Ames couple publishes Underground Railroad novel, will appear at ACTORS on Sunday

An Ames couple, Patti and Kevin Kimle, have published a novel based on the history of the Underground Railroad in Iowa. The book launches Sunday, and the Kimles are giving a live performance at ACTORS theater to kick off the publication.

“The Only Free Road: an Underground Railroad Saga Unveiled” is based on the little-known history of Iowans who helped hide and transport enslaved people as they made their way north to freedom.

On Sunday, the Kimles are performing a short play they wrote, “Missives of the Civil War,” a series of letters that further explore themes of abolition, freedom and the experiences of Iowans during the Civil War. 

“’Missives’ is based on the idea of ‘Love Letters,’ the old Broadway two-person show,” Patti Kimle said. “It’s different, though, in that it’s a couple reading back and forth to each other. We’ll be reading men’s letters and women’s stories at the time of the Civil War. There are eight letters all together, and the program will be 35 to 40 minutes long.”

“Missives” will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday at ACTORS theater, 120 Abraham Drive. The authors will also be speaking about, selling and signing copies of “The Only Free Road.” The public is welcome to attend this free event.

The idea for the novel started in 2005, when the Kimles took their kids on what they call a “nerd family vacation,” a trip that followed the Underground Railroad in Iowa and Nebraska. The family visited historical sites in Nebraska City, Nebraska, and in Iowa, the communities of Tabor, Lewis, West Des Moines and Grinnell. 

Kevin wrote about a dozen chapters shortly after that trip, but the story remained an unfinished project for years, Patti Kimle said. “In 2016, I picked it up again,” she said.

At that point, Patti took on research and writing, while Kevin served as story consultant.

“The story follows a route from southwest Iowa to Grinnell,” Patti Kimle said. “A lot of Iowa counties produced a history that was like 30 to 50 years after they had been settled. All these histories were dated between 1900 and 1920, so those were some great resources on Google. I think it’s probably a richer story now because of the detail I was able to find.”

Weaving Iowa history with fiction

In the winter of 1859, John Brown crossed Iowa, escorting 12 fugitive slaves he and his men had liberated from western Missouri, Patti Kimle said. “This event is well documented in the historical literature.”

The Kimles weave fiction into the tale as another fugitive couple, with the assistance of two young abolitionists, try to unite with Brown’s party so they can reach Canada and the freedom that awaits them there.

“After crossing the Missouri River into Iowa, the party discovers that Brown’s troop are traveling two days ahead, leading to an action-packed adventure chase, 19th century style.  And a notorious Missouri slave-hunting posse is chasing them,” Patti Kimle said.

It was an interesting writing challenge to create a sense of tension in the chase scene when people were traveling at the speed of walking or riding a horse, Kevin Kimle said.

“The Only Free Road” includes prominent historical figures John Brown, James Jordan, James Grimes and J.B. Grinnell. More than 50 named characters from Iowa’s history are included, in the towns and time they lived.

“The story is deeply grounded in real life events that few Iowans are aware of today,” Patti Kimle said. “Once the fictional characters cross the river into Iowa, anyone they meet who has a first and last name are real people I found in the historical literature.”

Kevin is a teaching professor and the director of the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative at Iowa State. Patti is an artist and craft designer; the book cover for “The Only Free Road” is based on one of her paintings.

The book is available at Dog-Eared Books in Ames, on Amazon, Kindle and will soon be available on Audible.

Along with the performance at ACTORS, other events are planned throughout central and western Iowa to promote the book release.

• Aug. 4 – Drake Public Library, Grinnell
• Aug. 15 – Fremont County Historical Society, Sidney
• Sept. 12 – Hitchcock House, Lewis
• Sept. 27 – Winterset Public Library, Winterset