Ex-policeman pens novel about Pony Express

Author Bob Faulkner, 67, spent 20 years as a Los Angeles policeman, but his new novel "The Buffalo Rock" has nothing to do with modern urban crime.

It details the thrills and adventures of an early priority mailman - one Tornado Tom Thomas of the Pony Express.

"I had this story rattling around in my head for years," said Faulkner, a lower valley resident.

About four years ago, he began researching and spinning the tale of young reporter Grant Collins who, in 1923, seeks out the last living Pony Express rider, the aforementioned Tornado Tom.

Collins finds him living in Fort Benton then begins chronicling his adventures, including his stint with the Pony Express in 1860 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Faulkner laughed as he recalled the advertised qualifications for riders.

Originally, he said he pictured riders as looking like Wild Bill Hickok. Through research, he learned Hickok was too big so he became a station agent and wrangler for the Pony Express instead of a rider.

"They were specifically looking for small, skinny guys - orphans preferred - because they didn't know if they would come home," Faulkner said.

To overcome that rather dismal prospect, the Pony Express offered riders $100 a month, a tremendous wage in that era. Riders also were issued weapons to fend off frequent attacks although most opted not to carry the heavy pistols.

"Company policy was 'don't fight - run for it,'" he said.

Riders galloped 10 to 15 miles between horse changes, sitting on a "mochila," a sort of blanket thrown on top of the saddle that held letters and packages locked in pouches. Express riders crossed the country to Sacramento, Calif., in about 10 days.

Faulkner said he remains intrigued by how the Pony Express continues to fascinate the nation, considering the service- made obsolete by the telegraph - folded after just one year.

"One of the last big things they did was carry Abe Lincoln's inaugural address to California," Faulkner said. "That's what kept California in the Union."

He dropped a clue that this historic event plays into the foundation of his novel.

Faulkner took the name of Tom's Montana ranch, "The Buffalo Rock," as the title for his epic 615-page story published in August by Stand Up America, USA, the Flathead Valley multimedia company founded by retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely.

A national political commentator and author, Vallely praised Faulkner's book

as "one of the best yarns I have read in years." The book also was reviewed and recommended by Gerald Molen, the Academy-Award-winning producer of "Schindler's List" and by prolific writer Bill Brooks.

Brooks, author of the recent "The Stone Garden: The Epic Life of Billy the Kid," compared the book to such classics as "The Virginian" and "Little Big Man." He complimented the book's humor, history and insight into the character of men who become legend.

For Faulkner, Brook's praise was especially gratifying since he admires his writing.

"I've read a bunch of his books," he said.

A self-described voracious reader, Faulkner said he grew up in Indiana with an insatiable appetite for the written word, particularly history. He ended up in California as a young man after serving in the Marine Corps.

That's when an ad in the Los Angeles Times for police officers jumped off the page at him.

"When I was a kid, everyone watched 'Dragnet,'" he said.

He applied and was accepted for the police academy. A career of almost 20 years followed with the Los Angeles Police Department.

"Those really were the good old days of being an L.A. police officer," he said. "I have a thousand police stories to tell."

He retired in 1983 but continued working for a time as a private investigator and then a representative of the National Rifle Association. Faulkner moved here about 15 years ago, and his literary career blossomed.

"I had the ambition for years to become a writer," he said.

Faulkner joined the Writers of the Flathead to work on his book idea. Through their meetings, classes and seminars, he refined his novel's plot, fleshed out his characters and researched the eras of his story.

A stickler for accuracy, Faulkner checked out everything from guns to iconic western characters. He even made sure he described his street scenes correctly.

"I had to dig up the history of when streets were paved," Faulkner said. "Fort Benton had paved streets in 1923."

As Tom, his niece Dixie, the young reporter Grant Collins and many other characters evolved, the author developed flow charts to keep track of how they were all related. As he wrote, he said they became very real to him.

"I even had dreams about them," he said.

Readers who would like to meet his characters may purchase the book at Borders, Amazon.com, Standupamericausa.com or bobfaulkner.com. The price varies.

Those who would like to meet the author and purchase "The Buffalo Rock" may do so at a book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, at the Vista Linda Restaurant Pavilion located just north of MacKinaw's Grill in Somers.

Along with Faulkner, Vallely also will autograph his books "Endgame" and "Baghdad Ablaze" at the reception that features wine and hors d'ouevres.

Even as the print dries on this novel, Faulkner has new works in development drawing from those thousand stories from his career as an L.A. policeman.

"I really do enjoy writing," he said. "It always was a desire. Now it's an absolute passion."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.