The lure of finding gold in Colorado seemed worth the gamble in 1859, as many men struggled to make ends meet in a down economy. Pulling up stakes and spending six months’ income to purchase a team of oxen, risking disease and possible attacks, was outweighed by the strong pull ...

She was the daughter of a Civil War soldier. She passed away before she was thirty, leaving three little girls to grow to womanhood without her influence.  Among the faded certificates of her birth, marriage, and death, there were no images of the young woman, nothing to show the color ...

The recipient of an invitation to a feast in the 18th century could look forward to several large courses at the banquet table. First would come steaming mushroom broth, then beetroot salad, and baked pudding. Next would come rich meats that included boiled rabbit, as well as chicken and stewed ...

I remember May Basket Day on the first of May when I was a small child. My mother would help me make cone-shaped paper baskets, then we’d pick Lilly of the Valley and violets from the abundant supply in our yard and fill the little paper holders with fragrant blooms. ...

Jigsaw puzzles had their beginnings in 18th century Europe as pieces of wooden maps made by mapmakers of the time. But by 1900, American adults were big fans of the puzzle as a relaxing pastime, although the cost of about $5 per puzzle was steep at a time when the ...