General Mercantile

Legends and Lore of the Outlaw Trail

Legends & Lore of the Outlaw Trail is an intriguing compilation of tales regarding the clashes between horse thieves, cattle rustlers, swindlers, lawmen, vigilantes, settlers and Native American Indians who encountered each other on what is now referred to as the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway Highway 12.

Marita Placek, of rural Lynch, wrote, collected and compiled stories about characters such as Jesse James, Kid Wade and Doc Middleton. Marita invited others to submit stories passed down through their families regarding wily and brave characters and clandestine events of the past. Placek did not edit or verify the submitted stories. Instead, she presented them as submitted to her.

Readers are invited to compare the various versions of the same events in Legends & Lore of the Outlaw Trail.
Purchase Legends and Lore: $20.00 plus $4.00 postage and handling.

Contact:   Mary Eiler at maryeiler45@gmail.com

Legend and Lore of the Outlaw Trail books are available along the byway at these participating businesses:
Cherry County Tourism Center, Valentine
Plains Trading Co., Valentine
Fort Niobrara Gift Shop, Valentine
Nebraska State Bank, Lynch
The Verdigre Eagle, Verdigre
Niobrara Historical Museum, Niobrara
Niobrara State Park, Niobrara
St. James Marketplace, St. James
Nissen Wines, Hartington

Murder on the Plains . . . .

Murder on the Plains:  A botched hold up at Casterline’s hog ranch bar (watering hole) puts soldiers from Fort Niobrara on the trail of thieves. Their pursuit of law and order ends in the death of one of their own, Lt. Cherry.

Price-$5.00
P&H-$2.00

A Woman Hanged

“A Woman Hanged”

Text material taken from the out of print book,

Vigilante Days by Harold Hutton and used with permission from Niobrara Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary Audubon of Kansas.

A Woman Hanged: Rancher Caroline Holton, of Keya Paha County Nebraska was hung in her cabin. By whom? Why? Did she know too much?

Contact:  Mary Eiler at maryeiler45@gmail.com