Bookend Chronicles Reviews Yankee Gold

Yankee Gold by Elizabeth Rogers

This is an impressive novel by Elizabeth Rogers, which takes place within the backdrop of the worst war on American soil. It is a historically accurate narrative that achieves forward motion in its intriguing plot line. Rogers successfully exhibits a difficult conflict within a gradually remorseful climate.

"Fire and smoke concealed the movement of people in the street. It was unclear whether the moving bodies were civilians, enemy, or allies. Occasionally, there would be a clearing."

Steve Elkins begins to blur the lines of societal acceptance. He is an abolitionist attorney in a less than tolerant territory. Though he is brave enough to stand up for his beliefs and politics, it also causes a major hindrance in his personal life.

"'Or they steal from the public coffers'... 'Or take bribes'..."

"He must prove fraud, forgery, bribery, and perjury. Additionally, it appeared he must take on the chief judge of the Supreme Court to force a resignation."

There is a definitive coyness when delving into the incredibly intricate story line. It prevents the reader from understanding the true focus of the ultimate ending. Yet, gradually, as the characters play into the metaphorically sanctioned subplot, Steve Elkins must decide where his loyalties lie.

An interesting character that snagged my attention was Editor Sullivan. As Steve says in a most succinct way: "...he professes in his columns, that he is against peonage, but antagonistic to Radicals. Of course, that's a contradiction in itself." Sullivan plays a thin line and personifies an image of what I would call a troubling epidemic, symbolic in this day and age.

Rogers vividly conveys an empowered and credible narrative. Though Yankee Gold had a slow beginning for this reader, including heavily laden moments of minutiae, the ultimate story is moving and intriguing. It is a unique story that gives every reader an idea of the old politics that our forefathers ventured and braved in a frighteningly new world.

Elizabeth Wall Rogers has been published in the New Mexico Historical Review. She is a member of the Virginia Historical Society and is active in several Virginia writers' clubs.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Yankee Gold

by Elizabeth Wall Rogers

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KIRKUS REVIEW

Rogers’ debut historical novel delivers a highly detailed account of nation-building in New Mexico after the Civil War through the eyes of spy, lawyer and politician Steve Elkins.

Elkins, like other major characters in the book, was a real person, and the author presents him as a clever observer and manipulator of the baffling, violent political scene west of the Mississippi during Reconstruction. Elkins flees wartime Missouri, with rebel bandits at his heels, to New Mexico, where he rises from a laborer and land surveyor to a lawyer and elected official. He takes charge of two different murder trials, and took part in efforts to draft a state constitution, woo the railroad and eradicate “peonage,” a form of feudal slavery unique to the region. But although Rogers includes all the raw materials for a riveting tale (war, espionage, slavery, bank robberies, gold mines and murder among them), the book reads more like a dry biography of Elkins than a novel. The author takes considerable care to tell the story with accuracy and detail; as a result, however, the prose is almost exclusively expository. Much of the book consists of fact-laden, wooden dialogue, with minimal, awkward efforts to convey the characters’ internal lives (“ ‘Chaves’ arrogance at having set off the cannon that killed Slough, and his insisting on keeping the unrepentant Heath, is more than I can stand,’ Steve said”). At times, the book reads somewhat like a legal brief, with the characters conveying the emotionless delivery of police officers on a witness stand. There are some moments when this reportorial style engagingly supports the storyline—the murder scenes, for example, or during courtroom set pieces when Steve’s scheming intelligence earns readers’ admiration—but these moments are few in an otherwise dense, dispassionate narrative.

A dry but exhaustively researched novel that will most interest aficionados of New Mexico’s history.

Journey To Publication Reviews Yankee Gold

Inspirational

By 

Glenda Parker

My book review today is on the historical book Yankee Gold by Beth Rogers. This book takes place in the civil war and the years following it.It is easy to see that Beth has done massive amounts of research on this time in history. Unfortunately I found the historical facts and statistics to be a hindrance to the actual story, it was so full of facts and details it was hard to stay on the story line. It is a great accomplishment for Beth. If you are a history buff I know you will want to read this book
 
This story was about a man's struggle to stay true to his principals in a world of corruption, slavery, and changing times. Steve Elkins is a young attorney who had served as a spy through the war, he has now moved to the southwestern part of the country. He is sent to the area to write contracts for several mines. The army was being paid to protect the mines and although they aren't doing much with the mines there is resentment towards Steve. He is in office when a family emergency sends him home, while there he marries and brings part of his family back with him. Steve strives for statehood for New Mexico. Though the politicians want the benefits from statehood there is much resistance to his efforts. He faces great personal and political difficulties with from his efforts.

This man's struggle with his faith and his principals is an inspiration to us all. I hope you enjoy the book you may find it on amazon. God Bless you all. Have a really good weekend.  

Gayle Pace of Book Review, Etc. Gives Yankee Gold Four Stars!

The author wrote a historical learning book about a territory that strove to become a state. It tells how some of the people in New Mexico resisted statehood. They did want all the good things that went with it though. During this time the Civil War made the mining of  precious ores difficult. 

When the character Steve Elkins came into the picture, martial law was in effect. The Army was being paid to protect private mining and was doing a little mining themselves. Elkins came to New Mexico to write contracts for several mines where the Army had agreements with investors. 

The author is telling a story that no one else has tried to tell. Ms Rogers put in twenty years of research for the book. To me, this is the desire to write a factual book, a desire to do the best you can at what you do. This is dedication. She wrote from a male point of view which must have been difficult to begin with. You would have to get the feel of how a man saw things, which most often is very different from a woman's view.I recommend this book to History lovers or anyone  who is interested in Mexico, the Civil War or just a darn good read.

At the end of the novel, the author puts in an article which gives evidence that Steve Elkins was a  Civil War Spy.

I give this book 4 Stars

OVERVIEW (FROM AMAZON)

Passion, power, politics--intrigue on the frontier.

A young attorney with a secret leaves the Missouri Civil War for the southwestern territories and is threatened by a bitter rivalry. At stake are the fortunes of land grant settlement and the destiny of New Mexico.

An abolitionist in a slave state, Steve Elkins’ principle puts him at odds with local authority and general practice. Steve’s vision of what a territory must be to attain statehood sets a pattern for his personal goals. Patience, diplomacy, and skillful use of his legal expertise guide him. As the war ends, party identities re-form and tensions increase. Steve faces vicious attacks in his aggressive moves against slavery, robbery, assassination, murder, and cattle rustling. When he's faced with a personal crisis and a crucial election at once, can he strike a bargain with his wife, Sallie and his best friend, Tom? He struggles for a private life while the exertions of his public role erode his quest to achieve a business environment for New Mexico.

Can Steve Elkins survive the clash between his allies for a railroad; and the traditional fears, loyalties, and envy of native Mexicans?

Raven Reviews Interviews Beth Rogers Regarding YANKEE GOLD

Elizabeth Rogers wrote the book, Yankee Gold, a historical fiction novel focusing on the Civil War.  I became infatuated with the Civil War somewhere between Harriet Tubman and Gone With the Wind.  This book has such a different perspective on the Civil War, I had to stop Beth Rogers and talk to her about it. The interview below captures some key questions I thought you might also be interested in:

1. How did you choose the title?

The fact that the Union mined for gold and silver during the Civil War and for at least two years afterward is the motivation for my protagonist to go to New Mexico.

2. A novel doesn’t usually reveal the true names of characters. Why have you identified your protagonist and named him a Civil War spy?

Because Steve Elkins never admitted he served either side in the Civil War. The story begins in New Mexico a little over a year before the war ended. Little has been told of this important era in New Mexico. Around four thousand Texas Confederates invaded New Mexico in 1861. They were met by four thousand New Mexican and Colorado Volunteers in the winter of 1861-1862. The Confederates were defeated and forced out of New Mexico by the summer of 1862. The fight was for the southwestern gold fields. Once Elkins arrived in New Mexico at the end of 1863 he became the leading attorney in the territory. He was so controversial that someone had to tackle why his story has been avoided. His personal history as a spy, the Union’s role in gold mining with private investors, and the government’s tolerance of Indian debt slavery were all issues the government preferred the public wouldn’t know.

3. How much of the story is true?

The events of the story are true. I placed them on time lines and eventually merged the time lines. My character, Elkins, served in the official capacities portrayed. I had to jump to several conclusions in the story, but the facts which followed made those conclusions reasonable. Naturally, when dialogue can’t be verified, the story must be labeled a novel. I can’t know that closely what these people thought or their entire motivations.

4. How did you get interested in this story?

My family came to West Virginia where Steve Elkins made his home in his later years. We were complete strangers and we settled in the town named for him. My father was born in Cuba of American parents and Cuba was his home until he left college. He was curious about Elkins’ mysterious New Mexico past and encouraged my research of it.

5. How long did it take for you to write Yankee Gold?

The research took twenty years. I taught myself to write at the same time I chased down the story. It went through countless drafts. In the beginning I wrote one other book, a murder mystery, which took nine months. I also wrote a monograph for the New Mexico Historical Review on Elkins as president of New Mexico’s first bank early in my research.

6. What did you find most interesting in your character?

Steve Elkins was first and foremost an abolitionist. He was a Republican, but clearly had the backbone to act independently and follow his own conscience. It was interesting to see how this worked out in the story.

7. Was it difficult to write from a male point of view?

At first it was. That’s why I wrote another book in nine months from a female POV first. However, when I saw how the events of Yankee Gold reflected such a male-oriented society, the story became far easier to portray.

8. When did you decide to become an author?

It was when I was somewhere between eight and ten years old. My father and I speculated on this story often, given the few facts we could obtain. Almost immediately solving the questions which arose became an obsession for me.

9. How did you research the novel?

I first looked for every possible bit of evidence of what Elkins did during the Civil War in Missouri. I traveled to New Mexico and stayed with a relative.  I arranged to meet with several experts on this period of New Mexico’s history. I followed their advice and branched out into the various issues of Elkins’ career in this decade. I copied microfilm on the Bosque Redondo and the official records of the War of the Rebellion. I copied the records of Elkins’ service as

U. S. Attorney. I finally copied the Santa Fe newspapers for the entire decade. I bought all the books possible on the period and compared the material against the newspaper accounts. I found the first scene in a diary account of the daughter of the man who was Elkins’ mentor. That wasn’t until 2003. Information available from the internet grew enormously during the period I researched the story. The research was intensive and bore a lot of fruit.  

MORE ABOUT BETH…
Beth Rogers was born in New York City and lived in West Virginia for over twenty years. Her career includes writing at Living magazine in New York, teaching in Virginia and West Virginia, selling and brokering real estate in North Carolina, and as a federal clerk and courtroom deputy in Richmond, Virginia. She has been published in the New Mexico Historical Review. She is a member of the Virginia Historical Society and is active in several Virginia writers’ clubs.

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