A Collection of Historical Tidbits
Research is a huge part of writing any novel, but it plays an especially key role when it comes to historical fiction. Historical details are the building blocks that shape the story world for readers. They can help shape the plot and give extra dimension to the characters. They bring the setting to life and even offer wow moments when something particularly unique is revealed.
My latest project, In Her Sights, is the first book in a multi-author series that spans approximately 130 years, from 1893 to modern times. Since my novella provides the origin story of the pistol that passes from woman-to-woman through the rest of the series, it fell to me to set the details in place so that others could easily follow.
First, we needed a pistol.
When deciding on the gun we would model our pistol after, I turned to my handy-dandy 1895 Montgomery Ward catalog. I use this resource constantly when writing my historical fiction. It’s a great resource for everyday items and prices.
The base model of our pink pistol is a Smith & Wesson .32 caliber double action revolver. Since this was available with a pearl stock, we knew our gunsmith could customize it with a special mother-of-pearl pink handle.
You’ll note that this is a 5-shot weapon, not the usual six shooter. This ends up playing a key role in my story.
Next, we needed a gun case.
I found some antique gun cases online to model ours after then added a pocket to the lid lining for story purposes. The box is made of mahogany with brass hinges and a mother-of-pearl decorative inlay. The inside is lined with green velvet and has room for ammunition and cleaning implements.
This case is sure to get worn and banged up as it travels through time, but this is where it started.
Finally, I needed to select a time period that would allow our gunmaker to gift the pink pistol to Annie Oakley while still allowing my heroine to take lessons from the famed markswoman afterward.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show toured Europe for quite some time in the late 1800’s, yet one particular US engagement lasted seven months and would have given our gunmaker ample time to finish his work and approach Annie.
After a successful European tour, Buffalo Bill brought his group home to the states and learned of the World’s Fair coming to Chicago to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of the Americas. Ever on the lookout for a way to get his show in front of a crowd, he sent his business manager to petition for a place at the fair. The committee agreed to let him participate for the price of 50% of all proceeds – not profits, but proceeds.
Buffalo Bill refused the steep tariff and outsmarted the fair committee by purchasing land adjoining the fairgrounds. He built a grandstand that would seat 18,000 spectators and opened his show 4 weeks before the grand opening of the World’s Fair and closing one day after the end of the fair’s run. In the end, he cleared about $1 million in profit and didn’t pay a cent to the fair committee.
Annie Oakley performed with the show in Chicago, and the day after closing night is when she receives a visitor with a special, pink-handled pistol in the opening scene of In Her Sights.
As a side note, I learned that Buffalo Bill Cody used the profits from this stint in Chicago to establish his namesake town in Wyoming. I’m going to be traveling to Deadwood, SD this summer for a book event called Wild Deadwood Reads, and one of the places I am planning to visit along the way is Cody, WY. Can’t wait!
What do you love most about the historical research that goes into your favorite historical novels?
The story world it creates?
The chance to learn something new?
Getting to meet real historical figures?
Other ________?
