Ridgwell Cullum (pseudonym of Sidney Groves Burghard) (13 August 1867 – 3 November 1943) was a British writer who wrote a large number of adventure novels over more than 30 years, usually set in sparsely populated regions of the United States or Canada. He left home aged 17 to join a gold rush in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

in South Africa, where he became involved in the conflict between British and

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...

settlers; he travelled to the scene of another gold rush in

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

in north-west Canada; he spent a few years cattle-ranching in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, USA. His first novel ''The Devil's Keg'', set in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada, was published in 1903. After its success he settled in Britain and became a full-time writer. Several of his novels were made into films.

Works

*''The Devil's Keg'' (US: ''The Story of the Foss River Ranch'') (1903) *''The Hound from the North'' (1904) *''In the Brooding Wild'' (1905) *''The Night Riders'' (1906) – made into a film (1920) *''The Watchers of the Plains'' (1908) *''The Compact'' (1909) *''The Sheriff of Dyke Hole'' (1909) *''The Trail of the Axe'' (1910) – made into a film (1922), featuring

Dustin Farnum Dustin Lancy Farnum (May 27, 1874 – July 3, 1929) was an American singer, dancer, and actor on the stage and in silent films. Although he played a wide variety of roles, he tended toward westerns and became one of the biggest stars of the genre ...

and George Fisher *''The One-Way Trail'' (1911) *''The Twins of Suffering Creek'' (1912) – made into two films, ''

Twins of Suffering Creek ''Twins of Suffering Creek'' is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and starring William Russell, Louise Lovely, E. Alyn Warren, William Ryno, and Henry Hebert. It is based on 1912 novel of the same name by Ridgwe ...

'' (1920), featuring William Russell, and '' The Man Who Won'' (1923), directed by

William A. Wellman William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in crime, adventure, and action genre films, often focusing on avi ...

and featuring Dustin Farnum,

Jacqueline Gadsden Jacqueline Gadsden (August 3, 1900 – August 10, 1986) was an American film actress during the silent era. A native of Southern California, she was born in Lompoc to Gerald F. and Jessie H. (Salter) Gadsden and is probably best known to mode ...

and

Lloyd Whitlock Lloyd Whitlock (January 2, 1891 – January 8, 1966) was a prolific American actor who began working during Hollywood's silent era. Born in 1891, he appeared in nearly 200 films between 1916 and 1949. Distinguished by his height and stature, he ...

*''The Golden Woman'' (1913) *''The Way of the Strong'' (1914) – made into a film (1919), directed by

Edwin Carewe Edwin Carewe (March 3, 1883 – January 22, 1940) was an American motion picture director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His birth name was Jay John Fox; he was born in Gainesville, Texas. Career After brief studies at the Universities of ...

and featuring

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from her ...

, Joe King and

Harry Northrup Harry Northrup (born Henri Stabo Wallace Northrup; 31 July 1875 – 2 July 1936), was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1911 and 1935. He was born in Paris and died in Los Angeles, California. ...

*''The Law-Breakers'' (1914) *''The Son of his Father'' (1915) – made into a film (1917) directed by

Victor Schertzinger Victor L. Schertzinger (April 8, 1888 – October 26, 1941) was an American composer, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His films include ''Paramount on Parade'' (co-director, 1930 in film, 1930), ''Something to Sing About (1937 fil ...

and featuring Charles Ray,

Vola Vale Vola Vale (born Vola Smith; February 12, 1897 – October 17, 1970) was a silent film actress. Early career Vale was born in Buffalo, New York and educated in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Her high school friends in Rochester, New York, where she w ...

and Robert McKim *''The Men Who Wrought'' (1916) *''The Triumph of John Kars'' (1917) *''The Purchase Price'' (US: ''The Forfeit'') (1917) – made into a film ''The Forfeit'' (1919), directed by

Frank Powell Frank Powell (born Francis William Powell, May 8, 1877) was a Canadian-born stage and silent film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter who worked predominantly in the United States."Ontario Births, 1869-1912", digital copy of original h ...

and featuring

House Peters Sr. Robert House Peters Sr. (12 March 1880 – 7 December 1967) was a British-born American silent film actor, known to filmgoers of the era as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions". Biography Born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, Peters bega ...

*''The Law of the Gun'' (1918) *''The Heart of Unaga'' (1920) *''The Man in the Twilight'' (1922) *''The Luck of the Kid'' (1923) *''The Saint of the Speedway'' (1924) *''The Riddle of Three-Way Creek'' (1925) *''The Candy Man'' (US: ''Child Of The North'') (1926) *''The Wolf Pack'' (1927) *''The Mystery of the Barren Lands'' (1928) *''The Tiger of Cloud River'' (1929) *''The Treasure of Big Waters'' (1930) *''The Bull Moose'' (1931) *''Sheets in the Wind'' (1932) *''The Flaming Wildness'' (1934) *''The Vampire of N'Gobi'' (1935) *''One Who Kills'' (1938)

References

Edwardian Review: Authors of the Edwardian period (Angelfire website) (biography and bibliography)
Retrieved 10 November 2017.
Public Bookshelf entry
Retrieved 10 November 2017.
Fantastic Fiction entry (biography and bibliography)
Retrieved 10 November 2017.

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cullum, Ridgwell 1867 births 1943 deaths Western (genre) writers 20th-century British novelists