08/26/2026
Local Author Book Signing!
In the mid-1980s, when Col. R.C. Hartjen retired from the military, he had two dreams: become an Episcopal priest, and write historical Western novels.
He did both. He wrote three complete novels — longhand, on legal pads — and his wife Irene typed them up on an electric typewriter. But back then, publishing meant landing a literary agent, and Westerns weren't exactly in demand anymore. So the manuscripts sat. For almost 40 years.
A couple of years ago, Helen — Col. Hartjen's wife — asked his son Ray to get the handwritten manuscripts digitized, at least for the family. Ray retyped all three books himself from the handwritten pages. This September, nearly four decades later, those books are finally real.
Come meet Col. Hartjen and hear the story behind Cowhouse Creek Showdown, Last Stage from Cedar Station, and The Gold Stalkers — three novels, one family, and a dream that waited 40 years to come true.
📅 Book Signing — September 26
Leavenworth Antique Mall, 505 Delaware Street · 1–5pm
More details to come each week — stay tuned. 🤠
