Kirk Munroe
Kirk Munroe was an American author and surveyor, born on September 15, 1850, in Wisconsin. Growing up on a military post, he developed a strong affinity for the frontier lifestyle, which influenced his later career. At sixteen, he participated in surveying for the Santa Fe railway and had notable interactions with historical figures such as Kit Carson and George A. Custer. Munroe transitioned into writing, initially working as a journalist and later becoming the first editor of Harper's Young People. His literary contributions include over four dozen novels aimed at young readers, with a focus on adventure and historical themes, particularly set in Florida, where he settled after marrying Mary Barr in 1883.
Among his notable works is "The Flamingo Feather," published in 1887, which explores the experiences of a young Frenchman in the Florida wilderness. Munroe was also an advocate for outdoor activities, co-founding organizations like the American Canoe Association. After a successful writing career, he shifted to real estate development in southeastern Florida, significantly impacting the region. Munroe passed away on June 16, 1930, in Miami, leaving a legacy as a pivotal figure in children's literature and the commercial development of Florida.
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Kirk Munroe
Writer
- Born: September 15, 1850
- Birthplace: Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
- Died: June 16, 1930
- Place of death: Miami, Florida
Biography
Kirk Munroe was born September 15, 1850, in a mission near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on the banks of the Mississippi River. He grew up on the Fort Howard military post and went to school in Appleton, both in Wisconsin. Munroe’s family subsequently moved to Massachusetts, but he missed the frontier of his childhood and signed on at age sixteen with a party surveying the route for the Santa Fe railway from Kansas to California. During this period he was wounded in a skirmish with Native Americans and met scout Kit Carson at Fort Garland, Colorado. After reaching California, Munroe joined another party as a surveyor in South America. He eventually returned to Massachusetts, where he studied engineering for a year at Harvard University, but again forsook the East for the frontier. Now an experienced surveyor, Munroe went to work for the Northern Pacific Railway, meeting William (“Buffalo Bill”) Cody and U.S. Army officer George A. Custer along the way.
Munroe’s first experiences as a writer were journalistic. He was hired in 1876 by the New York Sun newspaper because of his familiarity with the Black Hills region in which Custer had recently made his “last stand” against a party of Lakota and Northern Cheyenne forces. Three years later he became the first editor of Harper’s Young People, a position that enabled him to write further about his experiences on the frontier. He resigned his permanent position with the magazine in 1881, but he continued to work summers as a substitute editor.
Munroe was an avid outdoorsman. He helped found the American Canoe Association in 1880 and the League of American Wheelmen (today the League of American Bicyclists) in the same year. He first visited Florida, the state that would become his new home, in the winter of 1881 and 1882, sailing along most of the state’s coast in his canoe Psyche. Another Florida cruise served as a honeymoon when Munroe married Mary Barr, the daughter of novelist Amelia Barr, on September 15, 1883. Subsequently the couple bought property on Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay.
Munroe published his first novel, Wakulla, in 1886. Like many of his later books, Wakulla was set in Florida, and like all of his books was an adventure story written for young readers. His most famous work was probably The Flamingo Feather (1887), which described a young Frenchman’s experiences in the Florida wilderness of the sixteenth century. Munroe wrote more than four dozen novels, many of them based on historical events or his wide-ranging travels. Invited to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, he was voted the most popular author in a children’s poll, yet he abandoned writing after 1905 to develop real estate.
Munroe’s wife Mary died in 1922, and Munroe married Mabel Stearns two years later. He died June 16, 1930, in Miami. Throughout his writing career, Munroe helped shape young readers’ attitudes toward the West and the South. He is also remembered as a key figure in the modern commercial development of southeastern Florida.