Louis Van "Bud" Abernathy (December 17, 1899 – March 6, 1979) and Temple Reeves "Temp" Abernathy (March 25, 1904 – December 10, 1986) were children from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

who, without adult supervision, took several cross-country trips. On one trip they rode on horseback from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in 1910 when they were 10 and 6 years old.

Early years and journeys

Louis (sometimes styled Louie) Abernathy was born in Texas in 1899 and Temple Abernathy was born in 1904 in

Tipton, Oklahoma Tipton is a town in the western part of Tillman County, Oklahoma, Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 847 at the United States 2010 census, a 31.6 percent decline from 1,238 in 2000. Tipton also is home to Tipton Home, ori ...

. Their father was cowboy and U.S. Marshal

Jack Abernathy John Reeves "Catch-'em-alive Jack" Abernathy (January 11, 1876 - January 8, 1941) was an American cowboy, U.S. marshal, and western legend from Bosque County, Texas. Early life He was born on January 11, 1876, to Martin Van Buren Abernathy and ...

. In 1909 the boys rode by

horseback Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

from

Frederick, Oklahoma Frederick is a city and county seat of Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2010 census. It is an agriculture-based community that primarily produces wheat, cotton, and cattle. Frederick is home to three dai ...

, to

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

, and back. Louis was nine, and Temple was five. When the boys completed their Santa Fe journey, they began planning a cross-country horseback ride to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, again by themselves, to meet

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

when he returned from his trip to Africa and Europe. They made that trip in 1910. They were greeted as celebrities, and rode their horses in a ticker-tape parade just behind the car carrying Roosevelt. While in New York, the boys purchased a small

Brush Motor Car Brush Motor Car Company (1907-1909), later the Brush Runabout Company (1909-1913), was based in Highland Park, Michigan. History The company was founded by Alanson Partridge Brush (February 10, 1878, Michigan – March 6, 1952, Michigan). He ...

, which they drove, again by themselves, back to Oklahoma, shipping their horses home by train. In 1911, they accepted a challenge to ride horseback from New York to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 60 days or less. They agreed not to eat or sleep indoors at any point of the journey. They would collect a $10,000 prize if they succeeded. After a long trip, they arrived in San Francisco in 62 days, thereby losing the prize but setting a record for the time elapsed for the trip. In 1913, the boys purchased an

Indian motorcycle Indian Motorcycle (or ''Indian'') is an American brand of motorcycles owned and produced by American automotive manufacturer Polaris Inc.New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. This was their last documented adventure.

Later years and legacy

Louis later graduated from the

University of Oklahoma Law School The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Oklahoma. It is located on the University's campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The College of Law was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the OU Boa ...

and became a lawyer in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...

. Louis died in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

in 1979. Temple worked in the oil and gas business.Staff report (May 30, 2004). Adventurous Oklahoma boys are worthy of a statue. ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter acc ...

'' Temple Abernathy died in

Teague, Texas Teague is a city in Freestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,384 at the 2020 census. Settlement The area was first settled around the time of the Civil War. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, a small community k ...

in 1986.

Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the Social Security Administration, United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Mas ...

Although they were noted celebrities at the time of their travels, they have almost disappeared from history.

, celebrates their Santa Fe ride each year and has erected a statue of the boys and has dedicated part of the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

website to promoting the boys' memory.

In media

Mass media had extensive coverage of the boys at the time of their travels. They were the subjects of the 1910 film ''Abernathy Kids to the Rescue''. Temple Abernathy's widow, Alta Abernathy, wrote ''Bud and Me,'' a book about their adventures.Abernathy, Alta; Harris, Barbara (1998). ''Bud & Me : The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys. L.J hunt had written a book about them called "The Abernathy Boys."'' Dove Creek Press,

References

External links

Bud & Me : The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys

Frederick Chamber of Commerce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abernathy Boys Of Oklahoma People from Frederick, Oklahoma