The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has an interesting and pertinent relationship with The Iron Horse Chronicles. The movie dramatically tells of the hardships endured by the mountain men who hunted, trapped, and explored the western regions of the United States in the early decades of the nineteenth century. DiCaprio, as of the date of this posting, has won a Golden Globe Award and is nominated for an Academy Award for best actor. He convincingly plays a “revenant,” one who returns after death or a long absence.
Hugh Glass
Hugh Glass, the character DiCaprio portrays, probably suffered more than most of his mountain men compatriots. The stories that have been told about Glass for almost two hundred years, and there have been many and varied ones, describe a heart wrenching tale of injustice and revenge.
The R rated movie is based upon a 2002 novel by Michael Punke. Punke takes literary license with his telling and creates a more dramatic conclusion than probably occurred. I will not reveal how history books present the ending of the Glass saga. I recommend you see the movie and enjoy what I believe to be a realistic portrayal of the life of Hugh Glass and his fellow mountain men. Then, if you are interested, you can explore the bizarre ending that most likely happened.
In Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles—Book One, I introduce Charles “Bullfrog Charlie” Munro, a mountain man who befriends young Will Braddock. Bullfrog helps Braddock learn about the wilderness and aids him in overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Bullfrog is 65 years old when he appears in Eagle Talons, where he reveals Jim Bridger gave him his name. Bullfrog may have been with Bridger on the expedition when Glass was attacked by the bear, but we will never know.
In Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles—Book Two, Bullfrog has his own disastrous encounter with a grizzly. I was aware of the Glass story when I wrote Bear Claws, but I had not read Punke’s novel, nor know about the planned movie. Will Braddock is with Bullfrog when he is attacked in Bear Claws. Later in the book, Will is mauled himself by a grizzly while leading a hunting expedition to the site of a mountain men rendezvous that took place about the time of the Hugh Glass incident.
Jim Bridger
In The Revenant, Jim Bridger was a young man when he was left behind with Thomas Fitzpatrick to bury Hugh Glass after he was expected to die. Bridger was still very much alive forty-five years later during the 1867 to 1869 time period of The Iron Horse Chronicles. Bridger does not appear personally in the trilogy, but in addition to relating that he and Bullfrog hunted and trapped together, Bridger Pass and Fort Bridger appear frequently in both Eagle Talons and Bear Claws. James Felix Bridger can justifiably be considered one of the greatest of the mountain men.
Museum of the Mountain Man
A wonderful place to learn about Bridger, Glass, Fitzpatrick, and other mountain men is the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming. Visit the museum’s website: http://museumofthemountainman.com/. Like so many outstanding places that expand our knowledge and appreciation of the exploration and development of the American West, it takes a little effort to get to Pinedale. Next time you are racing down Interstate 80 through Wyoming, make a side trip that will be well worth your time.
And be sure to read Eagle Talons and Bear Claws.
Once upon a time (probably late 1968) two little princesses frolicked with their father (a commoner) on a beautiful beach on the island of Oahu. Elizabeth, the older princess, had been born in the kingdom of France in 1963. To tell the truth, France was a republic at that time governed by Charles de Gaulle, who undoubtedly thought he should have been a king. Anastasia, the younger princess, was born in 1967 in the kingdom of Hawaii. Well, it was no longer a kingdom then, and hadn’t been for some time. Hawaii had been admitted less than a decade earlier as the fiftieth state in the United States.
After a day enjoying sunshine and laughter in the breaking waves of the Pacific, the trio would return to their Queen Emma Gardens apartment in Honolulu for an early dinner. Then they’d settle in for a session of reading a good book. Raggedy Ann typically joined Princess Anastasia during the engrossing time that Princess Elizabeth entertained us all with a grand fairy tale.
The princesses grew up, but they still share time with their father. In 2015 they came to Nevada, the magical land of never-ending entertainment, to assist in The Iron Horse Chronicles’ book signing event held at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Beth, standing to my right, is dressed as Jenny McNabb, a principal character in my historical, frontier trilogy. Stacy, to my left, is wearing more traditional western wear.
Lodgepole Creek features prominently in Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One. The creek rises in the Laramie Range of the Rocky Mountains in southeastern Wyoming, flows eastward across the southwestern corner of Nebraska, and joins the South Platte River near Julesburg in the northeastern corner of Colorado. This map, contained in Eagle Talons, shows this important watershed which was chosen by the Union Pacific as its route westward during the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.
Last year the Historical Novel Society reviewed Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One. Quote: “He has mixed fictional and historical characters with great success by adding depth to their character descriptions. The novel is rich in historical detail about the early transcontinental railroad and the Hell on Wheels, a temporary community that would follow the construction of the railroad.” The link to that review: 
As the author of The Iron Horse Chronicles, I wish all of my readers a Happy New Year. 2015 was a successful year for me as a writer. Eagle Talons, the first book in my trilogy about the quest of a young man who heads west at the time of the building of the first transcontinental railroad, won the 2015 Bronze Will Rogers Medallion Award for western fiction for younger readers. It was a thrill to join all of the first-class authors of books in many western genres at the Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, in October to receive the award.
In November 2015, Bear Claws, the second book, was released by Five Star Publishing. It has received many excellent reviews. Most importantly, numerous readers have personally expressed their pleasure in being able to continue to follow the adventures of Will Braddock in his quest to determine his own destiny. I will be submitting Bear Claws for consideration for a 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award. Keep your fingers crossed.
Following double rib lamb chops for me and petite filet mignon for Barbara, plus assorted other courses, we finished the evening with Michael’s marvelous Cherries Jubilee.
Merry Christmas from the Robert Lee Murphy family. This photograph captures us shortly before we left home to go to the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 12, 2015, for the book signing during the last day of the National Finals Rodeo. Daughter Beth is in costume as Jenny McNabb, one of the principal characters in The Iron Horse Chronicles. Daughter Stacy and my wife, Barbara, are sporting their western outfits. We all fit right in with the cowboys and cowgirls we encountered during the book signing event.
On Saturday, December 12, 2015, the Robert Lee Murphy family held a book signing at South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. My wife, Barbara, assisted in manning the table where I autographed copies of Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, and Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two. We offered hardcover copies of both books plus a paperback, large print copy of Eagle Talons.
Daughter Beth came from California to reprise her role from last year as Jenny McNabb, a leading character in The Iron Horse Chronicles. Daughter Stacy joined us from Kentucky to make her appearance outfitted as a cowgirl. They encouraged passing guests attending the National Finals Rodeo activities at South Point to stop at the book signing table to meet the author and buy an autographed copy of a book or two. Originally scheduled to run from noon until 4 pm, we continued to visit with book lovers until 5 pm. Then, we all went home exhausted after a successful event. We extend our appreciation to the staff at the South Point Casino for their help in making the afternoon a successful one.
South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host a book signing for Robert Lee Murphy on Saturday, December 12, 2015, from noon until 4 pm. Please stop by the Silverado Lounge and say hello. I will be there to autograph both Eagle Talons and Bear Claws, the first and second books in The Iron Horse Chronicles. My daughters, Beth and Stacy, and my wife, Barbara, will be there to assist.
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