The Mystery at Rustlers' Fort

Wilderness Mysteries #4

by Troy Nesbit, John Walter (Illustrator)

An original Whitman Classics from the 1950s by author Troy Nesbit (aka: Frank Folsom). THE MYSTERY AT RUSTLER'S FORT is one in a series of children's mystery books. In this edition, the protagonist is Phil McKenney who finds adventure and mystery while on a camping trip with his family in the Southwest of Arizona near the Grand Canyon. While in the campground, Phil discovers that other people have found uranium using geiger counters near the Vermilion Cliffs near the Colorado River. As Phil's family draws closer to their destination at Rustler's Fort, a strange mystery begins to emerge. Have they come too far to escape safely with their lives? Those familiar with Whitman's glossy cover and great original retro prints will no doubt appreciate this beautiful children's item from the past.

Genres: Westerns, Mystery, Classics

282 pages, Hardcover

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

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's a 1950s juvenile book series that may have slipped under your radar: the Troy Nesbit Mysteries, aka Wilderness Mysteries. Penned by Franklin Folsom under the pseudonym of Troy Nesbit, each book follows a new set of characters whose passion for nature pits them against thieves, frauds, and other criminals. The Fletcher family is ready for an extended vacation/research trip as The Mystery at Rustlers' Fort opens. Herbert Fletcher, known to one and all as Chief, wants to study mountain lions on the North Rim of Colorado's Grand Canyon. Accompanying him on the trip are his wife Amy, their eleven-year-old daughter Kitsy and fifteen-year-old son Buzz, and Buzz's fifteen-year-old cousin, Phil McKenney. Phil and Buzz are excited to explore the canyon and help Chief with his research, and their anticipation grows as the Fletchers enter the National Park and drive toward the patch of land they will camp on for the next several weeks.

A husband and wife, Monte and Margaret Post, are already camping there, but Chief brought an urgent note for them from town that is sure to impel them to head home. Mr. Post grouses about it, but he and the Mrs. pack up and leave, letting the Fletchers have the campsite. This area of the Grand Canyon was a hub of action and drama for many years, Chief tells Phil and Buzz. Cattle rustlers operated out here, setting up a lookout fort nearby. Phil and Buzz hike over to Rustlers' Fort and eagerly investigate the old structure, but on the way back to camp they run into a man who may have been spying on them. "The Dinosaur" is their nickname for him, on account of his unusual face shape, and Phil and Buzz feel certain he's up to no good. Chief says the man is probably just a tourist, but Phil and Buzz keep careful watch in case he shows up again.

Phil want to buy a Geiger counter and search the rocky landscape for undiscovered uranium deposits, but Chief pours cold water on the idea. It's foolish to get caught up in uranium fever, he says; besides, he needs the boys almost every day as research assistants. Undaunted, Phil convinces Buzz to chip in a few dollars and they purchase a Geiger counter on an outing to town, but they have to be sneaky; Chief made it clear he was against the idea. Soon Phil and Buzz have more to occupy their attention than dreams of striking it rich in uranium: someone is surveilling the camp, and trespassing whenever the Fletchers and Phil leave for a few hours. The unknown intruder paws through their belongings, seemingly looking for something specific. Phil and Buzz believe The Dinosaur is to blame, but Chief thinks it's probably the wild deer they often see hanging around looking for food. Can Phil and Buzz find time to hunt uranium, assist Chief in his research, and guard Aunt Amy and Kitsy from The Dinosaur? If they're not cautious, the fun family vacation could become dangerous...even life-threatening.

This book has the earmarks of an entertaining old-fashioned mystery for young readers, but falls flat on multiple fronts. The story drags, with long sections going by that don't feel immersive or important to the narrative. The mystery connects at the end in some clever ways, but a few elements are left without satisfactory resolution. If I want a vintage juvenile mystery series, I'll sooner go with the original Hardy Boys or the Rick Brant Science-Adventure Stories. I rate The Mystery at Rustlers' Fort one and a half stars; it could be much better than it is, but it's by no means a bad read.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY:
Cousins Phil McKenny and Buzz Fletcher are spending the summer camping at the grand canyon with the Fletcher family. Mr. Fletcher, or Chief as everyone calls him, is a college professor who spends every summer out in the wilderness doing field research on a selected animal. This year he is researching mountain lions.

They will be staying at an isolated new deluxe campsite which has a fancy outdoor oven and running water on site. It's important that Chief camps here because after it's been used consistently by tourist the mountain lions will stop frequenting the area.

The site is already being occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Post but the park ranger informs Chief that he has a letter for them which is calling them back home. Chief is suppose to deliver the letter which will free up the campsite for him and his family.

Upon receiving the letter Mr. Post becomes angry. Although he admits the letter requires him to leave he still refuses to give up the campsite. He attempts to have his wife remain there while he is gone but she refuses to remain in the wilderness alone.

After they leave the family sets up camp over the next few days including making a temporary shower behind the trees and bushes of the campsite. Mr. Post shows back up. He's in a better mood now and says he had to leave because his jewelry store was robbed. He's back for a short fishing trip and has come to the campsite to get his tackle box which he claims to have left behind however the box has not been seen and can not be found.

Mr. Post tells the children about an old fort near camp which had been used by horse rustlers 50 years ago. The kids later venture over to it and see the back of a mysterious man in a suit as he's sneaking off through the tress. Phil notices that the location of the fort overlooks their camp and wonders if the man could have been spying on the family...

You can read the rest of this summary on my blog post, The Mystery at Rustlers' Fort

REVIEW:
- Phil wants to buy a Geiger counter with the allowance his parents give him but Chief not only tells him he's not allowed to but he forbids him from even talking about it.

- Phil remarks that he likes that they all sleep in the clothes they wore for that day. I assume they're wearing jeans and sleeping in jeans is very uncomfortable. Why not just toss on a pair of sweats for the night.

- The trip to Phantom Ranch is fourteen miles each way! They're walking it two days in a row, how exhausting!

- Phantom Ranch is real and still exists. I'm unsure if the pool is still around tho as I could find no modern photos of it and no mention. From what I read they didn't start requiring reservations until 1961 but Chief says the boys have to have reservations and this was published in 1957. Also you now have to make reservations 15 months in advance and only can do that if you win the reservation lottery!

- When the boys reach Phantom Ranch a man there asked if they're the two boys that have reservations there for the night and Phil gets suspicious, wondering how does this man know so much about them. Uhm...cause Chief made you reservations?

- You can read the rest of this review on my blog, vintagegirlsbooks.blogspot.com

- You can see all the art work for this book and many others at Pinterest.com/nancydrewart

- You can support me at Ko-fi.com/vintagegirlsbooks

THOUGHTS:
Overall this book is good. It's a fun setting, eventful enough to keep the reader interested, and the details of the grand canyon are extremely accurate which is great. It was more fun to read the first time when I didn't know the ending. I only remembered half of it this time so it was still fun but I'm not sure how it would be on a third reading when I remember it all.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:
This was a little bit better than the usual Whitman book. The location was nice and I really liked the character Phil. The dad who is known as Chief is a jerk. Honestly if you make your kids call you chief, then you're a douche. It was super annoying when there was evidence of an intruder at their campsite. The boys tent had been halfway tore down and there were boot prints. The dad talked down to them saying it was a deer and when they say what about the foot prints he says they're not to talk about it anymore. He made the boys Phil and Buzz do all the work and was always "exploding" and he wouldn't even let Phil spend $4 out of his summer allowance of $20 his parents gave him for a little geiger counter. Phil's not even his son, he's his nephew so that was super controlling.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Full of the excitement, mystery, and a wonderful setting of the Grand Canyon, I enjoyed every bit of this book. Yes, there was a mention of the Grand Canyon being "several hundred million years old" and one other mention of something really old, but I could easily overlook those things. The characters were fun and I even learned some things about bats and mountain lions.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wooo doggie, I sure did love these cellophane-cover-wrapped Whitman Publishing books written during the 1950's and 60's. This particular book belonged to my older brother, and while I'd be willing to bet the farm he never cracked it open, I'm sure I read it enough times for both of us.

Packed with adventure, danger, and natural and historical observations, the books written by the prolific and multi-nom-de-plumed Nesbit were always page turners, always entertaining, and always wish-fulfillment fodder for the Eastern-bred safety of my youth. Nesbit's boy and girl characters had exciting adventures, supportive parents who trusted them with adult experiences, and lived in or traveled to places of scenic natural beauty. What's not to love?

And re-visiting them again after a long hiatus, I enjoyed seeing the black, white and aqua illustrations peppered throughout the story, with their clean cut depictions of 1950's life at it's finest: buzz cuts, hair flips, twirl skirts, and "dungarees".

Good kitsch, fun re-read.



***
2012 personal reading challenge for the month of January:
Childhood favorites that influenced my subsequent reading life


Adult Equivalent:

Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr

[Kent Archie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be pretty easy to update to modern times. The mystery would not need to be changed at all. The cultural differences are small compared to other kids books from this long ago.
I enjoyed it, recommended.

[Mick At Home · Rating 5 out of 5]

My American aunt sent me this book for Christmas in 1964, when I was 11 years old. I kept it all these years and today (Christmas 2025) I passed it on to my grandson William. I hope he enjoys it, keeps it and passes it on.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book c:

[Keturah Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best mystery series ever.

[KerryT · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid I was in love with the shiny covers of the Whitman books, so now I collect them! I only collect the ones that interest me and these written by Troy Nesbit are so fun to read! They are great little mysteries for boys and I know there are girls out there who would, also, like them. There are good morals in these books, like being guilty when the boys went against the Chief. There is nothing too scary in this story, although the mystery gets a little tense at times, and that is normal. This is the type of book I would have read as a child and wished I could have been in that story in real life! I always wanted to solve a mystery! This one’s a keeper!