I have a bit of personal attachment to the Jesse James story because the house we built in Richmond, Missouri backed up to the cemetery where Robert (Bob) Ford was buried. Ford was the man who shot Jesse James in St Joseph. His tombstone reads, Robert Ford, “The man who shot Jesse James”. While in …
Remembering the 4th grade A significant portion of my readers are, or were, Missouri residents. I think that most of these people remember the 4th grade Missouri History unit. Part of that unit was usually a field trip to Fort Osage. Even though we have all been there, myself included, I bet only a few …
I’m thrilled to show everyone the cover for my next book, “Hippie War: Battle for the Harrisonville Square”. For those of you who enjoy seeing how the sausage is made, I started with the idea shown in the image with the blank back cover. That eventually moved over time to the final version which is the …
The Kingdom of Amarugia was located in an area in Cass County between Freeman, Archie, and Drexel. Much of the land is now a conservation area containing a 45-acre, man-made lake which was finished in 1987. The strange part of the story is that this “Kingdom of Amarugia” created its own government in the early …
The Battle of Pea Ridge is labeled by some historians as the “Battle that Saved Missouri for the Union”. I have been trying to get to the Pea Ridge Na樂威壯 tional Military Park for several years. Jill and I were there in 2020, but the visitors center was closed with no guides or pamphlets to …
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was located at 2123 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri. If you are approaching from the north, you will drive past Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque before arriving at the intersection of Brooklyn and 22nd streets and the small park that memorializes the location of the old stadium. To be honest; I was ready …
I have always been fascinated, in a sort of macabre way, with this story. The reader comments and interest in the story tell me that many others share that interest as well. As I was doing the research on the story, I felt like every thread I pulled led to more threads. There were two …
I want to start this final entry in the series with a bit of a disclaimer. If you have read the book, Charlie Simpson Apocalypse, you know that 75% of the book covers what happened after the shooting. The newspaper accounts of the time cover mostly the shooting itself. This lack of coverage after the …
I was honored to be asked to speak with the Mary Sibley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Harrisonville on Saturday, April 16th. It was great to speak to this group of people with a passion for local history. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity for me to speak about the …
As mentioned at the end of part 1 of this series, the fuse that lit the fireworks occurred in front of the Sears store on the SW corner of the square on April 20th. A crowd of approximately 25 hippies had gathered in front of the Sears store. Don Foster, the manager of the Sears …
