Andy Adams

Born in Indiana in 1859, he spent much of the 1880s in Texas and on western cattle trails, experiences that later became the heart of his fiction. After trying ranching and business ventures, he settled in Colorado Springs and began writing seriously around midlife.

His best-known book, The Log of a Cowboy (1903), is often praised for its realistic picture of trail-driving days. Rather than turning the West into legend, he wrote about working cowboys, long drives, rough weather, and everyday camp life in a plain, direct style.

He went on to publish more Western fiction and stories, including The Outlet and Cattle Brands. He died in 1935, and he is still remembered as one of the most authentic literary voices of the cattle-trail West.