Finding the Old West

Oh how we love the Old West. We read about it, study it, pour over it and we still can't get enough. A hundred years ago, the women charged forward and conquered a barren and dry land. They mustered up the courage to carry children, follow husbands, and sometimes make their own way in an uncertain world. Some buried loved ones along the way, and continued on their journey. They cried, laughed and always learned about the tremendous strength they held inside. They were unstoppable.

Today, we have the ability to discover more about the West at our fingertips. The Internet and libraries are saturated with information about the history of the land and the people of days gone by.

There are towns still in existence that carry the feel of the Old West. Cowboys still lasso their horses to the post outside the local watering holes. Buildings are full of tin ceilings and aged newspapers plastered to the walls, flaking from age.

Towns like Miles City, Montana and Mancos, Colorado echo stories of the past while creating new ones every day.

Here are a few sites and places to visit for research and story development:

• www.womenwritingthewest.org (Everyone in the group has so much to offer) Be sure to check out the members page We have a variety of author's sites connecting with the Old West all the way through the present.
  

• 2008 Women Writing the West Conference in October (a place to connect with a variety of people who love and write about the West).

• www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org

• www.photoswest.org