Good morning everybody!
I am so excited to be a part of
Sweet Americana Sweethearts!
I have written three clean, sweet stories all centered
around Abilene, Kansas.
Why Kansas?
One night my hubby and I were watching a special on the
making of The Chisholm Trail. Texans
needed to get their longhorns to market and Joseph McCoy saw a vision for that
when he came to the sleepy little town of Abilene. Hence, The Chisholm Trail was named when over
the years 1.5 million cattle traveled from Texas
to Kansas.
This is a small part of the story of Abilene.
I have learned so much!
Timothy Hersey
Today, I want to tell you about Timothy Hersey. He was the founder of Abilene – but he had itchy feet and didn’t
stay in one place too long.
Hersey, traveling by horseback, stopped to camp on the banks
of The Mud River. That was the starting
point of Abilene.
Hersey built a log cabin, the first house in town. In the spring of 1858 he went to Illinois to get his
wife, Elizabeth, and the first of nine children. As time went on he added a store and
additions to his cabin. (Point of
Interest…..Today, where Hersey’s cabin stood, stands a mansion owned by
Lebold-Vahsholtz)
The only other occupants were a few Indians and the “biggest
prairie dog town I ever saw” just across the creek.
In 1860 there was The Overland Stage Line that ran from Leavenworth to Denver. Hersey furnished the stage line with hay and
feed for the horses and Mrs. Hersey fed weary travelers at her own table.
As Abilene
began to grow Hersey got the “itch” for more action. The neighbors were .closing in on him! He moved on to discover other Kansas town, Beloit and Cawker City
After feeling closed in again, he stopped in Denver where he got
mining fever and did quite well. He
became ill and moved to Castle Rock, Washington, where his wife and children
had moved. He died there in 1905
Joseph McCoy was a huge part of the Abilene story and I talk about that on my
next visit – September 7. See ya’ll
then!
Jesse’s Find, Book One of the Jesse Series
Jesse Mason is bone tired and just miles from home when a
strange sound drifting with a Kansas
wind catches his ear.
He spies something hiding in the tall grass. His temper sizzles at the sight of a horse,
dead from exertion, and is ready to string up the cowboy that has done this.
What Jesse finds is no cowboy at all, but a woman who has been shot and an
infant, both, he fears will not make it to his home alive.
Jesse didn’t ask for this, but he knew he couldn’t turn his
back on them. What he didn’t know was
somebody wanted that woman dead and didn’t care who else had to die to get that
job done.
A little teaser.....
What
are you doing out here, little one? I
surely don’t know what to do with the likes of you. A tiny hand came up to grasp his finger,
dredging up painful memories that Jesse quickly shook away.
Bio
Penny Estelle is a best selling writer for all ages, from
the early reader to adults. Her books
range from pictures books for the little ones, to fantasy and time-travel
adventures for ages 9 to 13. She also, under P. A. Estelle, has written adult
stories including a family drama and contemporary, paranormal and historical
westerns romances.
Penny was a school secretary for 21 years. She and her husband moved to their retirement
home in Kingman, AZ, on very rural 54 acres, living on solar
and wind only.
Penny and her books can be found in the following links:
Great post! Thanks for sharing great information about this wild west city.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Zina. I'm excited to be part of this. The other posts have been so interesting!
ReplyDeletePenny,
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated with Kansas history and the great cattle drives. Thanks for sharing your research. Your related title looks very interesting!
Kristin
Interesting reading...
ReplyDelete