In high school I had to read Allan W. Eckert‘s The Frontiersmen as summer reading leading into my junior year for AP US History. We actually had a test the first day of class if I recall. The Frontiersmen is a historical narrative that follows the lives of Simon Kenton and Tecumseh with the backdrop of westward expansion into the Northwest Territory. Kenton was one of America’s first heroes. A general in the War of 1812, runner of the Gauntlet and he also rescued Daniel Boone‘s life in his spare time. The monument in Oak Dale Cemetery is one of the cooler grave markers I’ve ever seen. On each side is a head: Indiana, Bear, Wolf and a Mountain Lion. In other words what Kenton had to contend with on a daily basis.

Side Notes:

* I was in Urbana for a little trout fishing on the Mad River. As usual I didn’t catch anything.
** Previous fishing trips:  2009, 2005.