Why Vincennes?

I wish I could say that I started out writing about Colonel George Rogers Clark and his memorable victory, but I came to in a roundabout way. In 2010, I was still living in Southern California, and was busy writing a story about the founder of my hometown, Louis Lorimer. I had taken the point of view of the Shawnees that Mr. Lorimer had allied himself with and that had moved from Northwest Ohio to Southeast Missouri. Their journey had taken them down the Wabash and past Vincennes, and given it importance during that time period, I thought it worthwhile to schedule a visit. Once there, you run across a even more forgotten figure than Colonel Clark(if that is possible) Father Pierre Gibualt:

I knew something was odd when I walked over the Wabash Bridge and saw this:
Hmm, a message? Let's check in with George, shall we?
Flash forward to April 2011, I had taken a another trip to Fort Wayne, In. and was planning on another trip around Labor Day. I had planned on sitting down and picking some re-enactor's brains, and had found an event put on by the Northwest Territory Alliance at Fort Ouiatenon. I emailed and got a reply that If I was really serious, I should come to Vincennes on Memorial Day. So I did.



The basic plot came to me on the flights back to California. And it turned out to be providential I did that trip, since I lost my job in August of that year, and found myself in Albany, New York, and trying to care for my elderly mother by moving her to Memphis, Tennessee. Still, I managed to make about six chapters before I made a mess of it and this guy came along:

But that's another story. When Elvis gave me writer's block, I came back to George and found a way to untangle my mess. But that's a story for another day.Unless Google decides I'm a spambot for all my links.