Melinda and the Wild West

by Linda Weaver Clarke

  Mark’s skunk oil experience was taken from my father, Marcus Gilbert Weaver. He had taken the skunk oil to school with him in the early 1920s. The school had to be abandoned for the day until it was aired out and he received no punishment afterwards. He said the children considered him a hero for getting them out of school.

  The bank robbery incident by Butch Cassidy was a true experience that occurred in Montpelier, Idaho, in 1896, and is told by local Bear Lake Historian Pat Wilde in his book Treasured Tidbits of Time. I used every detail of the robbery in my novel. Butch Cassidy referred to himself as the “Robin Hood of the West.” He believed this and actually wrote, “The best way to hurt them is through their pocket book. They will holler louder than if you cut off both legs. I steal their money just to hear them holler. Then I pass it out among those who really need it.” (Taken from History of Butch Cassidy, LeRoy Parker, from www.Utah.com.) Every year, Montpelier puts on a reenactment of the robbery for the public.

  The Ice Palace was real and it was just as I described. People from all over the country traveled to the Ice Palace to see this magnificent sight. It melted in March of 1896.

  There are several springs that come out of the Rocky Mountains in Cache Valley. When I was young, my father would take us to the Willow Flat Springs, not too far from Bear Lake Valley, and he would call it “The Source of the Nile.” He made sure we took cups with us so we could drink from the pure spring water that poured out of the mountain and I remember how delicious it was. When I took my sixteen-year-old daughter, Diana, to this source, there was a nest of white butterflies near the opening where the water was pouring out. When we sat down on a rock to watch them, she extended her finger and one butterfly after another alighted on her finger. She was so delighted and it was an experience that we never forgot.

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  This novel is one of five, A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho: Melinda and the Wild West – a semi-finalist for the Reviewers Choice Award, Edith and the Mysterious Stranger, Jenny’s Dream, Sarah’s Special Gift, and Elena, Woman of Courage. Each story in this family saga has adventure, romance, and courage. Intertwining fact and fiction, these novels have a blend of intriguing characters and true experiences.

  ABOUT AUTHOR

  Linda Weaver Clarke travels throughout the United States, teaching a “Family Legacy Workshop,” encouraging others to write their family history and autobiography. She is the mother of six daughters and has several grandchildren.

  Clarke is the author of the historical sweet romance series, “A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho,” which includes the following novels: Melinda and the Wild West (2006) - an awarding winning novel, Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (2008), Jenny’s Dream (2009), Sarah’s Special Gift (2009), and Elena, Woman of Courage (2009). The Adventures of John and Julia Evans includes Anasazi Intrigue (2010), Mayan Intrigue (2010), Montezuma Intrigue (2011), and Desert Intrigue (2012). She has also written two non-fiction e-books: Writing Your Family Legacy (2011) and Reflections of the Heart (2011).

  To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.