The Long History of the Hedge Maze

 If you thought the hedge maze, or the more American version, especially in the fall, the corn maze, was an English tradition, you’d be sadly mistaken. The first such maze was invented more than 2000 years ago, in ancient Greece. It was a labyrinth and was created for Grecians to use when embarking on a spiritual journey. There was only one circuitous route to follow, so it was serene and enlightening. In Germany, the labyrinth was even used as a rite of passage for young men as they passed from childhood to adult. Nordic fishermen walked through labyrinths before setting sail to ensure a bountiful outing and a safe return. 

A maze is different for a labyrinth, since it branches in all directions, with many dead-ends and routes that lead one back to the same point. The hedges used in the creation of the maze are taller than most visitors who dare enter, making sight cues impossible. The word “maze” itself dates back to the 13^th century and is derived from the word “delirium.” Webster defines the word as such: “A confusing, intricate network of winding pathways; specifically with one or more blind alleys.” Mazes were constructed in Europe in the 16^th century to entertain royalty. One such hedge maze, on the grounds at Hampton Court Palace in England, occupies a quarter acre of space and was used as the design of the first maze assembled to study the movement of rats and to judge their ability to learn and remember. England’s long fascination with hedge mazes has ensured them as a fixture in the countryside. Today, there are over 125 mazes open to the public. 

 

King Louis XIV had an extensive labyrinth created at the gardens of Versailles. As part of the layout, there were 39 topiaries formed in the shape of the fables of Aesop, with water dripping from the mouths of each to represent speech. 

In the 1970s and 1980s, mazes found their way into every person’s realm, first as puzzle books and then as video games. No longer was it necessary to devote acres of land and a horde of workers to maintain a hedge of boxwoods for the entertainment of the wealthy. But such mazes do still exist, to the delight of those who have a sense of adventure. The longest maze is now in Wahiawa, Hawaii, on the grounds of the Dole Pineapple Company, and is comprised of more than 14,000 tropical plants and has 2.5 miles of paths. It is one of only a few permanent botanical mazes in America and has eight secret stations that offer clues to a mystery for the hardy souls who venture in to solve. 

The largest corn maze on record was in Dixon, CA and spanned sixty acres. It made the Guinness book of records in 2014. Several people had to call for help after being lost in the maze for hours. 

Since most simple mazes have walls connecting to the outer boundary, if you trail your right hand along this hedge and follow it, you’ll find your way out again. If you have an idea to build your own maze, the rules are quite simple. You need at least one path between the entrance and the exit. If you build in blind alleys and dead ends, make certain they’re long enough to not be easily discernable. And it might be a good idea to equip your participants with a cell phone, just in case. 

http://mentalfloss.com/article/70964/15-intricate-facts-about-mazes

http://www.unmuseum.org/maze.htm

https://www.doleplantation.com/worlds-largest-maze/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maze

 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/winding-history-maze-180951998/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maze

Becky Lower writes mostly American historical romances, but occasionally crosses the pond to Regency England. In addition to History Imagined, she has a weekly blog at http://beckylowerauthor.blogspot.com.

While doing research for a new Regency series, she investigated the history of the maze and weaved it into her story line. Becky only entered a maze one time and spent hours trying to find her way out before vowing to never again set foot in them. 

Click here to find out more about Becky’s books: http://www.beckylowerauthor.com

 

FINDING RESEARCH GEMS IN ODD PLACES

Previously published in 2017.

I love history. That’s no surprise, of course, to anyone who knows me. I not only enjoy writing about the past but researching those bits and pieces that make the historical story I’m writing realistic, interesting and accurate.

Research comes in many forms. I can spend hours in a library, hunting through books. Or online, looking for one particular fact. But my favorite type of research is the kind I didn’t plan.

You’ve probably had the same experience. You stop to grab lunch at a restaurant off the freeway and discover the nearby town has, for more than a hundred years, hosted a festival in celebration of prickly pears. Or that there is a fully restored Civil War-era mental hospital only a few blocks away.

In my trips to research a story, I’ve come across some fun facts. Did you know there was a salt war in Texas? Neither did I was researching for this blog. Bonus: I discovered the Texas Historic Sites Atlas while looking for a picture of the marker.

Were you aware there was a Revolutionary War battle in St. Louis, Missouri? That’s right, halfway up the mighty Mississippi. The Battle of Fort San Carlos was fought when British-led Sioux, Sac, Fox and Winnebago warriors attacked a newly built French entrenchment in May of 1780. That historical fact came from a local newspaper article my mother forwarded to me.

Or that the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi was The Battle of Wilson’s Creek, just south of Springfield, MO. I learned that when I drove by the exit sign off the interstate. Though the north “won”, they were exhausted and low on ammunition, so they retreated to Springfield, giving the Confederates control of southwestern Missouri for the duration of the War.

Ever heard of Crash, Texas? It’s a town that was built for the express purpose of allowing spectators to witness a train crash up close and personal. A friend sent me that news story.

Then there’s the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race, begun in 1848 and revived in 1977. I found out about it when researching the coach stops along the Santa Fe Trail after visiting the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri.

[Photo attribution: CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1118519]

I love running across obscure information while I’m researching something else. And you can find some of the most interesting—and mostly useless—tidbits in some unlikely places. ebay® is one place that surprised me. I found some cool info on china and crystal and Texas artifacts there while researching my release, Wild Texas Hearts.

For Sale Now at Amazon

Now, please excuse me. There’s a museum website I want to peruse.

What’s the most unusual fact you discovered in the most unlikely place?

INTENTIONS; OR HOW I PLAN TO SPEND 2019 #writing #goals #resolutions

The “First Ladies of the Pikes Peak Region” blog posts will return in February. 

With the New Year upon us, I wanted to take the time to talk about where I/we plan to travel these next twelve months.

Most people around this time of year will make resolutions or set goals. For myself, I prefer the word intention. Intention to me is less strict or more fluid if you would prefer. If you look online for the definition of intention, you will find it is a thing intended; and aim or plan. The nice thing about intentions is they can change. By using the word intention I don't feel I need to put myself down when I don't succeed, yet it is strong enough to keep me going.

My intentions for the last two years, at least in terms of my writing, have been to write a novel and a short story. Since I work outside the home at a day job, although not full time throughout the year, it does cut into the my writing time. So how do I feel about what I’ve done so far? Not too badly. I credit my Thursday night writing group, the discipline and the support pf the other writers, with a lot of what I've been able to accomplish. And yes, I did complete a novel and short story. The short story, 'The Homestead' appeared in the Western Fictioneers anthology "The Untamed West". But for 2019 I feel like I wish to accomplish more.

So what is my intent and how shall I accomplish it? Ultimately it's still the same, to write a novel and a short story a year. But I also wish to start sharing some of my historic research to the nonfiction readers. I do a lot of that with blog post, but to a certain extent that's a limited audience. To reach a wider range of readers will require my reaching out to publications that are interested in the history that I research.

Yes, I have done four scholarly papers for our library district. Two have been published in the regional history books, and two more are awaiting a decision. But again that's a limited audience, and the publications not one the general public reads.

So, for those who want to know, this year the intent is to write a certain number of words at least five days a week, with the cumulative amount due at the end of seven days. This does not include blog writing or article writing, only the fiction writing.

To guide me on this journey I look to other authors, deep thinkers, and visual stimulation. Perhaps some of my favorite quotes may help you also.

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow

until the faucet is turned on. - Louis L’Amour

Your going to be someone favorite author.

Just write everyday of your life. Read intensely. Then see

what happens. Most of my friends who have been put

on that diet have very pleasant careers. - Ray Bradbury

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live. I wouldn’t

brood. I’d type a little faster. - Isaac Asimov

What are your intents, goals or resolutions for the coming year? And of course if you take this writer's journey, there is also the business side, but that's for another blog.

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

WHY BLOG? #PrairieRosePub #Blogging

Today is July 1. For most it's the half-way mark through the year and time to take stock of where we are in our plans and goals. Are we on target in our writing? How about that 'blessed' think called marketing? How does blogging and the time it takes fit into all that? Why blog if no one reads or comments of what you've taken the time to think, research and write about?

I'm sure others beside myself have asked themselves these questions. I rethink this every year, asking myself the same thing. So why blog?

For me the answer is a bit complex. I'll break it down into three sections. 1. Marketing 2. Research and 3. Name recognition, and that one gets a bit tricky for me.

1. Marketing: 

If we write stories, be they short, flash or full length, we want people to read them. Even the non-fiction we want the information to get to those who might enjoy what we've written.

For someone like me, who writes slow, there can be a long time between the various stories I write. Added to that, I write in two historical genres: Western and Medieval. I love both equally. Added to that is the poetry I write. Facebook can only do so much, as well as emails. Plus, how do you expand your readership. To me, blogging is one of those ways.

I realize not everyone will like what I write, despite my desire that they do. At the same time, finding those readers who will like my work, is a challenge. It helps to use all the options at my disposal, and blogging is one of those for me.

2. Research:

This is probably the primary reason I blog. I want to share the research I have done with others. History and the people who made it are almost a compulsion for me. For me, telling their stories is something I want to do. I don't want them to be lost to history. The nice thing about blogs, especially with the tags, your posts are available via searches.

For almost ten years I've been researching the story of a Colorado criminal. I haven't written much, for he has been hiding the rest of his story. Since the Symposium presentation, I feel I have enough to start talking about him.

The other research that is important for me to share is the story of the early women doctors in Colorado. While 'Doc Susie' is a part of that story, it has been slanted her way for far to long. There were so many others who did as much if not more than she. If the book of their lives never gets written by me, at least I've shared enough that others can start and find out more based on the blogs I've written, and will write, about them.

The stories of the doctors and so many others need to be preserved for future generations. When you feel like you can't do something, just take a look at what those who preceded us did. It helps put things into perspective.

3. Name Recognition:

Since I write fiction under a pen name: Angela Raines, it is important that when I write blog posts I share that information. When you add my online name: Renawomyn it can get a bit tricky.

At the same time, my non-fiction work is important. I simply do not want readers of romance to pick up a book with my real name expecting a sweet story and they are reading about juvenile delinquents, early criminals or lynchings. By using pen names I hope to avoid that problem. Of course the reverse could also be true. Can you imagine buying a book only to find out it's about the trials and tribulations of early women doctors, many of who decided to remain single and focus on their careers?

In the end, whether anyone reads or comments on my blog posts, I have things I want to say. Yes, it hurts when no one seems to care, but in the long run, it is the future I write for. So, here's to the future and to the readers who just have to know what I have to share.

And on a lighter note, the book birthday for my first story is this July. It will be four years old. How time does fly.

Purchase Here

Doris Gardner-McCraw -

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

Member of National League of American Pen Women,

Women Writing the West,

Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Photo and Poem: Click Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here