author_by_night | (no subject)

1. Ethnic diversity is a minor possibility in the sense of you might have some Swedish and Irish living together, which would also imply a certain amount of religious diversity. But if it is a small town, that isn't very likely. And no matter the size of the town, each ethnic/religious community would live in their own part of town with little interaction with the others.

2. It was probably less acceptable for a young woman to speak privately with a older man in 1918 than it was in 1818. But I don't think it would have been a big issue for them to be discussing death at either time. I have a friend in my history PhD program who does her research on the death industry around this time. I could check with her if you want more details.

3. Cars were sort of becoming popular but there were no roads that would connect Maryland and Idaho. Interstate highways and really anything other than dirt and mud trails connecting long distances didn't come about in America until the 1950s.

I have done no actual research on any of this, so don't quote me. This is just general impressions gathered from a lifetime of studying American history. But I concentrate on the 17th and 18th centuries. Got any questions about life in 1618 of 1718?

The religious diversity would be along the lines of different Protestant sects - ie, there might be a Methodist church and a Baptist church. Maybe a Presbyterian one as well. I think there's this sort of thing in the Anne books - some people would hold being Methodist against you, sort of thing. Ethnically ... maybe a black family, but they'd probably not be treated well.

If the older man were a family friend or family or pastor and/or of good standing in the town (ie, people knew he didn't take advantage of her) it would probably be all right.

He could have driven, but it would have taken AGES (cars went much slower then) and the train system was, I think, more extensive and useful then.

Lol Hugguh!

Oh, didn't think about European ethnicity. People would probably segregate themselves, the "pure-blooded" Americans would probably hold the others in contempt, at least a bit. Like, "Oh, he's got those Irish/Swedish/Germans working on his farm."

The only ethinic diversity likely in Idaho at that time would be the Irish, the Germans, and the Scandanavians.

I've spent about 10 years living in Utah, which has a very similar culture/history to Idaho, and I can tell you that both states were predominantly settled by Mormon pioneers, so at that time period the majority of the population in a small Idaho town would likely be Mormon, but a small Baptist or Catholic church might also be there--they would just be in the minority.

And as for the older man question, that depends on how much older. I don't think anyone would much mind if he was a grandfatherly type of fellow, but someone still of the age to be romantically interesting to a young woman might not be accepted as readily unless he was a good family friend and/or a religious leader.

Could my character, Hugh, have driven from Maryland to Idaho?

Possible, but very difficult.

Good roads didn't exits far beyond city limits so long distance travel was by train. In 1919, it took Eisenhower over two months to drive from coast to coast - it would have taken about 3 days by train.

http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/1919.htm

The Hugh question reminds me of a scene in The Go-between, by LP Hartley. The main character, Leo, has to bring a message to Hugh, but gets confused over the pronunciation and calls him 'Hoo', leading to much confusion over who the message is for as everyone else thinks he's saying 'I've got a message for who?'. Heh.

I can perhaps offer some insight about Idaho of that era (very limited, mind you). My grandfather was a minister in a small, southern Idaho city during that time period. That region had a rather strong pocket of the KKK. It was not (in my grandmother's view) a minority, extreme organization, but one rather in which the most respectable families might participate. It was a social organization that happened to reflect the opinions of the majority of the people in that area. Therefore I don't see the 'acceptance' of diversity that is pictured in today's PC revisionist stories (TV's version of Little House on the Prarie, for instance). If you were a minority in a 99% white, rural area, you pretty much kept your head down, did meanial work for pennies a day and kept your mouth shut if you wanted to continue with your life and body intact.

It's a bit after your proposed time line, but my grandparents packed up their family and moved to Virginia in the spring of 1924. They made the trip (with 4 children) in a 'touring car', which I have always interpreted as a fairly large car, but I am sure it was second hand. The road system was not, of course, as user friendly as it is today. To cross the high mountains, they first traveled west and south into the Sierra Nevadas before starting the eastward trek. My mother remembers (she was just over 2 years old) a terrifying incident. Their car had broken down. Her father, like any driver of the era, had a tool/repair kit in the boot. The car was parked on the narrow shoulder of a narrow pass high in the mountains, on the edge of a dropoff. My grandfather was under the bonnet, trying to repair the problem. Another driver came along and felt he did not have room to pass. In his anger the other driver started bumping their car, towards the dropoff! My grandfather, a slight, quiet minister, lept out of the way and ran to the other car and grabbed the driver by the collar screaming curses at him for putting his family (who were all in the car) in danger. Mother primarily remembered the incident because it was the only time she ever heard her father curse.

The trip took them almost two months. They crossed the Mississippi River at Memphis. The river was at flood stages with broad mud flats. In order to cross the bridge, they first had to get across the mud flats. This was accomplished by a number of cars being chained nose to tail and then hooked to the back of a massive tractor, which pulled them slowly across the quagmire and to the rise of the bridge, where they were unchained, crossed the bridge, then the process redone to get them onto solid ground/roadway. Mother remembered that she couldn't tell if the man who drove the tractor was black or white, because the only bit of him that wasn't covered with mud was his teeth that showed alot because he had a big grin.

Hope these anicdotes are some help!

Okay, just got off the phone with my older sister, who remembers mother's stories better than I. She said they began their trip from Idaho in late April and didn't arrive in Virginia until early August, so that was more than three months!

You're dead on with the KKK. The First wave of the Klan in the 1870s was a very Southern organization from the start. The second wave of the Klan in the early 19002 was reconstituted in the North and was always stronger in the North. No matter the region, the Klan was an organization of the elite of the community until very recently.

Incidently, I have an Uncle Hugh. And he's my favorite uncle.

You'll be glad to know this Hugh is a very good man too. :)

Thanks everyone for all your help - I really think I'm going to have to make huge changes, though!

My knowledge of Idaho and experiences with it seem to differ a great deal from what other people are saying.

There are no mormons where my mother is from. Her family lives in central Idaho, her grandfather and his brother moved there from Wisconsin to homestead. To my knowledge, there has never been a large KKK movement in that area either.

Of course, this might have no effect on your story. You said that your character is interested in agriculture, right? Ranching and logging are a lot more prevalent where my mother is from. Potatoes are largely grown in southern Idaho, so it's probable that he would end up in southern Idaho and the cultural history of that area could be quite different from the area where my mother's family lives.

Anyway, you're welcome and good luck with your story! :)

I don't know anything about most of those questions, but I'd be inclined to say I pronounced "Hugh" the same way I pronounce "hue". I think accents can quite often play a part in pronounciation, though.