Mariano’s Woman selected as finalist by Colorado Author’s League Book Award
One of three finalists for the 2020 award for historical fiction.
Envisioning the Future of the Big Thompson River
If you live in Northern Colorado, you no doubt appreciate the beauty, the utility, and occasional destructiveness of the Big Thompson River.
You now have an opportunity to help determine the River’s future.
The Big Thompson Watershed Coalition, which I chaired for two years, is seeking your opinion about possible projects to improve river health. I’m inviting you to fill out an online questionnaire that will guide the coalition in preparing a River Envisioning Plan for the Big Thompson River between the Big Thompson Canyon mouth and the I-25.
The questionnaire features an interactive map that allows you to pinpoint areas along the river or associated water systems where you have project suggestions. For example, I placed a pin on the map where Namaqua Road crosses the river, and suggested the following project:
This newly acquired city-owned property (Parks and Recreation Department) is the site of Mariano Medina’s historic 1858 stage stop and trading post known as Mariano’s Crossing. How about recreating the historic structures (bridge, trading post, barns, tavern, etc.) as a “frontier village” concept, a living history museum like Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia? Might not this become a destination tourism site for Loveland? A site for hosting historical reenactments and other events?
Now you can have a go. Get creative, and add your ideas for the River’s future.
The Coalition is especially interested in projects that benefit multiple stakeholders. For example, an improvement that helps a ditch company rebuild its diversion structure while simultaneously improving trout habitat. Such a project has already been completed in the river reach between Rossom and Wilson Drives using federal flood recovery funds.
Keep in mind that any proposed project must respect riverfront property owners and water rights, and will need widespread community support to attract grant funds.
The Big Thompson River Envisioning Project is similar to other Colorado stream management planning efforts supported by the Colorado Water Plan, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the South Platte Basin Roundtable.
The deadline for filling out the questionnaire is Friday, October 9, so grab a computer and “git ‘er done.” (and by the way, you can fill out the questionnaire twice, once from the point of view you as an individual community member, and again, if you wish, as a representative of your organization’s point of view.)
Thanks!
David Jessup, Sylvan Dale Ranch
Author Anne Hillerman Visits Sylvan Dale
New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman spent two days at Sylvan Dale Ranch during her September 18-19 visit to Colorado as the “Loveland Loves to Read” author of the year.
From left: Peg Isakson, Loveland Loves to Read, David Jessup, Anne Hillerman, Diane Lapierre, Loveland Library Director
Hillerman spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Rialto Theater on Monday night, and to another sold-out lunch at the Ranch on Tuesday. She is the daughter of Tony Hillerman, author of 18 mysteries set on the Navaho reservation in New Mexico. Her first novel, Spider Woman’s Daughter, includes characters Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn that her father created, while moving a female Navaho police officer, Bernadette Manuelito, onto center stage. The book was enthusiastically received by the Loveland Community. It received the prestigious Spur Award from Western Writers of America in 2014.
Anne’s parting comment when leaving Sylvan Dale:
“You guys are such a generous, professional, thoughtful bunch. I didn’t know what to expect at the ranch, and even if I had, you would have exceeded my preconceptions tenfold. It was especially nice to be in a place where we could relax and be taken care of. I have recommended your outfit highly to my brother and sister-in-law and will continue to sing your praises far and wide.”
Mariano’s Choice Reviewed in True West Magazine
The June issue of True West Magazine contains a nice review of Mariano’s Choice, my second historical novel. Here’s a quote:
Is courage
something learned or is it in our DNA? Can we control it? Based on a true story, Mariano’s Choice (Pronghorn Press, $19.95) follows Mariano Medina’s quest for courage and respect—growing from a cowardly teenager to a mountain man who, at long last, learns to stand up for those he loves. Not your stereotypical Western “hero,” Mariano changes with the challenges life throws at him. At first blush it’s hard to like Mariano. But within a matter of pages, he blossoms into someone you truly care about. Set in the mountain West, northern New Mexico and up to Wyoming’s South Pass and Fort Bridger, author David Jessup’s fluid and compelling prose of early 1800s fur trappers pulls the reader into a time and place rarely written about. The attention to detail and obvious research Jessup has done brings an unparalleled richness to the story.
—Melody Groves, author of She Was Sheriff
Saving the Medina Cemetery
Bill Meirath with Mariano Medina’s Hawken Rifle
Where are the bodies buried? That question still haunts the graveyard of Mariano Medina, Loveland, Colorado’s first settler. The cemetery was torn down in January 1960 to make way for development. Thanks to Bill Meirath and others in the Loveland Historical Society, the Medina Cemetery has been restored. But the question lingers: whose remains are still buried there? Read Ken Jessen’s third article in his series about the Medina Cemetery.
Medina Cemetery Mystery
Historian Ken Jessen just wrote two excellent pieces about the history of Mariano Medina’s Cemetery. A third article in the series is on its way. Here is the link to the first article. The second article is here: After the cemetery was destroyed by the county in early 1960, as Jessen notes, “the remains were put in “suitable containers” and transported the short distance to Namaqua Park where they were buried and covered with a single concrete slab combined with an elongated tombstone-like feature. On the slab are the names of those thought to have been removed.”
Mariano Medina
One of the names on the new marker is that if Marcelina (Lena) Medina, Mariano’s young daughter who tragically died shortly after her 15th birthday. Whether her real bones rest there is a mystery. According to one early pioneer recollection, Lena’s body was stolen from their house on the Big Thompson River and spirited off by her mother for a secret burial on a ridge to the west. That incident became the initial scene in my historical novel, Mariano’s Crossing, published by Pronghorn Press in 2012.
My Nov. 17 Book Talk at Loveland Museum
Here’s the Press release that just went out on my upcoming presentation of Mariano’s Choice at the Loveland Museum at 5:30 PM on Thursday, Nov. 17. If you’re in the neighborhood, drop in and say hi! Also, the Loveland Library is having a local author’s day tomorrow, Nov. 12, from 1-4 PM. You’ll see my smiling face there too.
Author David Jessup Blends Colorado History, Fiction in November 17 Talk.
Author David Jessup brings Colorado history to life in his latest novel about Mariano Medina, Loveland’s first settler. His presentation at the Loveland Museum on November 17 features photos of the real characters who lived on the frontier during the lead up to America’s 1846 war with Mexico.
According to New York Times bestselling author Sandra Dallas, the book “adds flesh and blood to the bones of one of the West’s legendary mountain men.”
“Mariano’s Choice is one of those rare, wonderful books that sticks in the mind and heart long after you’ve read the last page,” according to Anne Hillerman, New York Times best-selling author. “Masterfully paced, it offers an intriguing snapshot of the West through the eyes of characters largely ignored by mainstream fiction.”
Mariano Medina is most well-known for having saved a U.S. Army brigade that attempted to cross the Colorado mountains during the Mormon War in 1857. While history does make some account of Medina’s adult life, little is known about the childhood of a man known for his grit, tough nature and courage. That’s where Jessup’s story begins in Mariano’s Choice.
“I mused about his motivations and personality. I felt the urge to fill that information in,” Jessup said. “I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting if he wasn’t always this brave tough guy, but as a youth was cowardly and afraid,” Jessup said. “And how might that transformation have come about?”
In Jessup’s fictional version, young Mariano Medina witnesses a vicious attack on a girl he adores and flees in inexplicable terror. Fifteen years later, as a grown man training horses along the Oregon Trail, he has a chance to redeem himself if he can overcome his cowardly urge to flee. His choice will lead Medina back to the land of his childhood, where he must confront his darkest fears and uncover the hidden source of his panic in the ghostly stare that haunts his dreams.
Jessup’s talk and book reading is scheduled for 5:30 PM on Thursday, November 17th, 2016, at the Loveland Museum, 503 North Lincoln Avenue. There is no charge, and no registration is necessary. Proceeds from book sales will support the Loveland Museum and the Loveland Historical Society, which will also accept donations at the event.
For more information about the book, visit www.davidmjessup.com. The book can be purchased in advance at the Museum and at the event itself, or ordered from local and online book stores.
Images of the book cover and an author bio are attached.
For Further Information, contact:
Author David M. Jessup, davidj@sylvandale.com; 970-481-8342
Jenifer Cousino, Loveland Museum, 970.962.2413 Jennifer.Cousino@cityofloveland.org
Mike Perry, Loveland Historical Society, (970) 667-3104, Mperry1000@aol.com
Colorado Author’s Day Presentation on Nov. 5
Author David Jessup brings Colorado history to life in his latest novel about Mariano Medina, an important Front Range pioneer. His presentation at Colorado Authors’ Day on November 5, sponsored by the Colorado Springs chapter of the American Association of University Women, features photos of the real characters who lived on the frontier during the lead up to America’s 1846 war with Mexico.
According to New York Times bestselling author Sandra Dallas, the book “adds flesh and blood to the bones of one of the West’s legendary mountain men.”
“Mariano’s Choice is one of those rare, wonderful books that sticks in the mind and heart long after you’ve read the last page,” according to Anne Hillerman, New York Times best-selling author. “Masterfully paced, it offers an intriguing snapshot of the West through the eyes of characters largely ignored by mainstream fiction.”
Mariano Medina is most well-known for having saved a U.S. Army brigade that attempted to cross the Colorado mountains during the Mormon War in 1857. While history does make some account of Medina’s adult life, little is known about the childhood of a man known for his grit, tough nature and courage. That’s where Jessup’s story begins in Mariano’s Choice.
“I mused about his motivations and personality. I felt the urge to fill that information in,” Jessup said. “I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting if he wasn’t always this brave tough guy, but as a youth was cowardly and afraid,” Jessup said. “And how might that transformation have come about?”
In Jessup’s fictional version, young Mariano Medina witnesses a vicious attack on a girl he adores and flees in inexplicable terror. Fifteen years later, as a grown man training horses along the Oregon Trail, he has a chance to redeem himself if he can overcome his cowardly urge to flee. His choice will lead Medina back to the land of his childhood, where he must confront his darkest fears and uncover the hidden source of his panic in the ghostly stare that haunts his dreams.
Four additional Colorado authors will make presentations starting a 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 5th, 2016, at the Doubletree Inn by Hilton, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mt. Blvd. in Colorado Springs. Tickets are $60, including lunch, and can be obtained at http://coloradosprings-co.aauw.net. The session lasts from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Proceeds from book sales will support AAUW scholarships.
Jessup’s talk and book reading is scheduled for 1:45 PM. For more information about the book, visit www.davidmjessup.com. The book can be purchased in advance at the event, or ordered from local and online book stores.
Author David Jessup Interviewed in Reporter-Herald
Just prior to the successful launch of Mariano’s Choice, my second historical novel, an interview was published in the Loveland Reporter-Herald September 25, 2016. Excerpts below. The original can be viewed here.
‘Mariano’s Choice’ looks at Mariano Medina’s early life
By Michelle Vendegna
David Jessup is following up his first novel, “Mariano’s Crossing,” with a prequel, “Mariano’s Choice.”
…”This (new book) goes back to [Mariano Medina’s] early life starting in Taos, N.M., when he was a 15-year-old boy and proceeding up to when it joins the first book in 1860,” he said of the new book. Jessup writes historical fiction.
Based on historical events, Jessup fills in the blanks with fiction. Most of the characters he features in the story were real people in the real locations.
“As with much of history, we know often what happened but we often don’t know why it happened or what the motivation and personality of the characters were,” he said, “That’s the fun of writing fiction.”
Jessup will be having a book launch at 8 a.m. Oct. 1 at Sylvan Dale Ranch, 2939 N. County Road 31D, Loveland, which he co-owns.
…”I became fascinated with this man and his family for two reasons,” he said.
The first was that Medina became quite successful in a time that many had ill feeling toward Mexicans following the Mexican-American War, Jessup said.
“I always wondered what it would have been like for him and the other European settlers in the valley to have this Mexican fellow be top dog,” he said.
The second reason …There was an oral history that following the death of Medina’s 15-year-old daughter, his wife Takansy (some historians spell her name Tacancy) took the girl’s body up the mountains for a secret burial. It intrigued Jessup that a couple that had been together for 28 years and had their own cemetery would have this conflict.
The new book focuses on how Medina became the man that he was. Jessup said in historical accounts he was described by others as a tough.
“How did he get that way? Was he born tough and resourceful or, in my imagination, I wondered, it would be interesting if he was timid as a young man and cowardly and how might he overcome that cowardice or timidness to become the man he became,” Jessup said.
He wanted to explore Medina’s relationship with Takansy as well.
“Mariano purchased her from her first husband for, what was then, a very high price and so I wondered, wow, he must have felt quite passionately about her,” he said. Medina traded six horses and six blankets in 1844 to Takansy’s husband, a French fur trapper.
“The facts of history raise questions in my mind,” he said.
As Jessup wrote the book he found a central theme emerge.
“You don’t always know the central theme of the book when you start writing it. For me, what became the theme of the book was overcoming fear and cowardice,” he said. How did a young man grow into the fierce mountain man that history knows today.
“To me, it was just a matter of: Was he going to be brave and tough from the get go? That didn’t sound very interesting,” he said.
Jessup said, as the name of the book implies, Medina will face [a] few dilemmas along the way.
The Reporter Herald posts an article on upcoming historical tour
History and fiction combined in tour of Mariano’s Crossing
By Jessica Benes
Reporter-Herald Staff Writer
POSTED: 05/13/2015 03:31:40 PM MDT
Mariano’s Crossing
“Mariano’s Crossing” is available at www.davidmjessup.com/ or on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. His next book, a prequel to this one, is almost reading to be published.
Find out more about the tours at www.heartjcenter.org/marianos-crossing-tour.html.
Standing on the bridge over the Big Thompson river where the road was washed away by flood waters, David Jessup, owner of Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, talks with a man surveying damage Thursday, September 26, 2013 in west Loveland. The guest ranch sustained heavy damage in the Front Range flood. (Lilia Munoz / Loveland Reporter-Herald)
In David Jessup’s story, “Mariano’s Crossing,” he uses history and creative fiction to answer the “why” of many mysteries in Mariano Medina’s life.
Mariano Medina was one of the first settlers in the area before Loveland was Loveland.
History is full of holes. There were rumors that Medina’s wife, Takansy, stole their daughter’s body, who died at 15, and buried it in a secret place. There were rumors that Medina tied his son onto a horse and that his son died that way. There were rumors that Medina shot a man off a ladder while the man was working on his roof.
Jessup, who owns Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch with his sister, Susan Jessup, will host a tour on Sunday of historic sites used in his book.
Visitors will take a walking tour of the main ranch and look at a site of Indian tepee rings and a wall that was part of the original homestead of William Alexander, who settled with his family on the property in 1864. The wall used to be beneath a lodge that was destroyed by the September 2013 Front Range flood.
The tour will also include a drive to the site of the old Weldon School and to the Mariano Medina Cemetery near Namaqua Park. Jessup will also show viewers the location behind the Big Thompson School that he used in his book as the fictional burial site of Lena Medina and John Alexander’s hideout.
“We did a previous tour back in the spring of 2013. There was so much demand for it that we scheduled another in September 2013,” Jessup said. “Then, you know what happened in September 2013.”
The flood that came down the Big Thompson River dug out a big chunk of the Sylvan Dale land and took out several buildings. The ranch is back on its feet but can only serve half the people it used to. The ranch used to have lodging for 60 people for overnight stays and now are at around 30.
Jessup said the tour is available for only 30 people but they are compiling a waiting list for more tours at a time and date to be determined.
“Mariano’s Crossing” is available at http://www.davidmjessup.com/ or on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. His next book, a prequel to this one, is almost reading to be published.
Jessica Benes: 970-669-5050 ext. 530, jbenes@reporter-herald.com, Twitter.com/jessicabenes.