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Thunderbolt from a Clear Sky
Historical letters and papers paint a
picture of “new rules, new maxims
of trade” on the iron rails of 19th century America
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (October 11, 2006) Robert W. S. Stevens,
extraordinary nineteenth-century businessman and American
visionary, left behind a legacy of hand-written, true-life
experiences, locked away in a dusty attic, forgotten for
decades. When Robert C. Stevens, great-grandson of Robert W. S.,
discovered this treasured collection of letters and papers – he
knew he held more than a piece of his own ancestry in his hands.
He knew he was holding a vivid piece of American history.
Thunderbolt from a Clear Sky takes an historical look at
Robert W. S. Stevens’ days as a land speculator, a lawyer, and a
railroad builder. His first person account of the infamous
Quantrill rebel raid on Lawrence, Kansas, in 1863, reveals a
part of American history often left out of the history books.
The tumultuous frontier world of the day is brought to life in
vivid prose accompanied by stunning black and white photographs.
Robert C. Stevens, and his editor, Betty Adams, spent well
over two years on this careful, well-written study of a man who
was a pivotal figure in the industrialization and modernization
of 19th century America. “I didn’t write it to idolize my
great-grandfather,” Stevens’ said. “I wanted to share an
important part of American history – especially a good deal of
the early history of Missouri and Kansas, according to my
great-grandfather’s writings.”
Described in the book by his contemporaries, this image of
Robert W.S. Stevens emerges, "New life, new energy, new
enterprise, new rules and maxims of trade, come with the advent
of railroads. Bob Stevens has set things a bobbing. His railroad
has fallen upon us like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. He is
everywhere all at once, omnipresent, ubiquitous, and
irrepressible. He launches his iron rails as Jove did his
thunderbolts. The rapidity with which he has built the railroad
between here and Humboldt has no parallel in the history of
railroad construction." Chetopa, KS, Advance, June 1870.
Robert
C. Stevens has written a fascinating biography and inspiring
story of an American businessman, legislator (Kansas state and
U.S. Congressman from N.Y.), and farmer. Woven through the
biographical account of Robert W. S. Stevens are numerous
colorful stories of the American west, the railroad industry,
and a great (though previously unheralded) American family.
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