Category Archives: Eagle Talons – Book One

Will Braddock and Buffalo Bill

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Will Braddock, The Iron Horse Chronicles‘ protagonist, and Buffalo Bill led similar lives in their early years. You can read more about Buffalo Bill in a posting I wrote on July 21, 2016, in Mad About MG History. If you are … Continue reading →

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Bear Claws Finalist for 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two, has been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award in the category for Younger Readers. Eagle Talons, the first book in the trilogy about Will Braddock and his quest … Continue reading →

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Fourth of July 1867 in Cheyenne

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Will Braddock, in Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, experienced the Fourth of July in 1867 at the founding of the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Some historians hold the position that General Grenville M. Dodge, Chief Engineer for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2016 Spur Awards

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Western Writers of America awarded the 2016 Spur Awards to the winners Saturday night, June 25, at its annual convention in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I want to give a big shout out to all the winners. I am proud to be … Continue reading →

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Traveling the Hundredth Meridian Expedition Route

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Today, you can travel via Interstate 80 some of the Hundredth Meridian Expedition Route taken in 1866 by 150 special guests of the Union Pacific Railroad. I wrote about the “First Wild West Show” on June 6, 2016. That post discussed how the Union Pacific’s “Doc” … Continue reading →

Posted in Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Museums and Parks, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The First Wild West Show

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

The first wild west show was a complete surprise to its audience. The incentive for staging that performance was not to sell theatrical tickets. The show was gratuitous. It was a celebration for having won a race—the first race in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Central Pacific, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Golden Spike - Book Three, Indians, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

SCBWI Summer Reading List 2016

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators has released the SCBWI Summer Reading List 2016. Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One is included. The following link will take you to the reading list organized by Divisions, or geographical regions, where … Continue reading →

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Bear Claws Reviewed by Railroad History Magazine

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Railroad History, the journal of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, reviewed Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two, in its Spring-Summer 2016 issue, Number 214. In my post of November 9, 2015, I wrote about Railroad History’s review of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Review, Central Pacific, Eagle Talons - Book One, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fetterman Massacre

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

The Fetterman Massacre figures only peripherally in The Iron Horse Chronicles. In Eagle Talons, Jenny McNabb and her family are forced to follow the Overland Trail on their journey westward in 1867 rather than use the Oregon Trail. Because of the Fetterman … Continue reading →

Posted in Army, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Indians, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Virginia Dale Station, Colorado

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

In Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, Jenny McNabb buries her mother behind the Virginia Dale stagecoach station in northern Colorado. Virginia Dale served as one of the “home stations” on the Overland Trail. When Jenny passed through in 1867, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, Museums and Parks, Stagecoaches, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Trails | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment