Walt Coburn

Walter John Coburn (October 23, 1889 – May 1971) was an American writer of Westerns. Coburn was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana Territory, the son of Robert Coburn Senior, the founder of the noted ''Circle C Ranch'' located south of Malta.John D. Flanagan, "Coburn, Walt", in ''Twentieth Century Western Writers'', edited by Geoff Sadler. St. James Press, 1991, , (pages 129-34)

Coburn served in the Army aviation corps during the World War I era. He later spent time as a cowboy and a surveyor, before becoming a full-time writer in the 1920s.

Western author

Coburn began his career with Western stories in general fiction pulp magazines such as ''Adventure''
and '' Argosy''.Lee Server, "Coburn, Walt" in
''Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers''. Facts on File, 2002 (pp. 65-66)
Later Coburn moved on to pulps specializing in Westerns, including ''Western Story Magazine'', ''Lariat Story Magazine'', ''Ace-High Western'' and ''Frontier Stories''. He often wrote for the Fiction House pulp magazines, which promoted Coburn as "the Cowboy Author".Jon Tuska, ''Star Western'', Gramercy Books, 1995, (page 132).

Coburn was enormously prolific; Flanagan states Coburn wrote almost two million words of fiction over
a thirty year period. Coburn at his most prolific, averaged over 600,000 published words per year. He was so popular that eventually, two pulp magazines -
''Walt Coburn’s Western Magazine'' and ''Walt Coburn’s Action Novels'' were issued, consisting mainly
of reprints of Coburn's work.

After the pulps ended in the 1950s, Coburn switched his focus to writing paperback originals.

Coburn was a devout Christian. Coburn claimed, in his posthumously published
autobiography ''Western Word Wrangler'' (1973) that God had chosen him to spread the Christian message
through his fiction.

Coburn committed suicide at age 82 in Prescott, Arizona.

Bibliography

Stories

*''The Ringtailed Rannyhans'' (1927)
*''Mavericks'' (1929)
*''Barb Wire'' (1931)
*''Walt Coburn's action novels; four western novels'' (1931)
*''The Passing of Poker Joe'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1933-02)
*''Son of a Gun Man'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1933-03)
*''Guns beyond the Border'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1933-10)
*''Brand of the Badlands'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1933-12)
*''Outlawed!'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-01)
*''The Hoot-Owl Pool'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-02)
*''The Hell Creek Maverick'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-03)
*''Cowman's Law'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-04)
*''Outlawed Orphan'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-05)
*''Maverick Men'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-06)
*''The Death Maverick'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-07)
*''Men of the Dark Trails'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-08)
*''Rim-Rock Renegades'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-09-01)
*''Black Outlaw'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-10-01)
*''Renegade Law'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-10-15)
*''Brand Blotters' Blood Tally'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-11-01)
*''The Rio Renegade'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1934-12-15)
*''Creed of the Lawless'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-01-01)
*''Satan's Saddle Mates'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-02-15)
*''Ghost Guns of Black Coulee'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-03-01)
*''The Rolling-R Rides to Glory'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-04-01)
*''Badlands Orphan'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-04-15)
*''Six Gringos Ride to Hell'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-05-01)
*''Branded Men'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-05-15)
*''Hate for a Lawman'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-06-01)
*''Feud Guns of Brady's Basin'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-06-15)
*''The Partner of Buckshot Blue'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-07-01)
*''Wanted Man's Gamble'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-07-15)
*''Badlands Lawman'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-08-01)
*''Son of the Owlhoot'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-08-15)
*''The Law Rides to Wolf Hole'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-09-01)
*''Tom Ball--Gun-Doctor'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-10-01)
*''Gunsmoke Born'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-10-15)
*''Wild-Bunch Lawman'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-11-01)
*''Gun Ghosts of Skull Creek'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1935-12-01)
*''Vigilante Vengeance'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-02)
*''Wild Men in Buckskin'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-03)
*''Missouri River Renegade'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-04)
*''Six-Gun Quarantine'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-05)
*''The Dead-Game Tinhorn'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-06)
*''The Badlands Vigilante'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-07)
*''The Button rides to War'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-08)
*''Trail Herd to Perdition'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-09)
*''The Wagon Train Feud'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-10)
*''A New Marshall for Pinto'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1936-11)
*''Gun Cub of the Black Wolf'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-01)
*''Blind Man's Gun Bluff'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-02)
*''Straw Boss for the Damned'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-03)
*''A Renegade rules the S-C Ranch'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-04)
*''Death rides with the Black Fergusons'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-05)
*''The Gringo who wouldn't die'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-06)
*''Last Stand of the Gila Pool Cowmen'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-07)
*''Lone Wolf of the Feud Pack'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-09)
*''The Raw Red Trail to Dodge!'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-10)
*''Trail Herd's Gunsmoke Market'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-11)
*''Sun Prairie's Powdersmoke Revival'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1937-12)
*''Guns break trail for a Texan's Herd'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-01)
*''Death waits West of Dodge'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-02)
*''Rawhide, Gunsmoke--and Texas Cattle!'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-03)
*''Stepson of the Wild Bunch'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-04)
*''His Partner, the Gun Ghost'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-05)
*''The Badlands send a Fighting Man'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-06)
*''Signed on to die!'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-07)
*''Fear God and shoot straight!'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-08)
*''The Owlhoot makes a Cowman'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-09)
*''Doc Masters' last gun deal'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-10)
*''The Gunsmoke Cub finds a Brand'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-11)
*''Recruit for the Hang-Noose Syndicate'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1938-12)
*''The Trail Drive God forgot'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-01)
*''Breaking of the Horse-Thief Pool'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-02)
*''Gun Call for Wind River Riders'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-03)
*''The Square Dealer of Last Chance'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-04)
*''Gunsmoke Bonus for Stolen Beef'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-05)
*''Button Brewster rides to war'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-06)
*''Lon Pike's last Gunsmoke Sermon'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-07)
*''Marked with Satan's Road-Brand'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-08)
*''The Summer of the Black Snow'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-09)
*''Free Bullets for the Quick-Grave Legion'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-10)
*''Gun Guide for Satan's Border-Jumpers'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-11)
*''Gray Wool brings Gunsmoke'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1939-12)
*''War Smoke guides the Western Mails'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-01)
*''New Graves at Hide-Out Ranch'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-02)
*''Gunsmoke Key to the Padlocked Deadline'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-03)
*''Too Soft for the Owlhoot'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-04)
*''Gun Partners of the Overland Mail'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-05)
*''Smoke McGonigal's last Gun-Chore'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-06)
*''Gun-Call for Buckskin Warriors'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-07)
*''A Greenhorn rides the Death Watch'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-09)
*''The Bear-Paw Man-Breaker'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-10)
*''The Fighting Flaggs ride at Midnight!'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-11)
*''The Mad Gunman of Wolf Tooth Point'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1940-12)
*''Law Rides the Range'' (1935)
*''Sky-Pilot Cowboy'' (1937)
*''Hired to Kill'' (''Dime Western Magazine'' 1945-12)
*''Pardners of the Dim Trails'' (1951) (vt: ''Tough Texan'')
*''The Way of a Texan'' (1953)
*''Drift Fence'' (1953)
*''The Burnt Ranch'' (1954)
*''Gun Grudge'' (1955)
*''Wet Cattle'' (1955) (vt: ''Violent Maverick'')
*''The Square Shooter'' (1956)
*''Border Jumper'' (1956)
*''The Night Branders'' (1956)
*''One Step Ahead of the Posse'' (1956)
*''Cayuse'' (1956)
*''Stirrup High'' (1957)
*''Fear Branded'' (1957)
*''Horse Thief Trail'' (1957)
*''Spider-Web Ridge'' (1958)
*''Beyond the Wild Missouri'' (1958)
*''Buffalo Run'' (1958) (vt: ''Fast Gun'')
*''Free Rangers'' (1959)
*''Dark and Bloody Ground'' (1960)
*''Guns Blaze on Spiderweb Range'' (1961)
*''Invitation to a Hanging'' (1963)
*''Ramrod'' (1963)
*''Branded'' (1963)
*''Sons of Gunfighters'' (1963)
*''The Kansas Killers'' (1966)
*''Feud Valley'' (1969)
*''The Renegade'' (1969)
*''La Jornada'' (1971)
*''Sleeper's Mark'' (1990)
*''Showdown Mesa'' (1992)
*''Coffin Ranch'' : a western trio (1998; edited by Jon Tuska).

Non-fiction

*Pioneer Cattleman in Montana: Story of the Circle C Ranch (1968)
*Western Word Wrangler (1973)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coburn, Walt
1889 births
1971 deaths
1971 suicides
20th-century American novelists
Western (genre) writers
American Christian writers
People from White Sulphur Springs, Montana
United States Army Air Forces soldiers
Suicides in Arizona