In 2023, the Overland Journal published a two-part article of mine titled “Pony Express: Nuggets of Truth.” The Overland Journal is the “quarterly journal of scholarly research into the emigrant experience and the trail” published by the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA). Every year, the Publications Committee of OCTA gives the Merrill J. Mattes Award for Excellence in Writing to the author with the best article in the past year. I was honored to receive the award this year.
More than honored. As I was researching for my Pony Express ride and then the book, I constantly came across Overland Journal articles I needed to read. All back issues are available free to members—but members only; everyone else has to buy a copy. So I joined OCTA to get access to the articles. I used quite a number of them in my book and in the article. I’ve since met a number of the authors and have even explored parts of the trail under their leadership. So to be published in the journal itself among authors whose research, experience, and writing I admire, and on top of that to win the best article award . . . is probably as high of an accomplishment I could ask for.
The articles appear in the 2023 Summer and Fall issues (Vol. 41, Numbers 2 and 3). All you have to do to read them is order a copy or join OCTA.
