In May 1952 the only thing the twins wanted, was to finish the fourth grade and start their summer vacation. Charles and James Walker, better known as Charley and Jimbo, were like most nine-year-olds. They were anxious to forget school, books and lessons and plunge head long into a summer of fun.
And that's just how their summer started until their dog, Buddy, began digging in the creek bank. Jimbo, the curious one, went to see what his dog found so interesting. That's when he uncovered something amazing. From then on the summer of fun became a summer of surprise, mystery and, at times, frustration.
At first they tried to keep secret what Jimbo had unearthed. However when their Grandpa Robert Boyer, found his grain bucket in the tree house, the very bucket where the boys had hidden their booty, the secret was lost.
When Mary saw the things her sons had hidden, she was upset. Dwayne, the boys' stepfather, got excited. Robert and Sarah, Mary's parents and grandparents to the boys, were confused. The brother's two-year-old sister, Katy, could care less but their great-grandfather, Jonah Boyer, or Papa Jo as he was known, got very quiet and very worried.
Once the family knew what had been found, it wasn't long before others were made aware of the brothers' discovery. By the end of the summer anybody that could read a newspaper knew the story of a union soldier killed in a landslide and about the boys who found him. But none of readers knew, nor did any of those close to the situation know, how to resolve the mystery of his origins.
For Charley and Jimbo it was an exciting adventure and without realizing it, their knowledge of history expanded dramatically. They learned more than a few facts about the Missouri/Kansas Border War, Slavery, the Civil War, World War II, the history of their farm, archeology, and most importantly, they discovered their heritage and how it was related to all they had learned. But there was still one more mystery to be solved.
