In this newsletter:

• Our Alaska Adventure
• A detour for Dolly Parton
• FREE eBook Giveaway - The Civil War Anaconda Plan

Hello! We are almost finished with our Alaska cruises. We have savored these three weeks in the restorative beauty of the Great Land and enjoyed connecting with frequent cruisers and new friends.

Naturalist John Muir wrote:

We'll be sharing more photos and highlights of our Alaska adventures on our Patreon Member Supporter website, but will unlock several free samples for you to enjoy... or join to support our work and access all our curated history exploration! CLICK HERE.​

A DETOUR FOR DOLLY PARTON

.The world recently lost Dolly Parton (January 19, 1946–August 25, 2026). She was one of those special ones. Laura and I have been including musical tributes throughout our performances. So, we thought we would take a detour this week for a feature about her remarkable life.

Few entertainers have become as deeply woven into American culture as Dolly Parton. Born in the mountains of East Tennessee and raised in a large, close-knit family, she turned an extraordinary gift for songwriting into one of the most enduring careers in popular music. Her songs could be funny, heartbreaking, defiant, or tender, often within the space of a few minutes. “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Here You Come Again,” and “9 to 5” became standards, while songs such as “My Tennessee Mountain Home” reflected the Appalachian world that shaped her. Across country, pop, gospel, and bluegrass, Parton built a catalog that made her one of America’s most recognizable songwriters as well as one of its most beloved performers.

She also crossed easily into movies and television. Her performance alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5 turned her into a major film star and produced one of her signature songs. She followed it with memorable roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rhinestone, and Steel Magnolias, where her warmth, comic timing, and unmistakable personality made her seem less like a distant celebrity than someone audiences already knew. That same quality made her a talk-show favorite for decades. Whether sitting with Johnny Carson, Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey, or countless other interviewers, Parton was quick, self-deprecating, and often hilarious. She could make a joke about her hair, clothes, figure, or fame before anyone else had the chance, while quietly revealing a sharp intelligence and remarkable understanding of people.

Behind the rhinestones and jokes was an unusual generosity. Parton used her success to invest heavily in the region that raised her. Through the Dollywood Foundation, she supported education and community development in East Tennessee, including scholarships and programs intended to encourage young people to remain in school. After devastating wildfires struck the Great Smoky Mountains region in 2016, her My People Fund provided direct financial assistance to families who had lost their homes. Her philanthropy has also extended to medical research and other causes, often without the kind of publicity that might accompany similar gifts from other celebrities.

Perhaps her most far-reaching educational project is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Inspired in part by her father, who never learned to read or write, the program began in her home county in Tennessee and grew into an international effort that mails free books to young children from birth until age five. Millions of books have been distributed, placing stories directly into homes and helping families build early reading habits. It is a remarkably fitting legacy for a woman whose own life was transformed by stories, songs, imagination, and the belief that where a person begins does not have to determine where that person can go.

Dolly Parton’s career can be measured in hit records, awards, movies, sold-out performances, and songs that have survived for generations. But those accomplishments explain only part of her appeal. Her lasting popularity has also come from the qualities she carried through decades of fame: humor without cruelty, confidence without arrogance, faith in her roots without pretending they were perfect, and generosity that turned success into opportunity for other people. Beneath the wigs, sequins, one-liners, and instantly recognizable voice was a remarkably consistent message: be yourself, laugh often, work hard, remember where you came from, and when good fortune comes your way, share some of it.

Next week, we'll move on to the next chapter in the expansion of the United States. We'll explore how securing control of and strengthening the American claim to the Gulf Coast and Florida were essential to realizing the full benefits of the Louisiana Purchase and control of the Mississippi River system.

FREE eBook GIVEAWAY

This weekend's free eBook explores the Union's successful effort to control the Confederate ports along the Atlantic, the Gulf Coast, and the Mississippi River system with The Civil War Anaconda Plan. CLICK HERE. Here's an Amazon review:

PLEASE REVIEW any of my books quickly and easily here: CLICK HERE.

We send you all our best. Have a great week!
Bill and Laura