Chuck Jerman

Blackie Sullivan Chuck Jerman

It is 1904 as a young Cayuse Indian hauls ice to pack into railroad cars?a grueling job no white man would dream of considering. As a savage from the tribe that killed missionary Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife in 1847, Blackie is unquestionably despised by many of the residents of the ramshackle frontier town of Walla Walla.

Blackie, who prides himself on doing the best job he can, sprints between the icehouse and the railroad cars every day. While facing many indignities, Blackie perseveres through obstacles and somehow manages to find meaning and purpose to his life. But when he realizes that others want to steal the secret gold on his land, Blackie must not only outwit them, but also outrun them while he battles to the death keep what is rightfully his. As he earns a reputation with the locals for being an extremely fast runner, finds romance, and learns who he can trust, Blackie does something no Indian has ever done before.

In this fiction tale inspired by a true story, a young Cayuse Indian sets out on an unforgettable quest to find his place in a world rampant with greed and oppression.