Tag Archives: Middle Grade Fiction

Wyoming History News Reviews Bear Claws

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Wyoming History News reviewed Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two in its June 2016 issue. The News is published ten times a year for members of the Wyoming State Historical Society. Distribution is to members only, and no copies are … Continue reading →

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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

Orphans Preferred

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. So read an 1860 poster advertising for riders for the Pony Express. As many of the readers of this blog are aware, … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Trails | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 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

Wyoming State Historical Society

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

I am now a proud member of the Wyoming State Historical Society. WSHS is a non-profit membership driven organization that encourages the study of Wyoming history. The Wyoming State Historical Society was founded in 1953 and has members across Wyoming and the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Awards, Geography, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Golden Spike Acquired by Five Star Publishing

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

Golden Spike, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Three, has been acquired by Five Star Publishing. Over the next several months, I will be engaged with Five Star’s editorial staff in polishing the manuscript to get it ready for publication. The book … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Pacific, Golden Spike - Book Three, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Nineteenth Century Internet

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Robert Lee Murphy

The title “Nineteenth Century Internet” may be a stretch, but in effect that was what the invention of the telegraph did for the world in the middle of the 1800s. I wrote about this phenomenon in my regular blog post on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Central Pacific, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Golden Spike - Book Three, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments