CK Van Dam's Blog

At the recent  SD Festival of Books event, I had an interesting conversation with fellow author and presenter Lawrence Diggs. Of course, all conversations with Diggs are interesting. We spoke about the importance of mentoring the next wave of professionals.

“Mentors provide encouragement and courage,” Diggs said.

It started me thinking about the mentors in my life. I’ve written about my roots in broadcasting at KELO TV, where I wrote and produced commercials and videos. While several people at KELO helped shape my career, I look to a friend and mentor from another television station who truly impacted my profession. Sheryl was the station’s most successful advertising sales person. She provided her clients with an amazing level of service, helping them be successful. Sheryl was known to provide advertising schedules for her clients to run on competing stations. Her clients trusted her to help them succeed. And she delivered. Sheryl taught me that client service is more than making a sale.

Later, when I worked at an advertising agency, a mentor taught me another valuable lesson. He’d say, “TTK.”  That meant “tend to knitting” – to focus on what you do best. It didn’t mean NOT learning new skills, but in an industry where everyone promised everything, TTK meant we should deliver on the promises we made to clients. “Under promise and over deliver” was his mantra.

When I became a “boss” at the advertising agency my partner and I founded, I discovered I was now the mentor for a new generation of young professionals. At my retirement party, several of these young women said the lesson they recalled the most was when they would come to me with a problem or mistake. My response was always the same. I would listen and then say, “Now, what will you do to fix this issue?” They said it gave them the courage and encouragement to tackle problems.

To all the mentors out there, keep up the good work. You’re making a path for the next generation of writers, teachers, engineers, healthcare workers and more.  

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Warning: Old-school references ahead.

In the middle of the last century, my mother insisted that I take the secretarial classes offered at my public high school, which included typing and shorthand. Mom said, “You’ll always be employable if you can type and take shorthand.” The ability to type served me well. But shorthand? Well, Mom didn’t foresee that transcription apps would fill that void. But I digress.

So, Grandpa Olaf’s Royal typewriter went to college with me. The Royal was the perfect size for a college student: a portable, manual typewriter in its own carrying case. I used it during the entire four years at South Dakota State University – both for my Journalism classes and my History classes.

In addition to being one of the few students in my Newswriting & Reporting class who could compose as I typed (what a time-saver!), I was able to make a little money by typing term papers for other students who couldn’t type or who didn’t have access to a typewriter. That was in a time when college students were required to submit physical copies of reports, term papers, and other academic documents.

The Royal is now a fond reminder of my grandfather and my mother. My “word processor” of choice today is a MacBook Air. It has served me well as I write my historical fiction books, but I doubt I’ll proudly display it on a shelf like I do Grandpa’s Royal.

PS: Does anyone know where I can get a new, inked ribbon for the Royal?

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As I’ve said and written before – research is what writers do to postpone writing. But it’s also one of the fun parts of the job.

Last week I had the pleasure to spend the afternoon in my local public library conducting research for a new book. It felt familiar to be sitting at a library desk, surrounded by books. But research has changed since I sat in those library carrels at college.

Like everything else, our public libraries have embraced technology.

I was able to access research papers from a university in another state through my library’s Inter Library Loan program. The papers were delivered directly into my email account.I was able find and check out books through WorldCat, short for World Catalog. WorldCat is the world’s largest library catalog with books, magazines, research papers and more.I was able to search for and find newspaper articles that appeared in my hometown newspaper 140 years ago just be typing a pertinent keyword into the library’s digitized archives. Gone are the days of microfiche – although I’m told that’s still an option for future research sessions.

But best of all, I was able to work with librarians! Librarians who specialize in research or digital archives are founts of knowledge. I’ve yet to stump any of them with a question. And they want to share that knowledge – I now can do some of that research at home or anywhere.

But I think I’ll be back in the library again soon.

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Being an author isn’t all research, writing, and editing.

The cliche of the hardworking author alone at a typewriter or keyboard is a myth. Once the book is written, the next step is to promote the book at author signings and book fairs. And it’s been a busy summer for my “On the Dakota Frontier” series – with more events to come this fall.

In June, I spoke to residents at the Touchmark at All Saints about my path to publishing. The next day, I was in Presho, SD, giving my SD Humanities Council talk, “Women Tamed the Frontier.” Then it was on to Wild Deadwood Reads in the iconic western town of Deadwood, SD. (Author’s note: Wild Deadwood Reads is among the best-organized author events I’ve had the pleasure to attend. If you’re in the Black Hills next June, put WDR on your “to-do” list.)

In July, I was invited to the Hallinglag of America annual convention to speak to emigrant descendants from the Halling Valley in Norway. It was fun hearing their stories about grandparents and great-grandparents who settled in the Midwest.

Summer is also a time when small towns celebrate their history. I just returned from Fur Traders Days in Geddes, SD, where Geddes’ residents recognize the role that fur trappers and traders played in the town’s past. There was a parade, a vendor fair, and (drum roll) root beer floats!

September will be busy:

I’ll be speaking at the Dell Rapids, SD, Museum about South Dakota’s women homesteaders.

On September 24, I’ll be presenting at Prairie West Library, a branch of the Siouxland Libraries.

And then I’ll head west to Spearfish, SD, for the annual SD Festival of Books, September 26-27, hosted by the SD Humanities Council.

I hope your summer has been full of fun events and some good books!

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The arts and humanities have been hit hard by the current political climate. Funding cuts and staff reductions have impacted many programs, including the South Dakota Humanities Council’s “Speakers Bureau.”

My topic, “Women Tamed the Frontier,” told stories of how women homesteaders changed the culture and the communities on the frontier. Starting with the Homestead Act of 1862, women were finally able to own land – if they were not married. The ability to own land drew women to the “wild and woolly frontier,” as one homesteading woman wrote to her friends back east. And, even when women didn’t own the claim, they were changing the culture in this new world.

In my talk, I discussed the ways in which women tamed the frontier: by establishing churches and schools, running shops, owning businesses, and eventually gaining the vote. Western territories and states led the way in the fight for women’s suffrage.

I’m very disappointed that the SD Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau was one of the programs sacrificed. I enjoyed telling stories about women of the 1800s and early 1900s. They were trailblazers, and we stand on their shoulders today.

Although the Speakers Bureau has been discontinued, I remain available to speak with your group or organization. And I’ll donate a portion of the speaking fee to the SD Humanities Council. Contact me at ckayvandam@gmail.com

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Each chapter of Iron Horse Claim ends with an 1870s newspaper article that is relevant to events unfolding in the story. Except for stories “published” by the Dakota Dispatch (the newspaper I created for my imaginary town of Shady Bluffs), these articles were found in the Library of Congress Newspaper Collections – actual, digitized pages from newspapers.

These 1870s newspaper articles, public notices, and advertisements were like pieces from time capsules that gave a glimpse into how people lived during those times. From political reporting about railroad corruption to “slice of life” snippets of local gossip, newspapers performed a vital function in the 1800s.

One of the most important functions of frontier newspapers was to publish records of land claims. When a homesteader had proved her (or his) claim, the local newspaper would publish a notice to this effect – the legal notices of the day.

Before becoming an accomplished novelist, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) paid his dues as a reporter and editor for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada Territory. He described the function of frontier newspapers this way:

“Our duty is to keep the universe thoroughly posted concerning murders and street fights, and balls, and theaters, and pack-trains, and churches, and lectures, and school-houses, and city military affairs, and high way robberies, and Bible societies, and haywagons, and a thousand other things which it is in the province of local reporters to keep track of and magnify into undue importance for the instruction of the readers of this great daily newspaper.”

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Earlier this year, I was invited to speak to a book club comprised of retired teachers. One of the members asked if my books were available on audio because she had lost her sight and relied on audiobooks.

I’ve considered producing audiobooks, but the cost of creating high-quality audiobooks is a significant investment for independent authors. That teacher’s comment, however, convinced me I needed to take the leap.

After researching several audiobook production companies, I selected a group that understood my vision for these books. The first book, Proving Her Claim, is now available on multiple platforms, including Audible, Chirp and Libro.FM. And I must say that Two Hawks’ Scottish accent is delightful. It’s no small feat for a narrator to create a Scottish burr for a Lakota man.

The audiobooks also will be available on my website, on Amazon and other a number of other audiobook platforms.

Two additional books, Lone Tree Claim and Medicine Creek Claim, will follow later this year.

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My historical fiction series, On the Dakota Frontier, tells the stories of women homesteaders who stake claims in Dakota Territory in the 1800s. And, while the stories are based on considerable research, they’re still fiction. Earlier this year, I was contacted regarding writing a nonfiction book about the real women homesteaders who came to South Dakota.

That’s my next project.

It’s an exciting opportunity, and I’ve already begun the initial research for this nonfiction book. But before I start writing about these women, I need to find historical accounts. I’m looking for family histories, memoirs, diaries, and newspaper and magazine articles. That means time spent in museum and historical society archives. But best of all, I’ll be talking to the descendants of these brave women who came to South Dakota.

At a recent South Dakota Humanities Council talk about women homesteaders, one of the audience members (who is new to South Dakota) said, she was struck by the determination and amazing work ethic of the women in this state. As a lifelong South Dakotan, I was surprised at this observation. (Perhaps we’re too close to see it, or we simply take hard work for granted.) But it makes me want to bring these stories to life even more!

I look forward to learning more about these matriarchs who helped build South Dakota. If you have a family member or neighbor who homesteaded in South Dakota, please share her information with me.

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Some industries just have more colorful slang than others — as I learned when researching background information for Iron Horse Claim.

Early railroading was a good example of unique jargon. Some railroad slang made it into the common lexicon, such as caboose, graveyard, pencil pusher, and riprap, while other railroad slang was strictly confined to the industry.

Iron horse, as anyone who has watched their share of Western movies knows, refers to the locomotives that crisscrossed the nation.

Ashcat referred to the locomotive firemen who stocked the firebox.

Gunter’s chain was an archaic term I wasn’t familiar with. In researching railroading in the 1800s, I learned about Gunter’s chains, which surveyors used to measure distances. The chain consisted of 100 links, each link being 0.66 ft or 7.92 inches for a total length of 66 feet. Surveyors stopped using Gunter’s chains sometime in the 1880s.

Gandy dancer is one of my all-time favorite words. My father was a gandy dancer.

Men who laid track were called gandy dancers. Gandy referred to the tamping bars made by Gandy Manufacturing Company of Chicago. “Dancer” referred to the rhythmic cadence the laborers used to tamp down the ties. 

I relied on Workin’ on the Railroad by Richard Reinhardt for background information about day-to-day life on the railroad. The book includes first-hand accounts of engineers, brakemen, section men, surveyors, and other railroad workers. Their stories were interesting and informative.

And, one couldn’t write about the railroads in the 1870s and 1880s without mentioning Jay Cooke and the Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872 – along with the many other instances of fraud and grift of that era. Jay Cooke’s Gamble provided solid background.

As one of the characters in Iron Horse Claim said, “The railroads played a major role in the Union’s success” and continued to help the nation grow, connecting East to West with the transcontinental railroad.

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There are two themes running through Iron Horse Claim: railroads and windmills. Both of these innovations transformed the nation, particularly the West.

Windmills had been around for centuries, but the ability to manufacture and mass-produce windmills didn’t occur until the mid-1800s. In 1854, Daniel Halladay designed the first self-regulating model. Other inventors followed, such as Leonard Wheeler. The Eclipse windmill, designed by Wheeler, featured a mechanism pointing the windmill at the optimum angle for wind speed and direction.

The Eclipse revolutionized farming and ranching in the West by providing technology that supplied water to farmers and ranchers in the arid lands west of the Mississippi. Homesteaders were no longer dependent on timely rainfall to water crops and cattle. The windmills pumped water into stock tanks, allowing farmers and ranchers to control when and where the water was used.

Railroad companies also constructed windmills and water tanks to fuel the steam locomotives that were crisscrossing the country. That’s why you’d often see water tanks near old train depots.

In Iron Horse Claim, Lizzy Ward understands the importance of reliable water sources. Even though Medicine Creek borders her farmland, the threat of drought prompts her to be an early adopter of wind technology. These Eclipse windmills were one of the first commercially successful windmills and were sold in kits, making it easy for farmers and ranchers to assemble and erect a “giant on the prairie.” 

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