Hank the Cowdog Covers

Posted on September 26, 2019 by vanbraman

Today I learned of the passing of Gerald Holmes who was the artist for the Hank the Cowdog series.

Hank the Cowdog, Coyote, John EricksonGerald has illustrated all the Hank the Cowdog books from the the first book, The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, to the The Frozen Rodeo which will be released next month as the 74th in the series.

The Case of the Monster Fire, John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog, BooksAlong with the great stories by John R. Erickson I have always enjoyed the great drawings and cover art in the series.

The Case of the Monster Fire, John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog, BooksI had known about the Hank the Cowdog series before, but the book that really got me interested was The Case of the Monster Fire.

I grew up near where John R. Erickson worked as a cowboy before he moved to the Texas Panhandle and starting to write the Hank the Cowdog books. My home county in Kansas was greatly damaged by the wildfires and many of my friends were affected by the fires. This book really hit home.

Last year I set and completed a challenge to read through the entire Hank the Cowdog series.

Hank the Cowdog, John Erickson, Gerald HolmesThe Case of the Killer Tornado was one book that brought back memories of growing up in Tornado Alley.

Hank the Cowdog, John Erickson, Gerald HolmesThe Case of the Hooking Bull brought back memories of working with cattle when I worked on a ranch.

Hank the Cowdog, John Erickson, Gerald HolmesThis is one of my favorite covers. It’s a Dogs Life was also a really fun book to read.

I just finished looking through some of the Hank the Cowdog books that I have at home. I wanted to enjoy some of the great art work of Gerald Holmes as I remember him tonight.

I am looking forward to reading The Frozen Rodeo once it is available from the library.

Knowing that it is the last book with illustrations by Gerald Holmes will be sad, but it will also bring back memories of a great artist.

Steven

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Virtual Hike to South Bend, Indiana

Posted on September 25, 2019 by vanbraman

The next destination on my Virtual Hike also has a family connection.

Virtual Hike, Dundee Township, South Bend Indiana, Goff to LeeperThis segment of the Virtual Hike started in Dundee Township, Illinois where my Goff ancestors lived. The end point was South Bend, Indiana where Samuel Leeper lived. He was the brother of my 4th great-grandfather Absolom Leeper.

South Bend Indiana, David Rohrer Leeper, Leeper Park, Mayor of South BendMy specific destination in South Bend was Leeper Park.

Leeper Park, South Bend Indiana, David Rohrer LeeperLeeper park is on the National Register of Historic Places. The area was used as a park as early as 1897 and was named Leeper Park in 1900.

The park encompasses 25 acres and includes several historic structures. One of the structures is the cabin of Pierre Navarre who established a fur trading post in 1820 at the future location of South Bend. The cabin was originally north of the river, but was moved to Leeper Park and restored in 1900.

David Rohrer Leeper

David Rohrer Leeper

The park was named for David Rohrer Leeper who was the son of Samuel Leeper. He is my 1st cousin five times removed.

David R. Leeper, Rushing for Gold, Connie and Peter Roop, Diary, Gold Rush, Irish HeritageDavid Rohrer Leeper had an interesting life. At the age of 17 he went to California as a 49’er. He wrote a journal of his journey which is really interesting to read. The book shown above, The Diary of David R. Leeper: Rushing for Gold, is an excerpt from his journal.

You can read more about the California adventures of David in my post California Gold.

After his return from California Leeper became involved in politics and served in the Indiana State Legislature and Senate. He later was elected Mayor of South Bend in 1892 and was then the Police Commissioner until his death in 1900.

David Rohrer Leeper also wrote a book on the Leeper family which has been very helpful in my research.

Someday I would like to actually travel to South Bend and visit the Leeper park.

Now on to the next stop which also has ties to my family history.

Steven

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