Friday, June 20, 2008
Abernathy Adventure
As many of you already know, a great friend and colleague of mine was awarded a $10,000 grant to recreate the adventures of the Abernathy Brothers. Here is a little information on the boys (taken from their blog, edited for size--link at the left).
A little history of the Abernathy Brothers if you are not familiar with their story. 99 years ago two boys from rural southwest OK, convinced their dad, US Marshall, Jack “Catch ‘em Alive Abernathy, they should be allowed to ride their horses from their home in Tipton, OK to Santa Fe, NM and back. The boys were tired of “hearing” about adventures and wanted to create their own. They studied maps, created itineraries and schemed to convince their dad they were ready for adventure. Jack relented and the boys went on their first adventure in 1909. Louis, or Bud as his brother called him, was 9 years old, and Temple was 5. They traveled over 1000 miles alone on horseback. Later adventures include a 1910 horseback ride to NYC to see their friend Teddy Roosevelt when he returned from an African Safari. After riding in a ticker-tape parade with Teddy Roosevelt, the boys bought a car and drove home. They were 10 and 6.The next great adventure was in 1911. They would win $10,000 if they could ride their horses from NYC to San Francisco in 60 days. It took 62.
...immediately captivated with the book, Bud and Me: The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys, written by Temple Abernathy’s wife.
We want to experience our own “adventure”. Following Bud and Temple’s footsteps will allow us to see major historical and cultural landmarks across the US we have only read or heard about. We want to discover the impact these young boys made on the history of the communities and people they encountered, and we want to know the rest of the story.
A little history of the Abernathy Brothers if you are not familiar with their story. 99 years ago two boys from rural southwest OK, convinced their dad, US Marshall, Jack “Catch ‘em Alive Abernathy, they should be allowed to ride their horses from their home in Tipton, OK to Santa Fe, NM and back. The boys were tired of “hearing” about adventures and wanted to create their own. They studied maps, created itineraries and schemed to convince their dad they were ready for adventure. Jack relented and the boys went on their first adventure in 1909. Louis, or Bud as his brother called him, was 9 years old, and Temple was 5. They traveled over 1000 miles alone on horseback. Later adventures include a 1910 horseback ride to NYC to see their friend Teddy Roosevelt when he returned from an African Safari. After riding in a ticker-tape parade with Teddy Roosevelt, the boys bought a car and drove home. They were 10 and 6.The next great adventure was in 1911. They would win $10,000 if they could ride their horses from NYC to San Francisco in 60 days. It took 62.
...immediately captivated with the book, Bud and Me: The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys, written by Temple Abernathy’s wife.
We want to experience our own “adventure”. Following Bud and Temple’s footsteps will allow us to see major historical and cultural landmarks across the US we have only read or heard about. We want to discover the impact these young boys made on the history of the communities and people they encountered, and we want to know the rest of the story.
# posted by Tracy @ 8:14 AM 
