Imagine for a second that you’re six years old. You’re probably worried about losing a tooth or maybe mastering the monkey bars. Now, imagine saddling up a half-Shetland pony and riding 2,000 miles across a country that barely had paved roads, no GPS, and plenty of actual wolves.
That was Tuesday for Temple Abernathy.
In 1910, Temple and his ten-year-old brother, Louis "Bud" Abernathy, became the biggest celebrities in America. They weren't famous for being on a reality show or having a viral TikTok. They were famous because they rode horses from Oklahoma to New York City. By themselves. No adults, no chase cars, and honestly, no fear.
Who Were the Abernathy Boys?
To understand how two kids ended up on a cross-country trek, you have to look at their dad. Jack "Catch-'em-Alive" Abernathy was a U.S. Marshal and a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt. Jack got his nickname because he literally caught wolves with his bare hands. He’d jam his hand down their throats to pin their tongues, then wire their jaws shut.
Hardcore.
He raised his boys with that same "tough as nails" mentality. After their mother died in 1907, Jack decided the best way to raise his sons was to let them be, well, wild. He didn't see them as fragile children; he saw them as tiny pioneers.
The trips didn't start with New York. It began in 1909. Bud was nine and Temple was only five. They rode from Frederick, Oklahoma, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and back. Think about that. A five-year-old on a horse for 1,300 miles. When they got home, they weren't tired. They were bored. They wanted a bigger challenge.
The 1910 Ride to New York City
The big one happened a year later. The mission? Meet Teddy Roosevelt in Manhattan. The Rough Rider himself was returning from an African safari and a European tour, and the Abernathy boys wanted to be there to welcome him home.
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They left Oklahoma in April 1910. Bud rode a horse named Sam Bass, and little Temple was on Geronimo. They carried a few clothes, some oats for the horses, and a checkbook. Yeah, their dad gave them a checkbook.
Life on the Trail
They had a few rules from Jack:
- No more than 50 miles a day.
- Don’t cross water if you can’t see the bottom (unless an adult helps).
- No traveling on Sundays.
- Don’t carry more than five dollars in cash.
It sounds crazy, but people actually looked out for them. Even outlaws along the border sent word to Jack that they’d keep an eye on the "little marshals." They ate with farmers and slept under the stars. When Geronimo went lame in Oklahoma, Bud just pulled out the checkbook and bought a new horse, Wylie Haynes, from a local sheriff.
By the time they hit the East Coast, the press was obsessed. Telegrams flew across the country. People lined the streets just to see these two dust-covered kids riding into town. When they finally hit New York, they were greeted by over a million people. They actually rode their horses in a ticker-tape parade right behind Roosevelt’s car.
Driving Back in a Brush Runabout
After months in the saddle, the boys decided they were done with horses for a while. So, they did what any sensible ten and six-year-old would do in 1910: they bought a car.
Specifically, they got a Brush Runabout for about $485.
The company loved the publicity. Their slogan was "everyman’s car," and what better way to prove it’s easy to drive than having children do it? They shipped the horses back on a train and pointed the car west.
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Temple was too short to reach the pedals, so he was the "mechanic." He’d crank-start the engine—which is actually pretty dangerous—while Bud did the steering and shifting. They drove that little car 2,500 miles back to Oklahoma in just 23 days. They even survived a minor accident in Poughkeepsie where Temple got knocked down by the car, but miraculously, he wasn't seriously hurt.
The $10,000 Challenge and the Motorcycle Trip
You’d think they’d settle down after that. Nope. In 1911, they tried to ride from New York to San Francisco in under 60 days to win a $10,000 prize. The catch? They couldn’t eat or sleep indoors.
They missed the deadline by two days.
Imagine missing out on ten grand (which was a fortune back then) because you were 48 hours late on a 3,600-mile journey. They still set a world record, but they didn't get the cash.
Their last big hurrah was in 1913. They bought an Indian motorcycle and rode from Oklahoma back to New York with their stepbrother, Anton. It was the end of an era. The world was changing, and the "wild west" kids were growing up.
What Happened to Louis and Temple?
The boys didn't stay professional adventurers forever. They actually had very "normal" adult lives, all things considered.
Louis "Bud" Abernathy went to law school at the University of Oklahoma. He moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, and became a successful lawyer. He passed away in 1979 in Austin.
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Temple Abernathy went into the oil and gas business. He worked as a driller during the Oklahoma oil boom, following in his father's later footsteps as a wildcatter. He lived a long life, passing away in 1986.
If you ever find yourself in Frederick, Oklahoma, you can see a statue of them. It’s a reminder of a time when the world was a little bigger, and parents were a lot less worried about "stranger danger."
Why We Still Talk About Them
The Abernathy boys represent something we’ve kind of lost. We live in an age of helicopter parenting and constant tracking. The idea of letting a six-year-old cross a state line alone—let alone a continent—is enough to get most parents a visit from social services today.
But their story isn't just about "dangerous" parenting. It’s about capability. It shows that kids are often much more resourceful and tougher than we give them credit for.
Actionable Insights from the Abernathy Legacy
If you're looking to bring a bit of that Abernathy spirit into modern life, you don't have to send your kid across the country on a pony. Here is how to apply their "grit" today:
- Build Incremental Independence: The boys didn't start with New York; they started with New Mexico. Give kids small, unsupervised tasks and build from there.
- Problem Solving over Protection: When their horse went lame, the boys had to find a solution. Let your kids struggle with a problem for a minute before jumping in to fix it.
- Value Real-World Experience: There is no substitute for being "out there." Whether it's hiking, camping, or just navigating a new city, hands-on experience builds a type of confidence that a screen never will.
- Study the Classics: Read Bud and Me, the book written by Temple’s wife, Alta Abernathy. It’s the best primary source for the gritty details of their rides.
The story of Louis and Temple Abernathy is a wild slice of American history that feels like it belongs in a movie. It’s a testament to a time when "toughing it out" was the only way to get where you were going.