Journals, letters and family stories give heart and soul to sterile historic records.

This is a collection of one man’s stories - sometimes factual, sometimes altered by decades of retelling and selective memory.

Boyer Palmer is an ordinary immigrant whose life was an extraordinary rags-to-riches story. He was a tough young Swede from North Minneapolis, a pioneering businessman and a self-made millionaire. He was sometimes loving, sometimes a tyrant, and always an adventurous boy.

What a life I have had! I’ve dined with cab drivers and kings, sheiks and gurus, ambassadors and presidents. I’ve survived hurricanes and tempted fate on land, on water and in the air. I’ve ridden the rails with hobos and crossed the European continent in a luxury train.
All over the world, I discovered an essential goodness in the people I met, a goodness that transcends political and economic differences. I worked hard, played hard and lived a happy life with an amazing wife and a terrific bunch of kids. Life was, and still is, one hell of a wild and wonderful ride!

This is the story of one hell of a ride taken by Boyer Palmer, his triumphs and tragedies, told through the prism of time and tears.