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Tag: caving
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Travel Channel Show about Hannibal’s Lost Boys
The Travel Channel show about the lost boys of Hannibal will air again January 11 at 1 p.m. central time. We shot the show last summer.
The show includes a discussion with me about the findings in my two books, Lost Boys of Hannibal and my latest book, Souls Speak.
New Amazon Review
A new Amazon review just posted today. Thanks Mike in Hawaii!
”I grew up near Hannibal. MO. The Lost Boys were about my same age and I went to school with the author of this book. I’ve toured the caves where this event happened – but never any idea these caves were so massive – until seeing the cave illustrations in this book. I liked the book so well, that I bought three more for friends and family. It’s a great unsolved mystery. For me, the potential ties to the notorious John Wayne Gacy are the most intriguing. If you like unsolved mysteries – you’ll love this book.”
If you’ve read Lost Boys of Hannibal and really enjoyed the storytelling, please post a brief review on Amazon. Thank you!
52 Years Ago Today
May 10, 1967 was the last day of normalcy for the Hoag and Dowell families in historic Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain’s boyhood home. Joel and Bill Hoag, gregarious kids from a family of thirteen, and their neighbor, Craig Dowell, went off to play and never came home. The search for the trio centered on nearby subterranean cave networks exposed during highway construction. More than three-hundred cavers and other volunteers participated in the month-long effort to find the lost boys, but nary a sign of them was ever discovered.
The story, captured in my last book Lost Boys of Hannibal: Inside America’s Largest Cave Search, remains one of America’s most vexing mysteries. Today, we remember Joey, Billy, and Craig, and their families, as we reflect on this terrible loss.
The Hoag boys were childhood friends of mine. Joey and I, and so many other kids, were modern day Tom Sawyers and Becky Thatchers, exploring the hills, forests and cave openings in our cave-riddled state. Missouri is known as the Cave State with more than seven-thousand caves identified, and more being found regularly as land development progresses.
My next book, Souls Speak, continues the story of the lost boys, as we pursue an astonishing lead into their shared fate. This remarkable paranormal investigation, will be published and available in June 2019.
Letters of Encouragement and Sympathy
The May issue of Hannibal Magazine has an interesting article related to my last book, Lost Boys of Hannibal. It details the many letters of encouragement and sympathy sent to the boy’s families in 1967. I held these letters in my hands three weeks ago; wish they’d been available when I wrote the book. The letters are now in the possession of the Hannibal History Museum.
The article begins on page 15.
#lostboysofhannibal #johnwingate #hannibal
Travel Channel Alert
I recently returned from Hannibal where I participated in the Travel Channel production of a story about the caves and the 1967 disappearance of the three boys, believed lost in the cave systems. The incident is documented in my last book, Lost Boys of Hannibal: Inside America’s Largest Cave Search.
The producer told me the piece will air sometime in October. Details later as we know more about date and time.
#travelchannel #johnwingate #hannibal #missouri caves #lostboysofhannibal
