Superior author details family, community history in "A Boomer's Story"

It took a little over three years for Superior native Kathryn McKinney Verley to accomplish her dream of writing and publishing a biography on her life, her family’s remarkable military history, and her relatives heritage.

But long before words were typed out on her home computer, decades of living off the land, times of war, years of adversity, and a lifetime of adventures helped fuel McKinney’s new book, "A Boomer’s Story: From the Falls, to the Mountains, and Places in Between - Life Marches On."

On Thursday, June 29, the Mineral County Library in Superior will be hosting a book reading and author meeting event for "A Boomer’s Story." The library welcomes the public to come and listen to Mckinney as she shares about her new book, answers questions, and joins in celebrating a new local author.

The synopsis detailed, “McKinney takes a stroll down memory lane, sharing her life’s story while weaving in historical accounts of her family’s Native American heritage, and first-hand narratives of her father’s POW experience in World War II. McKinney was born a Baby Boomer and lived to tell delightful stories of simpler times – but also of adversities and perseverance.”

It continued, “Starting with the fallout of her mother’s postpartum depression, to coping with her father’s PTSD. Her adventures with her brother, horseback riding tales, raising her daughter, a dozen moves, and many unique jobs and business ventures. Kathryn brings readers along on a journey starting at the spray of Kettle Falls, Washington, and ending in the mountains of Superior, Montana.”

After living in Mineral County for 56 years, McKinney has countless stories to tell. Starting out waiting tables at the Big Sky Cafe, which is now Durango’s, to working at the Superior Elementary and High School for several years. Following that she owned Looking Classy Salon and Gift Shop in Superior, after selling that business, she and her husband Kenny built the St. Regis Antique store.

One of the couples' most well-known endeavors was when they were the owners and operators of Tricon Timber in St. Regis. McKinney also kept books full-time for Western Reclamation, their excavation business until 2017. Now in “retirement” she took over as manager for the Women In Timber Thrift Store and volunteers there twice a week.

Superior locals will find McKinney’s book especially endearing for the flashbacks to the good old days when town looked quite different.

“The Korner Klub Bar was a real fixture in Superior back in the day. The bar sat on the corner across the street from Pikes Drug Store and across the alley from the Napa Store,” McKinney described.

She explained, “Tom and Jo Bailey owned and operated the bar and the Charette Hotel. The bar was in the basement and the hotel had two floors above the bar.”

The hotel and bar were originally built in the early 1900s and were owned by the Charette Family that were related to the Spanglers.

Mckinney fondly recalled, “Tom sat in the back of the bar and made "deals" all day long while patrons sipped away on their favorite beverage. Tom had a treasure trove of saddles and tack and logging items in the backroom of the bar. He traded horses, saddles, and guns and logging items all day and into the evening.

There are many other notable names that Mineral County residents will recognize in McKinney’s book of memories and tales. Like Helen Johnson, Phil Donally, Tommy O’Brien, Wally Schneider, Ruth and Cliff Warnken, the Crabbs, the Sverdstens, the Pecks, and the Brockway’s.

But the most significant focus of her text lies in the memoirs of her father, and uncle and their wartime narratives.

McKinney conveyed, “I feel the most important part of my book is the people who fought in WWII to keep us free, the men who sacrificed and gave everything they had to keep America safe and free. I want to tell the younger generation, what their history books do not tell them, I want to give them the truth about war and why our men have fought so hard to provide the life they now live.”

“The research took a long time,” she added. “I wanted to make sure the book was factual and accurate regarding the history of World War II and my native history."

Thanks to the help of her editor and publisher, together they were able to complete "A Boomer’s Story" through Amazon’s Kindle Direct-Publishing.

McKinney admitted, “The formatting and picture insertions and following Amazon printing's guidelines were beyond my abilities.”

“I wrote the book to enlighten my family about our native heritage and my life in the 1950's and 1960's. I felt the world needed to hear my father's story of the Bataan Death March and his time in the Japanese prisons. Dad never talked much about his time during the War and I felt the story needed to be told,” McKinney shared.

She is looking forward to the book signing on June 29 and is very grateful to Florence Evans for putting the event together.

McKinney said, “I am so happy to share my time with all the people who want to come and ask questions and be part of the signing.”

In just the first few weeks the book has already sold well over 100 copies after being released on Amazon.

But she added, “I never wrote the book with plans of being some sort of famous author, because I struggled just to get my story in print.”

And as for future novels or work by the new author, she confessed, “I will probably not write any more books, one is enough. I have told my story and I am very happy with the outcome and appreciate all the people who have reached out to tell me how much they enjoyed the book.”

The e-version of her book will be available on Amazon in July. And on Thursday during the library author signing and reading, McKinney expects to have a limited quantity of books for sale during the event. If weather permits, it will be held outside on the library lawn. Guests are asked to please bring a lawn chair if possible, cake and refreshments will be served.