John Van Nostrand: Seeing your town's name in print

Jun. 14—Does anyone know if Creston, or even Union County, is mentioned in a book either fiction or nonfiction?

While the "Field of Dreams" movie site outside of Dyersville prepares for another Major League Baseball game in August, I hope fans don't forget the book the movie was based on, "Shoeless Joe."

There is something emotional about reading an actual place in a fictional book.

When I worked for an eastern Colorado weekly newspaper, it was about the same time I read a Zane Grey book. I was probably inspired to read him based on the interest of Col. Sherman Potter, the character in the hit television show "MASH."

My maternal grandfather was more into Louis L'Amour, another writer of American West fiction, but wouldn't be surprised if Grey was on his bookshelf.

Grey had a strategy of using real, American west locations in his fiction. Those locations are what inspires the Zane Grey fan club to schedule their annual convention. Having researched Grey and discovering the fan convention, I contacted the convention organizer and asked if the Colorado town I was working would be considered a convention location.

Burlington has a wonderful museum with an old West theme of the 1880s. The organizer politely said no as attempts are made to have the convention closer to, or in, the actual location in the books. One of his books has a setting in the mountains of southern Colorado, far from where I was on the plains. The intent is probably to give participants a feeling of what Grey was thinking when writing the book.

Those emotions can rise if the referred to places are ones you may know rather well. "On the Road," which is in my top five favorite books of all time, includes where I grew up in Sterling, Colorado. The Jack Kerouac novel is a masterpiece of travel, a lot of travel, adventure, romance and drama. I refuse to watch the movie version.

I am into Mark Twain's "Roughing It," about his journey west in 1861 when the Civil War started. He took a stagecoach from St. Joseph, Missouri, along the Overland Trail. The trail runs along much of the Pony Express route including Julesburg, Colorado.

Twain was fascinated by the Great Plains when he arrived in Julesburg, which is in the extreme northeast corner of the state. Colorado was not a state until 1876.

I think it would be an honor to be referred to by arguably America's great author, ever. Those kinds of books and references should be on every resident's coffee table, but that is just me. (I also wonder if Twain was America's first stand-up comedian as he also had speaking engagements were rather enjoyable, according to historians.)

I called Julesburg's library on a Friday afternoon. I introduced and explained myself to Tina, the director. She was well aware of Twain and his work but did not know Julesburg was in "Roughing It."

"I'll have to get that book," she said.

I didn't stop there.

I then called Sterling's library. After an introduction and explanation, the woman on the phone had not heard of "On the Road." She did seem a little excited to hear and the library does have a copy.

My wife's home of Siebert, Colorado, is the first location mentioned in a historical, chronological account of the Republican River flood of 1935 written by Joy Hayden.

The river's source is a short walk from her parent's house as the valley ridge is north of town. The river winds it way through Nebraska and Kansas. After an extremely heavy downpour of rain one late May night, the rain drained to the river, overflowed and moved its way downstream taking anything and everything in its path. Farm houses. The families in them. Bridges. Heavy equipment used near at work sites. Sad and or scary stories. Family's possessions and relatives were found in the next town or even state.

Seibert is very much like Arispe. Others in Seibert at the time claimed to have heard loud noises, which they said were not thunder. Legend has it an earthquake happened the same time as the rain. The earthquake was never proven.

Decades later the river bed turned dry only running water after heavy rains or snow melt in the spring.

Seibert does not have a library. So there was no place to call.

If you know of a book, preferably fiction, with a reference to Creston, let me know. I have a coffee table to put it on.