Tom Haynes Author Talk Dead Horse Soup

Come learn more about an extraordinary piece of local history. "Dead Horse Soup," a new book by local author Tom Haynes chronicles the true story of Frank Barker, a young Keene man who set out in pursuit of fortune during the legendary Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s. Frank Barker first learned about the rush to the Klondike gold fields through his local newspapers. Beginning on July 17, 1897, almost daily references to the Klondike told a story that anyone with the right fortitude and determination could strike gold. As a young working-class man seeking adventure and wealth in the wake of the depression of the mid-1890s, Barker saw an opportunity he was not willing to pass up."Dead Horse Soup" brings Barker's story to life through his own words — the letters he wrote home from the trail — and the photographs he captured along the way. Together, they reveal both the excitement and the brutal hardships of a two-year quest for gold in one of history's most captivating chapters. Dead Horse Soup is available to borrow from the Keene Public Library and is available for purchase at the Historical Society of Cheshire County Museum Store and online at www.hsccnh.org. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.