Go West, Young Woman

Ever since I was a child I knew that I was born 100 years too late.  Over half a century later it is more like 150 years.  There is just something about the simplicity of life, the challenge of making do with what you have, the creativity needed to invent new ways of doing things and travel by train and horse that have always appealed to me.  My mantra was “Go West, young woman,” and go West I did, although not as I envisioned. 

As a teenager I married the farmer of my dreams and shortly thereafter we moved from Upstate New York to Oklahoma to go to school.  Here we stayed, one state away from the Rocky Mountains that I had dreamed about as a girl.  The land of cowboys, Indians, lawmen, outlaws, and land runs, Oklahoma had it all. 

Oklahoma had one other thing, too…Civil War Battlefields.  Who would have thought that the Civil War would have been as far reaching as Indian Territory?  But it was.  And in a roundabout way I was introduced to Civil War reenacting.  I hung around at several reenactments before jumping in with both feet.  I wanted the full experience of living the life of a nineteenth century woman.  Now it defines my life.  By trade I am an accountant; but a Civil War reenactor is who I am.  I have more 19^th century dresses than I have modern ones.  My library is painted blue and grey and a mural of the Federal and Confederate flags is painted on one wall.  I sew on a treadle sewing machine.  My home, my life, and my business revolve around a time far removed from the modern world.

Here  you will find the musings of a 19^th century woman or a 21^st century misfit, take your pick.  I will ruminate about 19^th century topics and convey a sense of what it is like “living in another time”.  This is the next best thing to time travel.  Come join me for a journey back in time.

----Kim, aka Abigail----