Old West Mason Jars

Old West Mason Jars

“Mason Jars” (glass bottles for home food preservation) were invented and patented in the United Sates in the Victorian Era. Industrious homemakers grew large gardens, tended fruit trees, and bottled everything from jams and jellies to grape juice, apple sauce to soups, tomatoes to green beans. How did women accomplish this work?

Telephones for Sale by Sears Roebuck

Telephones for Sale by Sears Roebuck

Along with just about anything a late 19th century household could desire to obtain, Sears, Roebuck & Co. offered telephones for sale. Sears offered the newest telephone technology…until the turn of the century. The 1902 catalog is devoid of telephones. Any idea why?

Shave Ice & Milk Shakes–in the Old West?

Shave Ice & Milk Shakes–in the Old West?

Milk Shakes, a frothy, cold beverage was all the rage in the late 19th century (though made without ice cream until the 20th century). Machines shook the beverage until the milk-fat whipped and the flavorings mixed in. Ice cream sodas and shave ice (first snow cones, sold as “snow balls”) became popular, too. Victorians, even in the Old West, enjoyed icy treats and drinks in the heat of the summer.

Silver City, Idaho’s Ghost Town Cemetery

Silver City, Idaho’s Ghost Town Cemetery

Historic Silver City, Idaho, was once a bustling boom town with 2500 residents. The conjoined cemeteries tell many tales of the families who lived there. Many of the headstones (and footstones) are very legible and show a slice of Victorian American West life. I share images taken on a sunny day in June and provide the inscriptions from many of the markers. Come, walk through this historic cemetery with me and learn a little about the families who lived. #JacquieRogersAdo16

Silver City, Idaho’s Historic Church 1898

Silver City, Idaho’s Historic Church 1898

While visiting historic Silver City, Idaho in June of 2016 with Jacquie Rogers’s Much Ado About Silver City (#JacquieRogersAdo16), we had the privilege of touring the inside of the 120+ year-old church: Our Lady of Tears Catholic Church. This article shares a bit of the history, images taken inside the church, and links to the church’s site with much information, including summer schedule when mass is celebrated.