Oll Coomes

Born in Licking County, Ohio, in 1845, Oll Coomes was the pen name of Oliver Coomes. He moved to Iowa as a boy, grew up in Jasper County, and later settled in Cass County, where he farmed and became active in local public life.

Alongside that life, he built a career as a popular writer of western and adventure fiction. Northern Illinois University’s dime novel records and Project Gutenberg listings show that he wrote many fast-moving stories for readers of inexpensive popular fiction, including titles such as The Boy Ranger and Rainbolt, the Ranger.

Coomes also served in Iowa politics, including a term in the state legislature. He died in 1921 after an automobile accident near Storm Lake, Iowa, leaving behind a body of work that captures the energy of 19th-century frontier storytelling.