Frank Will Be Signing in Salem on the 7th! (of December, that is!)

Hi friends! Just an advance notice that Frank Young will be in Salem, Oregon on Wednesday, December 7th. As part of the Holiday Open House at the Oregon State Capitol, I'll be one of around 20 authors signing Oregon-themed books.

As The Road To Destiny ends in Salem, Oregon, it's an apt place for the signing. The three-hour Open House will also feature a 27 ft.tall Noble Fir tree, surrounded by a replica village of historic Salem, and an A.C. Gilbert train. There'll also be live music and a food tasting.

The event takes place on 12/7 from 4 to 7 PM. The State Capitol is located at 900 Court St. NE in Salem, Oregon. I hope to see you there! Bring your copy of The Road To Destiny and I'll be happy to autograph it for you!

In a vaguely related photo-op, here's a shot of David Lasky, as he inked one of the final pages of the graphic novel, in a sequence that takes place in the Salem of the late 1860s...

Here is the finished, published version of that page--one of the most nicely-drawn parts of the book!

Names Hill--Where OT Travelers Left Their Mark

One of my favorite moments in The Road to Destiny occurs when the Weston family reaches Names Hill.

This was a powerful milestone in the Oregon Trail journey for any of its travelers. Located in Wyoming, by the Green River, Names Hill was a popular stopping-off point for journeyers. According to Wikipedia, the earliest names carved by European-American trekkers are dated 1822--27 years before the fictitious Westons made their trek.

The names on our version of Names Hill are mostly those of friends and loved ones--little "in jokes" for those significant folks in our lives. One friend's name rhymes with Names Hill, I just realized.

Below are some of the photo images we used as reference for this sequence in the book. Names Hill is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it's great that this document of the real travelers of the Oregon Trail is preserved for future generations to witness.

Ferries--Safe Passage Over Perilous Waters

 Though much of the Oregon Trail journey took the travelers across dry, open land, there were rivers to cross. Some were simple creeks, which could be forded without preparation. Others, such as the Green River, were formidable bodies of fast-moving water.

To cross such a raging river without a ferry was folly, at best and suicide at worst. A ferry was set up in the early 1840s by a group of mountain men--fur traders who preceded the Oregon Trail emigrants to the vast wild of the Western United States.

The ferry was sold to a group of Mormons around 1850. Eventually, it was purchased by a man named Lombard--and belatedly named after him.

The black-and-white photo above is a re-creation of this primitive but effective ferry. Here is David's interpretation of this yet-unnamed ferry--which was still operated by mountain men as our main players, the Weston family, safely cross the deadly waters:

Another Review!

Self-described "comic book pundit/advocate/educator and comedic actor/performer" Corey Blake has reviewed our book on his blog.


In his words, our book is "targeted to preteens but it’s smart enough for older readers. The authors have done extensive research into personal accounts and other historic documents to get as accurate as possible. They tell an engaging story from the perspective of a fictional 11-year-old girl whose family makes the trek from Baltimore, Maryland, to Oregon in 1848."


From one improv comedian to another--thanks!

Natural Wonders of the Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail journeyers saw plenty of wide open, sparsely-adorned prairie. They also were wowed by natural wonders such as this twin sensation--Jail Rock and Courthouse Rock.

Here is David's fascinating interpretation of these two aptly-paired rock towers:

(This is the right half of a double-page spread. See the spread to its full effect in the book!)

Buffalo Chips: The Shocking Truth!

We'll spare you an illustration. David rendered this all-organic prairie alternative to wood several times in the course of The Road To Destiny.

When I wrote this book, I thought about how to approach this very real aspect of frontier life. I knew that the mention of "buffalo chips" would cause boy readers to smirk and guffaw--much as I would have done, in my childhood.

The best way to lay it on the table is as matter-of-factly as the emigrants would have faced the issue. Picking up the droppings of buffalo is no Sunday picnic, then or now. With trees at a premium--one that would increase tenfold as more people took the Oregon Trail trip--the dried leavings of these hoofed beasts were a traveler's best insurance of being able to cook a hot meal, boil water for drinking, shaving and washing, and (most importantly) make coffee.

David did a beautiful job on this page, in which Rebecca makes a practical decision between great literature and fuel for the fire:

Our First Review (That We Know Of)!

Barbara Lloyd McMichael reviewed The Road To Destiny for the Bellingham, Washington Herald. Here's what she says about our book:

So now for something completely different: "Oregon Trail: The Road to Destiny." Sasquatch Books has just published this graphic novel by two Seattle cartoonists, Frank Young and David Lasky.

The story follows the fictional Weston family as it sets out on the Oregon Trail in 1848. We experience their bumpy progress and misadventures through the eyes of 11-year-old Rebecca Weston.

This is a story with action and pizzazz: SMASH! THUD! GRRRRRR... typical cartoon sound effects abound as the overland party fords rivers, meets with Indians, hunts game, crosses treacherous mountains, and copes with drought, disease, and heart-wrenching loss.

There is plenty of historical information packed into these energetic pages, but kids are so busy being entertained they won't resist being educated at the same time - heck, they won't even notice!

See Ms. McMichael's review in the Bellingham Herald HERE. We've gotten a couple of nice reviews on amazon.com, and we hope to get more press coverage of the book this fall. In the meantime, Thanks, Barbara!