reproach in this manner.
Mrs.
Wigglesworth’s Essential Guide to Proper Etiquette and Manners of Refined
Society
September 15, 1893, Kiowa,
Kansas—Border of the Cherokee Strip
“Elmer
Smith?”
For
once in all of her days, Elsie welcomed the name Pa had insisted on when her
life began and Ma’s had ended.
“Is
that you, son?”
“Ain’t
your son.” Ain’t no one’s son. Elsie shifted her Stetson lower to
ward off the man’s scrutiny.
“There’s
no need to get your prickles up. Do you testify you’re at least twenty-one
years of age and head of your household?”
Elsie
nodded and bit back a retort.
“Then
sign here.” The man shoved a paper across the makeshift desk. Beads of moisture
dotted his upper lip.
She
scrawled her name on the line. The page crinkled when she folded and shoved it
into her shirt pocket, along with the copy of The Homestead Laws and Pa’s hand-drawn map.
“Get
out of the way, kid.” A scraggly looking fellow jabbed into her shoulder.
Elsie
stepped out of line, glaring at him. He ignored her and turned his attention to
the clerk.
She
elbowed through a crowd of men. How had her small town swelled to so many
folks? Thankfully there were few she recognized, or, more so, who could
recognize her. The less who knew her gender, the better. She certainly didn’t
need no man to help her get the land she and Pa had dreamed about.
Elsie
scooted her hat up and swiped at the sweat on her forehead before dropping it
back into place, scrunching the thick braid she’d pinned up three days prior.
Hefting her saddlebags to her opposite shoulder, she hiked the short distance
to the livery and retrieved Buster. A short ride would clear her head and
prepare her for what lay ahead.
Dust
swirled and nearly choked Elsie as she rode in the opposite direction of the
throngs, to see the old farm one last time.
Acrid
smoke filled her lungs. Nearby fires, to deter Sooners from entering the strip
before the race began, burned in the west, but not out of control.
Elsie
urged Buster, careful not to tire him. Everything hinged on finding the land
tomorrow.
Everything.
At the beginning
of each chapter I created advice from a Mrs. Wigglesworth. Of course, most of
my characters do the complete opposite. :) Because I’ve had such positive
feedback in regard to these sayings, I created an ebook of her quips. I’ll be
giving away a copy of it as well as an ecopy of To Claim Her Heart, so be sure to leave a comment.
period makes sense for your story? Do you come up with the plot first or the era, or something else? Do you have a favorite time period? 
