Murder on Bonanza Creek
by Charles Shugart Jr.

EXCERPT

Prologue

Jonathan Tibbs had recently turned nineteen years of age. But his adventures had begun months earlier, on his family’s Kansas farm. Gold had been found in a far northern place called the Klondike. Newspapers headlined the discovery – “A TON OF GOLD!”

Within a week Jonathan had left for the north: by train to Seattle, and then by ship up the Inside Passage. More than just a dangerous journey on uncharted waters, Jonathan’s voyage included robbery. And murder. Arriving in Skagway, he worked a few months. He had to save enough money to satisfy the requirements of the Northwest Mounted Police, who told all the Argonauts to bring a year’s worth of food, plus survival gear, or they could not enter British Canada. But Skagway offered more than a place to work. There was the murderous “Dictator” of the new town – Soapy Smith. Jonathan found himself working for Smith in one of Soapy’s few legitimate businesses – the stables. Skagway was dangerous and wild, but it was not without interest. And there was a pretty girl named Michelle. Rescuing the sixteen-year old from the clutches of Klondike Nell, and the attack of a drunken brute, Jonathan and Michelle soon became inseparable. But destiny and common sense had led Michelle back to her family in Boston.

By mid-winter Jonathan was ready to hit the Chilkoot Trail. The coastal mountains were deep in the grip of winter’s bitter cold. Frostbite was a daily concern. Jonathan had to carry his 2,000 pounds of supplies on his back – sixty pounds at a time – up the steep trail and over the mountain pass, and then down to the edge of Lake Bennett. It took more than 8 weeks. Including all the round trips he made, Jonathan figured he hiked almost 3,000 miles up and down the Chilkoot.

But all of that was merely hard work. Something happened that was far worse. Soon after beginning the trail, Jonathan was joined by his cousin and best friend, Jedediah Tibbs. Within a week of Jed’s arrival, the 2 young men were brutally attacked while asleep. Jonathan was knocked unconscious. Jedediah was murdered. Swearing revenge, Jonathan continued his labors up the Chilkoot Trail. Hooking up with an old sourdough prospector named Alaska Charlie, the two became friends and partners. They still had to build a boat and float down the Yukon River when the ice broke. All the while, Jonathan was searching for the killers of his cousin. He would have his revenge.

Back to Order Page

writing writers software