Читать книгу Tillamook Passage - Brian MD Ratty - Страница 3

TILLAMOOK PASSAGE IS MY THIRD BOOK AND a departure from my first two novels. The seeds of this story started many years ago, when I read about Captain Robert Gray and his discovery of a pristine Pacific coastal bay that he named, after the local Indians, as Tillamook. Then, some years later, the story took root after my wife, Tess, and I found an out-of-print book about the culture and rituals of the Tillamook Indians. These two events forged the general premise of a story that is steeped in history while rich in adventure.

Writing historical fiction, in this age of political correctness, can be a tricky enterprise. Some readers wish to overlook the past, pretending that our forefathers were without fault and that the world was always a peaceful, gentle place. Unfortunately, that isn’t how history works. Remember, for example, that the very first ‘cash crop’ shipped back to Europe from the fledging colony of Jamestown, in the seventeenth century, was tobacco. America’s early financial foundation was primarily built upon the growth and sale of tobacco. Then, immediately after the Revolutionary War, ships were sent to the Pacific Northwest for the taking and trading of pelts. Essentially, the Pacific coast frontier was opened because of the skins of small animals like the otter and beaver. At that time, the local Indians, thousands of them, lived peacefully up and down the Pacific coastal plain. Most of them had never seen a ship or a white man, and they had no concept of guns or money. They were a simple people, living off the land and raising their families just as their ancestors had done for over five hundred generations. These Indians became tragic victims of the fur trade and the opening of the frontier. Within a single generation, the culture and lives of these people would be changed forever. No, history isn’t always pretty, but it’s always fascinating, and it is a window to what has already been. For if we don’t truly come to understand our checkered past, we will be doomed to repeat it.

Tillamook Passage presented other challenges, such as working with eighteenth century language usage and the many seafaring terms of the day. And finding resources that could shed light on the culture and jargon of the local Indians was an even more daunting task. But as Tess and I undertook extensive research trips, we found clues to the Indians’ lives that helped me to depict a civilization rich with courage and strong in faith.

Tillamook Passage is written in three voices. At the beginning of each chapter, a brief narrative highlights the history of the time, while the story itself is told through the voice of my main subject and, later, his son. As to my characters, many are historical, some arise from folklore, and still others come from my imagination. Their development and my plot will hopefully take the reader back to a savage wilderness of endless forests, rugged mountains and bountiful waters. In this land of long ago, they will discover Indians with proud spirits, steeped in savaged traditions. These natives must now face their fate, dealing with white men and their ships that spit fire. Tillamook Passage is a thrilling testament to the iron wills, brave hearts and sharp wits of the gritty explorers who came before us. Two worlds… one destiny.