Reunion and Research Trip

I’m back in CA for a short trip to attend a reunion, and thought I’d do some more research for my next novel while here. Yesterday I spent several hours at San Jose CA’s MLK library in the California Room. I hunted down more information regarding one of the historical characters that will appear in my next novel about the gold rush – Jim Savage. He led the battalion that routed out the Yosemite Indians from Yosemite in 1851. The men in this battalion were the first whites to witness the majesty of what we now call Yosemite National Park.

My young fictional character travels with Jim Savage on a wagon train West in 1846. On this wagon train he also meets 13-year-old Virginia Reed. She and her family broke off from Savage’s group, resulting in her party spending the severe winter in the Sierras. My fictional character later meets up with Virginia again in San Jose, CA. Stay tuned!

Pics of San Jose streets named after Reed family members. In 1849, Reed purchased a square mile of open acreage south and east of  San Jose’s market plaza. Margaret Keyes Reed was Virginia’s mother, wife of James Reed.