The story of the wild stallion, an enormous Flemish draft horse, is true. Legend says that it was bound for Penn’s stables but escaped on the docks of Philadelphia. It was thought to have sired the breed that pulled the mighty Conestoga wagons. Each horse wore a set of bells hanging from an arch that was attached to its collar. These bells announced to people (and cattle) that the wagon was coming, so get out of the way. The expression “I’ll be there with bells on” originated from the Conestoga wagon team.
Sadly, the Conestoga horse breed is now extinct.
Now here’s some fun pieces of historical trivia to end on:
The men who drove Conestoga wagons were called teamsters because they drove teams of horses. Today most truck drivers belong to the Teamsters Union, a union formed when men drove teams rather than trucks.
Those teamsters, robust and rugged men, smoked four-for-a-cent cigars. They were first known as Conestogas but soon shortened to stogies.
Acknowledgments
A big thank-you goes to my trusted first-draft readers, Lindsey and Tad, who gave up movies on a long plane ride to read the manuscript of The Return, start to finish, in its messy, still-a-work-in-progress state. Lindsey—you had the idea of Betsy’s facial scar, a visible sign of what she had endured as a captive. Tad—a comment you made inspired the use of the Conestoga wagon to transport bodies of the massacred Indians to a burial site. Your suggestions and insights made this a much better book. So much better.
A big thumbs-up to my family, for encouragement and tolerance and “space” while I dove into the eighteenth century. I suspect it’s a tiny bit challenging to live with someone whom you can’t ask a simple question without her responding, “Not now! There’s an Indian attack going on in my head!”
My gratitude goes out to Joyce Hart, my faithful and oh-so-supportive agent, head of The Hartline Literary Agency.
Heartfelt thanks to my wonderful editors, Andrea Doering and Barb Barnes, and the entire marketing, publicity, sales, art, and editorial team of Revell. All of them, from start to finish, go above and beyond to connect books to readers. Michele, Karen, Cheryl, Jennifer, on and on. So many eyes, hands . . . and hearts are part of this work, and I am so very grateful to each one of you.
To my readers near and far who have enriched my life in countless ways through encouraging emails, letters, gifts, and prayers. You are the reason I write. You bless my life!
There’s a Post-it note stuck on my computer: “Draw near to the Divine Artist.” That is my prayer, every day, as I sit down to work. I like it for two reasons: First, it reminds me to look to God for inspiration and imagination. Second, with each book I write, my hope is that readers will get to the last page with a longing to draw closer to the Divine Artist.
References
Ammon, Richard. Conestoga Wagon. New York: Holiday House, 2000.
Eshleman, H. Frank. Lancaster County Indians: Annals of the Susquehannocks and other Indian Tribes of the Susquehanna Territory from about the Year 1500 to 1763, the Date of their Extinction. (Copyrighted by H. Frank Eshleman, Lancaster County: 1909.)
Fisher, Leonard Everett. The Oregon Trail. New York: Holiday House, 1990.
“General History of Lancaster,” PA-Roots.com, http://www.pa-roots.com/lancaster/books/lancasteranditspeople/chapter1.html.
Grove, Myrna. The Path to America: From Switzerland to Lancaster County. Morgantown, PA: Masthof Press, 2009.
Kenny, Kevin. Peaceable Kingdom Lost: The Paxton Boys and the Destruction of William Penn’s Holy Experiment. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Seaver, James E. A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.
Silver, Peter. Our Savage Neighbors: How Indian War Transformed Early America. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc, 2008.
Tunis, Edwin. Colonial Craftsmen and the Beginnings of American Industry. Cleveland, OH: World Publishing Company, 1965.
Tunis, Edwin. Frontier Living. Toronto, Canada: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, 1961.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Letters, The Calling, the LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS series, and the STONEY RIDGE SEASONS series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of an Amish children’s series, THE ADVENTURES OF LILY LAPP. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner for The Search, a Carol Award finalist for The Choice, and a Christy Award finalist for The Waiting. She is also a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.
Books by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World
Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life
Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life
A Lancaster County Christmas
Christmas at Rose Hill Farm
The Heart of the Amish
LANCASTER COUNTY SECRETS
The Choice
The Waiting
The Search
SEASONS OF STONEY RIDGE
The Keeper
The Haven
The Lesson
THE INN AT EAGLE HILL
The Letters
The Calling
The Revealing
THE BISHOP’S FAMILY
The Imposter
The Quieting
The Devoted
AMISH BEGINNINGS
Anna’s Crossing
The Newcomer
The Return
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