Hi everyone! I’m re-running a blog of mine that has recently gotten some interest on our reader page since I posted a picture of Bud and Temple Abernathy on their special-made Indian motorcycle at the ages of thirteen and nine years old! These boys had quite an adventurous childhood, so let’s start at the very beginning, with their FIRST independent trip, from Oklahoma to New Mexico–at the ages of nine and five!
In the summer of 1909, two young brothers under the age of ten set out to make their own “cowboy dreams” come true. They rode across two states on horseback. Alone.![Temple_&_Bud_in_Manhattan--1910page81-2[1]](https://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Temple__Bud_in_Manhattan-1910page81-21.JPG "Temple_&_Bud_in_Manhattan--1910page81-2[1]")
It’s a story that sounds too unbelievable to be true, but it is.
Oklahoma had been a state not quite two years when these young long riders undertook the adventure of a lifetime. The brothers, Bud (Louis), and Temple Abernathy rode from their Tillman County ranch in the southwest corner of the state to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bud was nine years old, and Temple was five.
They were the sons of a U.S. Marshal, Jack Abernathy, who had the particular talent of catching wolves and coyotes alive, earning him the nickname “Catch ’Em Alive Jack.”
Odd as it seems to us today, Jack Abernathy had unwavering faith in his two young sons’ survival skills. Their mother had died the year before, and, as young boys will, they had developed a wanderlust listening to their father’s stories.
Jack agreed to let them undertake the journey, Bud riding Sam Bass (Jack’s own Arabian that he used chase wolves down with) and Temple riding Geronimo, a half-Shetland pony. There were four rules the boys had to agree to: Never to ride more than fifty miles a day unless seeking food or shelter; never to cross a creek unless they could see the bottom of it or have a guide with them; never to carry more than five dollars at a time; and no riding on Sunday. ![Temple_and_Bud_in_Amarillo2[1]](https://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Temple_and_Bud_in_Amarillo21.JPG "Temple_and_Bud_in_Amarillo2[1]")
The jaunt into New Mexico to visit their father’s friend, governor George Curry, took them six weeks. Along the way, they were escorted by a band of outlaws for many miles to ensure their safe passage. The boys didn’t realize they were outlaws until later, when the men wrote to Abernathy telling him they didn’t respect him because he was a marshal. But, in the letter, they wrote they “liked what those boys were made of.”
One year later, they set out on the trip that made them famous. At ten and six, the boys rode from their Cross Roads Ranch in Frederick, Oklahoma, to New York City to meet their friend, former president Theodore Roosevelt, on his return from an African safari. They set out on April 5, 1910, riding for two months.
Along the way, they were greeted in every major city, being feted at dinners and amusement parks, given automobile rides, and even an aeroplane ride by Wilbur Wright in Dayton, Ohio.
Their trip to New York City went as planned, but they had to buy a new horse to replace Geronimo. While they were there, he had gotten loose in a field of clover and nearly foundered, and had to be shipped home by train.
They traveled on to Washington, D.C., and met with President Taft and other politicians.
It was on this trip that the brothers decided they needed an automobile of their own. They had fallen in love with the new mode of transportation, and they convinced their father to buy a Brush runabout. After practicing for a few hours in New York, they headed for Oklahoma—Bud drove, and Temple was the mechanic.
They arrived safe and sound back in Oklahoma in only 23 days.
But their adventures weren’t over. The next year, they were challenged to ride from New York City to San Francisco. If they could make it in 60 days, they would win $10,000. Due to some bad weather along the 3,619-mile-long trip, they missed the deadline by only two days. Still, they broke a record—and that record of 62 days still stands, over one hundred years later.
The boys’ last cross country trip was made in 1913 driving a custom designed, two-seat motorcycle from their Cross Roads Ranch to New York City. They returned to Oklahoma by train.
As adults, Temple became an oilman, and Bud became a lawyer. There is a statue that commemorates the youngest long riders ever in their hometown of Frederick, Oklahoma, on the lawn of the Tillman County Courthouse.
![StatueBoys[1]](https://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/StatueBoys1-225x300.jpg "StatueBoys[1]")
CHERYL’S AMAZON LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5tmjz4s8
A native Oklahoman, I've been influenced by the west all my life. I love to write short stories and novels in the historical western and western romance genres, as well as contemporary romantic suspense! Check my Amazon author page to see my work: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
I live in Oklahoma City with my husband of 40 years. I love to hear from readers and other authors--you can contact me here: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
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What a cool duo!
Weren’t they, Denise? I was amazed by all they did!
What an amazing story that is.
I agree, Elaine. Those boys were fascinating.
Hey Cheryl! Wow. Just wow. I can’t even imagine! Very impressive. Thanks for the story Cheryl!
You’re welcome, Tracy. My pleasure! I loved reading about them, and learning about all the amazing things they did.
Fascinating story,
I thought so, too, Janice. I can’t even imagine doing all that as young as they were. I can’t even imagine doing it as a grown up! LOL
Wow this seem unreal to me.
I know it! Their adventures were really amazing–I can’t imagine their father letting them go on these trips, but he promised them and he felt like he had to keep the promise.
What a feat, especially the first because of.their ages!
I know–I would have been worried SICK as a parent. Evidently, the father was confident in their abilities. But if their mom had been living, I’m not so sure she’d have gone along with it.
Love it!!! They sure were ahead of their time! And, how wonderful that their record still stands!!
I am so glad that no one has ever broken their record. That really is a fantastic achievement–really ALL of what they did was. Hard to believe what they accomplished at such a young age.
Hard to believe, but in those days they were made of sterner stuff. lol
Boy, you’ve got that right, Sarah! I know back then kids did a lot of things that now, as parents, we would just cringe at. But they did it, for sure!
What an amazing story.
Thanks, Linda. I totally agree. This is one of the most amazing true stories that I know of.
Thank you so much for that history about the two boys. I cannot imagine my sons going anywhere outside of their town, let alone, long distance riding. Having such an adventurous father gave them idea and their father’s encouragement did the rest. What a pair! There is so much history most people do not know. That is what libraries are for. Right? Thank you again.
Judy, I wish so much that this kind of thing had been taught in school–you’re right about all the history that is really kind of lost. I know there’s not enough time to teach every single thing, but these kinds of stories are so wonderful, I just think how inspirational they would be for so many young kids.
Wow! I can only imagine what their mom would have said had she been alive!
HA! I thought the same thing, Barbara! I bet those trips would have never happened if she had been living, for sure.
What an amazing story!
It really is, Sarah. One of the most amazing stories I know of, because it’s true, and because they were so young, and did it so many times. I know they must have been so sad to have missed the deadline on that one trip by two days and lost out on winning that $10,000. That was such HUGE money back then.
Thanks for telling us about this!
Rachel, you are so welcome. This is such a fabulous story, I wish everyone could know about these kids!
This is a very interesting story.
Bonnie, I’m so glad you enjoyed this. I think they made a movie about them many years ago, but it was one of those that went straight to cable. I would love to see it.
Good afternoon, wow, what an amazing story! Thank you for sharing it with us. Have a great week.
Alicia, thanks so much for stopping by and reading–I’m so glad you enjoyed this. I sure did enjoy researching it. You have a wonderful week, too!
Children had to grow up so much faster back then. They were also given so much more responsibility. They learned how to work well and how to fend for themselves. Still, I can’t imagine having them take on those kind of trips at such young ages. In todays world their dad would be arrested for child neglect and endangerment at the very least. The world is also not as accepting and giving in some ways as it was back then. They had some very busy and very good guardian angels. They were obviously intelligent, capable took more than individuals. That was reflected in their success as adults.
I do wonder how they got their money. Their dad telling them not to have more than $5 on them would indicate they had the ability to get more. Did dad wire it? Did they have a bank account of some sort they could draw from? What they were doing, shipping a horse home by train and buying a car, took more money than many people had ack then.
Patricia, it is very hard to think about them taking those kinds of trips at such young ages, but their father must have had great confidence in both of them. I think it’s an awful lot of pressure on the older boy to have to make sure everything was perking along on such a trip and that the younger one was okay. But I imagine, the both of them cooperated very well with one another–they were all they had on such an adventure. The money question is a good one. Could be they depended on having enough provisions with them to not have to spend much on anything at all, and they did have friends along the way to stay with from time to time, so perhaps they gave them money and the dad reimbursed them. I don’t know–it would be a good thing to research if there is anything about it out there.
I can just imagine what they talked about at night when they laid down to go to sleep, can’t you? Such adventures!