Ricker was born in
Maine in 1843. He later moved to
Knoxville, Illinois, and was 17 years old when the
American Civil War began. Ricker had been working as a journalist for a number of years already, reporting for the
Knox County Observer and
Galesburg Free Press. He enlisted in 1862, and served as a corporal in the
102nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the war, which took part in
Sherman's March to the Sea. He also wrote for newspapers back home giving an account of the war. He never got around to writing his book but the information he gathered, many first hand accounts of historical events, is considered an invaluable historical resource for documenting the history of the American West. These tablets are now in the archives of the
Nebraska State Historical Society. His wife, Mary, burned to death in the couples' home in February 1925. ==References==