The Remarkable Ride of the Abernathy Boys Traditional Cache
The Remarkable Ride of the Abernathy Boys
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Another Tillman County history cache. This cache honors two of Tillman County's favorite sons, Bud & Temple Abernathy. The cache is small & will hold the log & a geocoin or the like. Bring your own pen. Since this is a public space and geocaching is not widely known in the area, stealth should be exercised in a casual tourist sort of way. Thanks for coming to Tillman County!
In the summer of 1909 the Abernathy brothers set off alone on horseback, riding from their Cross Roads ranch in Tillman County to Santa Fe, New Mexico and back. Louie (Bud) was nine years old. Temple was only five. On April 5, 1910, with Bud and Temple astride their horses Sam Bass and Geronimo, the boys traveled east. They were on the trail for two months, riding to meet their friend, former President Theodore Roosevelt, as he returned to New York City from an African safari. Along the way, the brothers fell in love with automobiles. They bought a Brush Runabout in New York, and Bud and Temple drove themselves home, making the trip in just twenty-three days. When Temple was seven and Bud was eleven, they were challenged to ride from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific in sixty days. At stake was a $10,000 prize. The boys left from Coney Island on August 11, 1911, and - 3,619 miles later - arrived at the Pacific just two days late. Although they did not win the prize, they set a record for the fastest cross-country ride on horseback. This record has never been broken. The Abernathys made their last long-distance ride in June 1913, driving a custom designed, two-seat, twin-engine Indian motorcycle from their Cross Roads Ranch to New York City. This time they returned to Oklahoma by train. Temple grew up to be an oilman, and Bud became a lawyer. Both settled and raised families in north Texas. However, it was in Tillman County that the remarkable Abernathy brothers - the youngest long riders - began and ended their greatest adventures.
In 2006, Frederick honored its favorite sons by commissioning a painting by local artist Larry Greer, and a statue by Dr. Gary Gardner. The statue stands proudly on the Tillman County Courthouse square. In 2007, the Frederick Chamber of Commerce commissioned the striking of commemerative coins, several of which are now roaming the land as travel bugs.
If you have time, you should see the exhibit covering the boys at the Pioneer Townsite Museum in the big red barn. It contains an actual Brush Runabout car. You can also pick up a few books about the boys in the visitor center. If you'd like more infomation on Bud & Temple Abernathy check out these websites:
(visit link) (visit link) (article from June 12, 1910 New York Times)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Rqhpngr lbhefrys nobhg gur oblf.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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