The first stop on my research trip back in June 2023 was to the town of St. Charles, Illinois. Located a bit north and west of Chicago proper, St. Charles was the hometown and pride and joy of Greyhound's owner Col. Edward J. Baker. St. Charles is also the place that Greyhound lived in retirement and is buried.

     I rented a small basement apartment in town for four nights--just me and my dog, Boedy. The place was compact but served my needs well and was a great location, within walking distance of all the places I wanted to visit, except for Greyhound's grave.
     My first stop was the public library. They prepared a file of all things Greyhound and Baker and showed me how to access their online newspaper archives--a complete archive of St. Charles and Kane County papers which is impressive and was a valuable resource. The library is a lovely place to visit and a real asset to the community.
     The next day I walked to the Historical Society which also houses a small museum. There I dove into all of the records, photos, and information they had on Colonel Baker and Greyhound. Especially valuable there were the things related to Baker, Red Gate Farm, and Hotel Baker. There are several fun photos in the book from this visit.

From where I stayed, all of St. Charles downtown area was within walking distance. I found a wonderful coffee shop across from Hotel Baker and enjoyed pleasant mornings with my journal by the river.

Next stop ... Hotel Baker!

Foaling season is winding down here in Kentucky which means it is almost time to switch gears from horse midwife to full time author-speaker-researcher-blogger-social-media-creator-marketer-peddler-of-books-I-wrote (a.k.a. the job description of a “self-employed author” :) ).

I’ve spent the past (almost) three years chasing the ghost of a horse named Greyhound ... (More)