Outside my window rain is falling, a typical December day in Oregon. I think of the story in my newest release, The Descendant’s Daughter, in which I relate part of the tale of my great-great grandfather who settled here in 1847. The first winter he spent a miserable existence. Proving up a land claim to […]
Eugene Skinner
A New Book with an Old Story
The release of my newest novel, The Descendant’s Daughter, is now waiting on the horizon. While a contemporary story line carries the book, I get excited thinking about the historical theme that originated from my own personal family history. I consider the opportunity to share a fictional re-creation of my great-great-grandfather’s tale a privilege. I […]
Story Keepers #7– Thanksgiving in the Wilderness
Though Thanksgiving Day wasn’t recognized as a national holiday until 1864 when President Lincoln declared a day of thanks to be held annually the last Thursday of November, thanksgiving observances were known as early as 1620. Fifty Pilgrims who had survived their first winter paused to express thankfulness after their harvest and celebrated a three-day […]
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Story Keeper #3–A Friendly Face
Rain dropped from the heavens like a pitcher pouring water when my great-great-grandfather and his party entered the Willamette Valley on November 3, 1847. Six months on the trail had left him weary and arriving in the midst of fall’s annual deluge didn’t help his spirits. Astride his horse, he followed the river’s edge seeking […]