Chris Enss

Deacon Joe Sleet’s correspondence with widow Nellie Wallace was full of promise for the future.  When they began writing one another in late 1925, Mrs. Wallace had hoped to find a man who would love and care for her as her deceased husband once had.  When she placed an ad in the “Get Acquainted” section...

Among the top stories that made the front page of the June 21, 1873, edition of the Denton Journal in Denton, Maryland, were two articles about the Matrimonial News publication.  The unique periodical was so widely read some editors felt it necessary to report on its popularity.  Under the headline “Marriage by Advertisement,” journalists noted...

Roadside flyers posted around major cities from Amarillo, Texas, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1929 invited rodeo fans to come and see trick roper and bronc rider Bea Kirnan and “gasp with amazement and wonder at her daredevil talent.”  Audiences were promised to be “thrilled and mesmerized” by Bea’s work in the saddle. Born on October...

“Wanted:  A nice, plump, healthy, good natured, good looking domestic and affectionate lady to correspond.  Object – matrimony.  She must be between 22 and 35 years of age.  She must be a believer in God and immortality, but no sectarian.  She must not be a gad-about or given to scandal but must be one who...

True story in 1974 in Chardon, Ohio, the wood and metal roof of an indoor riding arena collapsed on Betty Weibel. It was weighed down with heavy snow when it collapsed on horse trainer. The accident left Debbie a paraplegic and derailed her plans of working on a ranch and giving riding lessons.  The road...

A lively, petite woman with dark hair and dark eyes coaxed a pair of blonde mares pulling a well-used buggy toward a train depot in Taylorsville, Texas.  When the vehicle reached the building, she tugged on the reins, and the horses came to a quick stop.  Nine curious men waiting on the platform and carefully...

Award winning author Irene Bennett Brown is a superb writer who continually produces work that is both engaging and wholesome.  Her latest historical novel entitled Tangled Times is a delight and will have readers rooting for the ambitious young couple at the center of the tale. In 1901, Kansas newlyweds Jocelyn and Pete Pladson are...

From the first pages of the introduction to the “matchup” suggestions made after each recipe, it’s obvious that author and grilling and barbeque expert Elizabeth Karmel is passionate about savory meats and luscious desserts.  Steak and Cake is a delicious collection of crowd-pleasing recipes.  Nothing is more comforting than a juicy steak with all the...

Ella Lazinka was an eastern Oregon cowgirl who won the world championship cowgirl relay race at the Pendleton Round-Up in 1912.  The following year she returned to defend her crown. The cowgirls’ relay race was run over a three-day period, two miles each day, with the rider changing horses every half-mile, mounting, dismounting, unsaddling, and...