Wednesday in Wyoming -- October 29, 2014

It's autumn in Wyoming, and what better way to celebrate than to share this picture with you?  I found this mural next to the Wyoming Penitentiary in Rawlins and only recently discovered that it's part of a series of murals that the city commissioned.  They even have a booklet outlining a tour.  Next time I'm in Rawlins, I plan to take the tour, so beware -- there will be more mural pictures coming in the future.  In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying all the beauty that fall brings.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- October 22, 2014

Remember the unfinished walls and ceiling that greeted the internees at Heart Mountain?  Here's a representation of what the rooms looked like after they'd been there for a few years.  Most of the furniture was handmade, and as you can see, there are amenities like curtains as well as magazines to read and games to play.  A definite improvement, and yet the residents were still imprisoned behind barbed wire. 

What do you think about the whole internment process?  Should it have happened?  Can you imagine it happening again?

Free Today

Autumn has definitely returned to Cheyenne and probably to the rest of the country.  To celebrate my publisher and I are offering With Autumn's Return as a free download today.  Here are links to the most popular online sites:

Amazon 

B&N 

CBD  

 And, if you haven't read the earlier two, here are links to them.

Amazon

B&N 

CBD 

Amazon 

B&N  

CBD 

Happy reading!
 

Wednesday in Wyoming -- October 15, 2014

Although the government had good intentions, the buildings the internees faced when they arrived at Heart Mountain were a far cry from the homes they'd had on the West Coast, in part because they weren't finished.  As you can see, there's no insulation, not even in the ceiling, and the cracks between the boards allowed snow to blow inside. A single pot-bellied stove provided the only heat for the family that shared one small room. 

Have you lived in conditions like this?  I haven't.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- October 8, 2014

These buildings, styled to resemble the collection of barracks that were part of the original internment camp, are now the home of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center.  In addition to exhibits, some of which you'll see over the next couple weeks, the center features an award-winning film with internees talking about the time they spent in Wyoming.

How would you feel about living here?

Wednesday in Wyoming -- October 1, 2014

It looks beautiful, doesn't it?  But how would this appear to you if you were used to living in a temperate climate like Seattle or Southern California?  Would you appreciate the extremely low humidity, the constant wind, the hot summers (over 100 on some days) and cold winters (minus 40)?  This is Heart Mountain, the site of a Japanese internment camp during World War II, and those are the conditions the thousands of internees faced.

While I understand the reasons the government felt compelled to create these camps, my heart goes out to those who spent years living in one.