Montana has never been an easy place to live. Even when bedeviled by tribulations and forced to make dangerous decisions, though, people survived with perseverance and hard work sustained by courage, faith, and hope.
The Vigilante Series is notable in historical fiction for one main reason: Trust. You can trust the history. Events in the book occurred as I discovered them in the sources. The sources I trust most are “primary” sources – people who were there when the Vigilantes acted. Their descendants have trusted me with their ancestors’ recollections as written in family histories, and in stories handed down through the generations. I have also searched – and still search – for contemporary journals and letters that talk about the Vigilantes, some from the Vigilantes themselves.
At this writing, I’ve collected notes on roughly 2700 books, journals, diaries and letters in files going back to 1997 when I began searching for the answer: Were the Vigilantes the good guys or the bad guys? (You can answer that question for yourself.) In the historical events, I’ve placed fictional characters, Dan Stark and his family, and others. I don’t believe in putting my ideas in the minds of people who actually lived in the Montana gold rush days. Or putting my words in their mouths. If the historical characters talk, I use what they might have said in real life. If you have questions, contact me via the “Contact Carol” page.
Happy reading. You can trust my books.