Solomon Dotson (1894 - 1940) - World War I Veteran

 

Val Digital Art and AI

Although no contemporary record of his birth has been found, Solomon Dotson is believed to have been born on Christmas Day, 1894, in Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas.

As early as August 1916, Dotson was serving as a private in Company H, 365th Infantry, U.S. Army.  The 365th was a racially-segregated, all Negro regiment.  However, it was somewhat unusual in that, unlike most other segregated units, it had African American officers.  Dotson’s commanding officer was Captain William Washington Green.  Green was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star for his heroic actions during World War I.  Therefore, it seems likely that Solomon Dotson too saw combat during the War.

Solomon had several service tours throughout his life.  Promoted to the rank of private first class, Dotson continues to appear on the 365th ‘s roster until January 31, 1919, when he was presumably discharged.

Proud of his World War I service, Dotson was active in veterans’ organizations throughout his later years.   In 1936, he was the finance officer for the William F. Blake American Legion Post #40 (the post appears to have been renamed the Tilden White Post at a later date).   Dotson’s teenaged daughter Lonnie was president of the post’s junior auxiliary.  Dotson also belonged to the Virgil Bell Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1710, which still exists.

1940 was an election year, and Solomon Dotson was active in the ‘Wilkie for President’ club.  However, he didn’t live to see the outcome of the election as he died on October 15th of a cerebral hemorrhage associated with hypertension.  His funeral took place at the Calvary Baptist Church, after which he was laid to rest in the Maricopa County Cemetery (now Cementerio Lindo).

-story shortened, story by Donna Carr

Unusual Restaurants

 

Moshulu 1904 - Now a Floating Restaurant

Library of Congress

The 1800s were a period of great innovation and diversity in the culinary world, giving rise to several unusual restaurants that captured the imagination of diners of the time. Here are a few notable examples:

Automat Restaurants: While the first true automat, Horn & Hardart, opened in Philadelphia in 1902, the concept of automated dining began to take shape in the late 1800s. These establishments featured coin-operated machines where customers could retrieve pre-prepared meals without the need for waitstaff, a novelty that fascinated the public.

Theme Restaurants: The 1800s saw the emergence of theme restaurants, such as the Egyptian-themed Café des Aveugles in Paris, a cabaret where blind musicians performed. These thematic dining spaces offered patrons not just a meal but an immersive experience, blending cuisine with entertainment and exotic or historical atmospheres.

Floating Restaurants: With the expansion of empires and the increased movement of goods and people, floating restaurants began to appear in port cities and along major rivers. These establishments offered diners the novelty of eating while gently bobbing on the water, providing a unique dining experience combined with picturesque views.

 

A Menu Inspired by Mary Lee

 

Some dishes to try from our collection of cookbooks from the 1890s.  Click on the menu, complete with recipes, to download.  

Mary Lee (1862 - 1900) - Restaurant Owner (Re-post)

Mary's success was remarkable for her time, as women were not often seen in business roles.

The border vidette. (Nogales, Ariz.), 18 Feb. 1899. 
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Library of Congress

Mary A. Lee was born about 1862, and was a restaurateur in Territorial Phoenix  and Tucson during the late 1890s.  She was a single, African-American woman who was reported in the December 5, 1897 Arizona Daily Star as "...the famous caterer who is known to prepare the finest dinner, breakfast, or luncheon in Arizona.."  Not much is known about her early life, or where she was born.  However, she appeared to have rose to the Phoenix scene around 1892 in a partnership she formed with Samuel W. Slade, called "Lee and Slade".  The partnership maintained The Opera House cafe which featured "game, fish, and oysters".  At the later part of the year, they acquired a five year lease for $18,000 from the owner of the Ford Hotel to maintain a restaurant on the premises.  The partnership dissolved in 1896, and Mary ventured to Tucson where she became of the proprietor of Williams Hotel, The Alhambra, and the Orndorff Cafe.  Mary returned to Phoenix suffering from an illness, and died of tuberculosis October 26, 1900.  Curiously, her probate records states that she had an account at the National Bank of Arizona at Tucson for $325 and a trunk of personal effects in Phoenix.  Her executor later stated that these items "could not be found."  She is buried in Rosedale with no marker.  

This Mary's Cafe Fare menu is dedicated to her.  It consists of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners found often in the home and restaurants of the 1890s, and consists of three planned meals with recipes.  The recipes are found from cookbooks of the era that are posted on Project Gutenberg.  References available on request.  

Click the menu below for a copy.  There are a few other menus on this blog as well.  Just search for "Cafe".  

Created by Val

Black History Month - To Honor and Preserve

 

Black History Month evolved from a week-long celebration to a month-long observance in the United States, reflecting a growing recognition of the contributions and history of African Americans. The evolution of this observance is a testament to the efforts of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting a more inclusive understanding of American history.

Fascinating Fish Fact

 

Val Digital Art and AI

One fascinating aspect of fish is their ability to communicate and sense their environment through a unique feature known as the lateral line system. This system is a series of fluid-filled canals and specialized cells located just beneath the skin, running along the sides of their bodies from head to tail. The lateral line allows fish to detect movements and vibrations in the water, essentially "feeling" the presence of other objects, predators, prey, and even the flow of water currents around them. This sensory system is crucial for navigation, avoiding obstacles, social interactions, and hunting, enabling fish to thrive in diverse aquatic environments, from the darkest depths of the oceans to fast-flowing rivers.

John McCarty (1855 - 1901) - Arizona Game and Fish Commissioner

 

PCA Archives - John McCarty

On June 6, 1901 John McCarty set off from his remote camp near Clear Creek on Arizona’s Mogollon Rim to hunt for some rare pigeons and four dozen tassel-eared squirrels. He was never seen alive again. A few months later a body was discovered and identified as McCarty’s, but was it really his?

Little is known about McCarty’s past. Census records suggest that he was born around 1855 in Scott, Virginia, to James and Mary McCarty.  At any rate, he was in Arizona when he began to advertise as a professional hunter around 1890.

For the next ten years, newspapers related his adventures as he roamed the Territory, hunting bears, mountain lions and other livestock predators.  He also collected rare animal specimens for museums and universities.  Because of his extensive knowledge of the territory and its wildlife, he was appointed Fish and Game Commissioner in the fall of 1898.

On April 15, 1900, he married Lillie S. Sparks, then aged sixteen.  McCarty left his young wife, pregnant with their first child, with her grandparents when he set off on his last hunting trip a little over a year later.  Shortly before he departed, he had taken out six separate life insurance policies that totaled $27,000, nearly $750,000 in today’s currency.

 When McCarty did not return from his hunting trip on the Mogollon Rim east of Pine, his partner, J. K. Day, went to search the area.  Week after week, the search turned up nothing. Finally, on August 19, a body was found.  Near it lay McCarty’s shotgun with a burst barrel.  It was surmised that McCarty had been stalking a bear.  Apparently, the barrel of the gun had burst when he fired, likely disabling him and leaving him at the mercy of the angry bear.

The body was taken to Flagstaff, where an inquest ruled McCarty’s death accidental. His associates had his body transported to Phoenix for burial in the Masonic Cemetery.  Find out more at the PMMP!

-story shortened, by Donna Carr

 

Comstock Lode - One of the Largest Mining Claims of the 1800s

 

Val Digital Art and AI

One of the largest and most famous mining claims in the 1800s was the Comstock Lode. Discovered in 1859 in Nevada, USA, the Comstock Lode was the first major silver discovery in the United States, marking a significant period in the history of mining and leading to the "Silver Rush" of miners seeking their fortunes. This claim was not only significant for its immense size and the wealth it generated but also for the impact it had on mining technology and the growth of surrounding areas, including Virginia City, Nevada.

The Comstock Lode spurred numerous technological advancements in mining, such as the development of the square-set timbering method invented by Philip Deidesheimer, which allowed for the deeper excavation of ore bodies. The wealth from the Comstock Lode also significantly contributed to the development of San Francisco and the rest of the American West. The Lode was a complex ore body containing not just silver but also gold, and its extraction led to the establishment of the United States as a major world silver producer. The mining of the Comstock Lode continued for several decades, with millions of dollars in silver and gold extracted, making it one of the most lucrative and historically significant mining claims of the 19th century.

 

Saloma E. Newland - Lady Prospector

Val Digital Art and AI

Saloma E. Larcombe Newland was a female prospector in territorial Arizona. She was born around 1838 in Massachusetts.  It is unknown who her parents were, or if she had any siblings.  Prior to 1880, there are no census records that list her, and what has been discovered comes mostly from newspaper articles. 

She lived in Ohio at some point, as her daughter Flora Larcombe was born on January 14th, 1859 in Steubenville, Ohio. Flora had married Barry Baldwin in 1875 who was a United States Marshal for the Northern District of California. 

Saloma also lived in California on and off for several years as Mrs. S.E. Larcombe, having married a Thomas B. Larcombe, a miner, at some point.  She divorced him in 1870.  In 1864, she worked as a sales agent in Virginia, Nevada Territory for the Florence sewing machine.  In 1866, she worked as the manager of the Western Union Telegraph Office in Santa Barbara, along with another job as operator at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.  She left California in 1877, and came to Arizona to pursue her interest in prospecting. 

She would continue her mining endeavours in Globe while managing a hotel in “Watsonville”, a mining camp near Ramboz peak.  After marrying Thomas Newland in 1878, together, they mined several claims, which included prospecting the Defiance, Pioneer, and Saloma Mines in the area of Globe.  In 1896, Thomas died of  chronic pneumonia at 66 years of age.  Saloma continued mining their prospects, earning her notoriety in the Arizona Republic, and an article written about her in the The San Francisco Call in 1897 called “Arizona’s Lady Prospector”. 

Saloma Larcombe Newland died of cancer December 31, 1898, and is buried in Loosley.  She has no headstone.  For more information on her, come to the Pioneer Military and Memorial Park to learn about this fascinating “lady miner”. 

- bio by Val Wilson

Fairy Stones or Crosses - A Strange Mining Find

Fairy Cross - Flickr, Creative Commons

One strange and fascinating fact about mining involves the discovery of "fairy stones" or "cross stones." These naturally occurring mineral formations, primarily found in certain regions like Virginia in the United States, are made of staurolite, a combination of silica, iron, and aluminum. What makes these stones peculiar and a subject of interest is their natural cross shape, which can be a perfect Roman cross, a St. Andrew's cross, or a Maltese cross. According to local folklore, these stones were formed from the tears of fairies who cried when they heard the news of Christ's crucifixion, hence the name "fairy stones."

How Were Hot Air Balloons Made in the 1800s?

 

Val Digital Art and AI

In the 1800s, the construction of hot air balloons marked a fascinating era of experimentation and innovation, blending the art of craftsmanship with the burgeoning principles of aerodynamics and material science. Early balloons were made from silk or cotton fabrics, materials chosen for their lightweight and relatively airtight qualities, which were then coated with rubber or a varnish to enhance their ability to retain hot air. The process of constructing these balloons involved sewing large panels of fabric together to create a massive envelope capable of lifting a basket, or gondola, into the air. The source of hot air was typically a fire built on a platform below the open bottom of the balloon, which required careful management to control the balloon's ascent and descent. This era's balloonists were not just adventurers but also skilled craftsmen and engineers, pushing the boundaries of what was possible with the materials and knowledge of their time.

W. H. “Red” Nelson - Traveling hot-air Balloonist

Generated by Bing AI

W. H. Nelson was said to have been born in York, Pennsylvania, around 1860.  At some point, he became a parachutist whose act involved jumping from a hot-air balloon. How he came to his risky occupation is not known, but he and his partner, Otto Burke AKA Lochbaum, had been touring the West Coast with a carnival show. 

Red and Burke billed themselves as 'aeronauts'.  Their act depended upon a balloon which, when inflated, was fifty feet high and about thirty feet in diameter.  On August 1, 1895, they were booked to perform in Phoenix at a vacant lot on Jackson and Center Streets, where a merry-go-round had also been set up.  Coincidentally, this was the same lot where evangelists from the Salvation Army had been preaching in a tent nightly for about a year.

Many bought tickets to see the ascent that afternoon. The huge balloon was inflated and, when the ground ropes were untied, it rose about thirty feet in the air.  Unfortunately, the balloon sprang a leak and collapsed; Burke received minor injuries in the fall.

On another performance, more tragedy struck.  It involved Nelson this time.  When the balloon had ascended several hundred feet into the air, Nelson jumped.  His parachute opened properly but, in the gathering dusk, Nelson may have miscalculated his distance from the ground and detached the trapeze bar from the parachute too soon.

The tragic demise of the aeronaut had a sobering effect on the citizenry.   Pious folk murmured that the accident was divine retribution for using the Salvation Army’s meeting place for entertainment purposes…and poor “Red” Nelson had paid the price.

There is more to this story!  Come visit us at the PMMP for more about this incredible story!

--Story Shortened, Original by Donna Carr

Unusual Occupations

Val Digital Art with AI

In the late 1800s, a period marked by rapid industrialization and social change, a number of unusual occupations flourished, reflecting the unique needs and technological advancements of the era. Among these, the "knocker-upper" held a peculiar yet crucial role, especially in Britain and Ireland, where they were employed to wake up workers in time for their shifts before the widespread adoption of reliable alarm clocks. Using long sticks, pebbles, or even pea shooters, they would tap on windows or doors to rouse sleepers. Another intriguing profession was that of the "ice cutter," who harvested natural ice from frozen lakes and ponds in the winter, storing it in insulated ice houses for use throughout the year. This was a vital service before the invention of modern refrigeration. Additionally, "leech collectors" played a significant role in the medical field, gathering leeches for use in bloodletting, a common medical treatment of the time. These occupations, though now obsolete, highlight the adaptability and ingenuity of workers in the face of the era's technological limitations and societal needs.