John K. Rollinson (May 14, 1884 – March 2, 1948) was an American writer of western non-fiction. He wrote an autobiography titled ''Pony Trails in Wyoming''.

Career

Born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, Rollinson was inspired by

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...

’s Wild West exhibition to travel to the West and become a cowboy. Rollinson arrived in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

, in 1903 and gained experience as a ranch hand before moving to

Cody, Wyoming Cody is a city in Northwest Wyoming and the seat of government of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Colonel William Frederick " Buffalo Bill" Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896. The population was 10,066 at ...

, in November 1905. Rollinson worked at various jobs in and around Cody until 1907 when he was appointed a ranger in the

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

Timber Reserve. There he was in charge of the Sunlight Ranger Station located in the mountainous region north of Cody. Rollinson patrolled the entire Sunlight Basin on horseback to fulfill his responsibilities to protect the forestlands. Rollinson resigned from this position in 1911, and until 1915 he worked for Eveline Painter at Sunlight Valley Ranch assisting her in the dude business. Kensel, W. Hudson. "Hope and Reality in the Sunlight Basin, Wyoming: The Painter Family and John K. Rollinson," Annals of Wyoming, Spring 2006 In 1915 Rollinson went to work in

Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...

, for his stepfather as a patent medicine salesman, a position he held until his death on March 2, 1948.

Autobiography

Rollinson wrote his autobiography ''Pony Trails in Wyoming'', in which he describes cattle ranching in southeastern Wyoming and his life as a ranger in the Sunlight Basin of Wyoming. He wrote a second book, ''Wyoming Cattle Trails'', a history of early cattlemen in the state.

Works

*1941: ''Pony Trails in Wyoming'' *1948: ''Wyoming Cattle Trails''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rollinson, John K. 1884 births 1948 deaths Writers from Buffalo, New York People from Cody, Wyoming 20th-century American non-fiction writers