writing
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If there’s ever an “1849 slang of the American West” Jeopardy category, I’ll go see that elephant. I’ll wake snakes! It’ll be some pumpkins!
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Chemistry on the Oregon Trail? Those flaky biscuits were made possible by … saleratus. They still are. We just don’t call it that anymore.
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I suspect other people don’t take trip pics like I do. Oh sure, I’ve got grand vistas and gorgeous landmarks in my photo library. But anyone browsing images from my recent Oregon Trail research trip to Nebraska may wonder if I understand anything about how to frame a photograph. Yes, I’ve got some people pictures…
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Here on the West Coast, the word “shipwreck” conjures visions of the square-riggers, schooners and clippers that foundered on the Pacific coast in the pre-lighthouse days. And the Titanic, of course. Can’t forget that one. But back in 1856, the Missouri River was a treacherous place for steamboats. Snags — downed trees and tangled branches…
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Spray paint tags on urban walls. Inky scrawlings in restroom stalls. You thought those were modern problems? Oh, no, no, no. The Oregon Trail is covered in graffiti. Those pioneers etched their names and initials on anything that didn’t move. How do you think Wyoming’s Names Hill and Register Cliff got their names? You can still…
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Do time travelers suffer jet lag? I’ve spent entirely too much time in the 19th century lately, plunging down research rabbit holes and popping back up all dazed and desynchronized. I’ve never been much of a souvenir collector, but I don’t know what else to call the bits and bobs banging around my brain after…
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I’m deep into old words these days — Gold Rush and Victorian-era slang, 19th century dictionaries and troves of etymology treasure. I lost an entire afternoon to Merriam-Webster’s fantastic Time Traveler the other day. It sorts words by the first year they were used in print, whether it’s 1613 (alimony, dungaree) or 2025 (vibe coding).…
Jackie Burrell, Writer 