The Longest Graveyard Came to Pass

 July 11, 2022

   Scrambling to finish the September issue. Goes to press tomorrow. Arguing over pesky details, like, "he won the Medal of Honor," vs. "he received the Medal of Honor." A good catch by our contributing editor, Lynda Sanchez: "They refer to medal of honor folks as recipients, not winners. It is a common thing that people say all the time but it irritates our veterans." Okay, got it. Changed. Thanks Lynda!

Parting The Clouds

   Need to work smart. Starting to feel the heat. Here is my art hitlist for the homestretch on the book.

Worklist for Real Women of The Wild West

• Better Sacagawea

• Longest Graveyard

• Pike's Peak Mamacita

• Ma'am Jones of The Pecos

• The Great Western

• Sharlot & Grover

   And, here's my first pass at one of them.

Daily Scraatchboard Whip Out:

"The Longest Graveyard"

Death On The Trail

The Oregon Trail has been called the world's longest graveyard. The pioneer immigrants lost their lives to influenza, cholera, severe dysentery, or accidents. They were crushed by wagon wheels, stepped on by oxen or killed when a simple cut turned into a gangrenous infection.

"Passed 7 new-made graves, One had 4 bodies in it—cholera. . . .Another man died. Passed 6 new graves. We have passed 21 new-made graves. . .Made 18 miles. Passed 13 graves today."

—Cecelia Adams, in her 1852 diary