The Origin of Dane's Creek, Oregon
Those are the questions our writing group asked when we talked about doing a Christmas collaboration. We decided to put five holiday novellas in the same book—cool—but what are they about? Do they relate to one another? They’re all romance and all western-ish, but is there a theme? The idea of creating our fictitious town emerged.
Since we had both historical and contemporary writers in the group, it didn’t take long for us to say, “Hey, what if we told the story of that town through the years? That’s how the stories could be linked!”
High excitement followed with a Trello board full of ideas, a map of the town, and a selection of the years we would like to write about. The town’s landmark bell tower became a character in itself, and anchored the love stories across the centuries. Soon, the town came to life with characters, conflicts, and love.
Some of the stories incorporate real life events that happened in the region around that time. Some of the stories are utter fabrication—but all celebrate the holidays, home, and hope.
1874
Mr. Dane settled in the area around 1867, after gold was found. Now the creek refuses to give more gold, and the bell tower awaits a shiny new bell to signify the enduring future of Dane’s Creek.
1910
Over the years, the bell tower and attached building have been used as a symbol of hope, a church, and a home. But it’s state of disrepair and the coming railroad threatens the future.
1967
1999
Fear surrounding the turn of the century and continued lumber regulations leave the town struggling. The town may be dwindling, but the bell tower still stands.
2024
Dane’s Creek failed to recover from the economic downturn following the decimation of the lumber industry in Oregon. Can the town survive?
