Duke McHenry was born to a family of hunters, in the backwoods of Oklahoma. From an early age he would be working, with either his father or brothers, or one of the neighboring farms when he got older. He was forced out of his home at 16 however, as his mother had given birth to twin daughters and food would be tight. Heading south and east, he managed to find menial labor and trappable-game to sustain himself. He lived like this for several years, eventually finding himself in the Permian Basin. He traveled the area, finding horrors and places beyond his simple dreams, but was especially taken by Fort Holly.