1855, San Francisco, Maggie's New Stove
One of my favorite characters is Maggie. She's a vivacious single woman running a boarding house and eatery. Her life changes when the "special person" in her life persuades her to settle in the rugged Pacific Northwest in Washington Territory and start a bakery business. Here's an excerpt of part of their conversation:
“I’m saying I want you to come to the Sound and sell your pies there. You would probably be the only person for miles around who could provide pies like this. Possibly even the entire Territory. There are very few women out there right now. You would have a line of men as long as the post office line here in Frisco waiting to buy a Lady Kay apple pie!”
He convinces her to go, but before they leave, he buys her a special stove to use there.
Here is the description at the time:
"The black cast iron cooking stove was described as having been recently tested and introduced to the market. It was made with an oven that extended underneath the hearth, making it a much larger oven than most. It had double action reversible flues beneath the stove, which made for perfect baking results. There was a large firebox and an extra firebox behind. The stove even had a broiling feature. The top had four hearth plates, and there was a handy apron tray located midway down the front and sides. The stove had just enough embellishment to please the eye."