Robert J. (Robert James) Shores

Born in 1881, Robert J. Shores began writing early. The History Museum in Great Falls says he was editing his high school paper at 16, started a magazine called The Patriot, and soon had poems printed in the Great Falls Tribune.

From there, he moved into newspaper work, including a stint at the Butte Inter Mountain. He became locally famous for Damn! The Story of Willie Complain, a satire sparked by Mary MacLane's 1902 autobiography. According to the museum account, his newspaper career later took him to cities including Seattle, Salt Lake City, Des Moines, St. Paul, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and New York.

Shores also published verse, including Gay Gods and Merry Mortals. He died in 1934, leaving behind the picture of a restless, funny, wide-ranging writer whose career bridged small-town Montana beginnings and big-city journalism.