The Jinx of Payrock Canyon

Wilderness Mysteries #2

by Troy Nesbit

Jay has lived in a once well-populated mining town in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains for all of his fifteen years. Orphaned when he was very young, he spends most of his time working at his grandmother’s store or as a cattlehand in Payrock Canyon with his friend Doc. Toward the end of the summer, all sorts of strange things start to happen in Bighorn sheep are dying mysteriously, black beavers turn brown, cattle are running themselves off of cliffs, and young twins strand themselves on a dangerous precipice. The town curmudgeon claims it has something to do with a wandering stranger who carries an odd box . . . but will the boys be able to stop whatever’s going on before all of the canyon’s wildlife disappears?

The recurrent themes of the books in the Wilderness Mystery Series are natural phenomena—caves, canyons, mountains, sand dunes, and forests—and a sense of the past as seen through archaeology. In many of the narratives, events of long ago are seen to have left traces of their passing. Notwithstanding the fact that the books were written in the 1950s, the progressive Franklin Folsom (alias Troy Nesbit) had refreshing views of women, Native Americans, and the environment, and he was prescient in having his characters often oppose corporate and government efforts to develop wilderness areas.

Genres: Mystery, Westerns, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Legal name: Franklin Folsom

Also used the following pseudonyms:
Benjamin Brewster
Samuel Cutler
Michael Gorham
Lyman Hopkins
and Troy Nesbit

Reviews

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book at a child in the 1950’s

[Marilyn Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading vintage Junior Novels. It’s a snapshot into the past. This book has adventure, mystery and many learning moments.

[John Geary · Rating 3 out of 5]

See what I said about TN's "The Forest Fire Mystery." Ditto.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

For one of these Whitman books it was actually fairly good.

[Daniel Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a ripping good time. The classic boy's adventure story that you've read a thousand times, but never tire of.

[Bobbi Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only entertaining, mysterious, maybe a little scary, nail-biting adventure... but the covers of these old Nesbits were great. This book taught me what 'jinx' means, and I'm still intruiged by the poetry of the title.

[Keturah Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two boys and their dog, along with the help of a few friends, try to discover the truth behind the supposed jinx happening in the nearby area of Colorado.

Great and fun mystery.... took me like 9 months to read through it as I kept forgetting it amidst a busy, chaotic life. But still loved it... and as my mind wasn't searching for the answer, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

Thought it quite funny that they had a poor opinion of Texans... thought them city slickers. Also, a lot of interesting description and info about beavers... such as women's perfume attracting beavers as it is made from them. And the two boys had a really neat means of communicating over a home-made telephone between their houses... no-one else knew about it, and quite often wondered if they used telepathy :p