GONE TO DALLAS:

THE STOREKEEPER

1856 – 1861

by

LAURIE MOORE – MOORE

Genre: Historical Fiction / Texas Pioneers / Civil War

Publisher: Goat Mountain Press

Date of Publication: October 4, 2021

Number of Pages: 348 pages

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Sara’s husband was a disappointment in life, but she had to admit he was a handsome corpse.

Climb aboard an 1856 Dallas-bound wagon train and join a plucky female protagonist for the journey of a lifetime in Laurie Moore-Moore’s richly entertaining new book, Gone to Dallas, The Storekeeper 1856-1861. Far from your average historical novel or western, Gone to Dallas is a compelling tale of migration, betrayal, death, and dreams—peppered with real people, places, and events. With a cast of interesting characters and more bumps and hazards than a wagon trail, Gone to Dallas tells the unforgettable story of a formidable frontier woman in the context of true Texas history.

It had seemed so romantic when Morgan Darnell courted Sara in Tennessee, finally convincing her they should marry and join an 1856 “Gone to Texas” wagon train traveling along the “Trail of Tears,” through Indian territory, and across the Red River into Texas.

In a twist of fate, Sara arrives in Dallas a 19-year-old widow, armed with plenty of pluck, and determined to open a general store in the tiny settlement of log cabins on the Trinity River. Standing in her way as a young woman alone are a host of challenges. Can Sara (with the help of her friends) pull herself up by the bootstraps and overcome uncertainty, vandalism, threats, and even being shot?

Follow Sara as she strives to create her store while living Dallas’ true history — from the beginnings of La Réunion (the European colony across the Trinity) to a mud and muck circus, a grand ball, and the mighty fire that burns Dallas to the ground. Dallas is a challenging place, especially with the Civil War looming.

Even with the friendship of a retired Texas Ranger and Dallas’ most important citizen — another woman — is Sara strong enough to meet the challenge? The risks are high. Failure means being destitute in Dallas!

In Gone to Dallas, The Storekeeper 1856-1861, author Laurie Moore-Moore spins a page-turner of a tale salted with historically accurate Texas events and populated with real characters. It’s Portis’ True Grit meets Texas history.

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Praise

“Creative and captivating…five stars!”

“An unforgettable journey…superb writing.”

“I was hooked at the very first sentence.”

“Lovely work of historical fiction…can’t wait for the sequel.”

“Brilliant!”

I enjoy reading historical fiction set around where I live because then I can try and imagine what this area looked like 125+ years ago. This book hit the nail on the head and I was transported to the Dallas area in the mid-1850s and pictured the town just getting started, the Trinity River, and Preston Road.

Sara is an admirable character. She leaves her life behind in Tennessee and ventures to Texas with her husband to start a shop in Dallas. We do know that her husband isn’t going to make it all of the way to Dallas and he dies, but we don’t know how or why. There are many opportunities for him to die along the way, some by his own hand and by pissing off those in the caravan. I won’t spoil how he dies, but let’s just say it could have been avoided if he had been smart. But once he does die, she has to make it on her own, and thankfully there are some men that assist her the rest of the way to Dallas. Don’t get me wrong, she does a lot of the work herself, but sometimes you just need someone with a little more strength for some of the chores.

The journey in those days was neither fast nor comfortable, but they made it work for bigger dreams in the making. Since the first half of the book is the first year, 1856, we learn a lot about life on a wagon train, the issues they encounter, and the friendships (and enemies) that are forged. I have to admit that I am spoiled and I’m not sure I could have made the journey on a wagon train. There is no room for slacking off and I have even greater respect for these pioneers that took a chance in their life for a brighter future. Even crossing plains that were inhabited by Indians could be treacherous if you were not prepared or with an experienced leader.

Once in Dallas, Sara takes charge of starting her shop and encounters resistance from a current shop owner. However, she doesn’t let that stop her and moves forward recognizing where she can fill in the holes of missing items. Sara definitely has a head for marketing and almost immediately draws in the women to her shop; let’s be honest, it is the women that really make the purchases so by catering to them she can capture more of the market for home goods and food items. She even has a coffee mill set up in the shop to grind coffee beans for the shoppers. I admired Sara from the get-go with her gumption and determination.

The last half of the book covers 1857-1861 and Sara’s life with the store, Dallas, new friends, and new love. The story flowed seamlessly and it was hard for me to put down. I was intrigued by all of the events and while actual events were fictionalized, knowing that they were based on fact inspired me to lookup more details. The years weren’t perfect and they had their issues from drought to fires to illicit characters trying to take over the town which just made the story more exciting.

The book is filled with many intriguing characters and it was interesting to read on the author’s website who was actually a part of Dallas’ history. Check out the bonus content but be aware there might be some spoilers…so maybe save it for after you read the book. And this is the second book I have read this year that talks about camels in Texas. Who would have ever guessed?

There is going to be a sequel to this book called Cotton, Cattle and Conflict (per the author’s website) and I cannot wait to see how the story continues.  There are so many other characters that contributed to the success and growth of Dallas and I am eager to learn more about this time.

We give this book 5 paws up and recommend adding it to your list of books to read.

From the author: “My husband, Roger, and I have been blessed with many adventures in life—from trekking across India’s Thar desert on a camel (and sleeping in the sand on our camel blankets) to repeating marriage vows in a remote Maasi village in Kenya (my dowery was one cow and one goat). My favorite adventure? As a fifth-generation Texan, it is discovering more and more Texas history and writing about it!

We live in Dallas, Texas but sneak away when possible, to a mountain-top cabin overlooking a lake in former Indian Territory (the Oklahoma Ozark Mountains) The cabin is unique—there is a nine-foot chainsaw bear in our entry hall. The house was built around it. Never thought I’d own a piece of chainsaw art, much less a nine-foot bear. Life is full of surprises. . . just like a good historical novel.”

Laurie Moore-Moore is a retired entrepreneur who has built and sold multiple businesses and served on the Board of Directors of an international corporation.

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 Three autographed copies of Gone to Dallas

(US only, ends midnight, CDT, 11/5/21)

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