Andy Adams (May 3, 1859 – September 26, 1935) was an American writer of

western fiction Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...

Life and career

Andy Adams was born in

Thorncreek Township, Whitley County, Indiana Thorncreek Township is one of nine townships in Whitley County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,166 and it contained 1,894 housing units. The township has two main population clusters. The southern edge of th ...

, the son of Andrew Adams, who was of Irish descent, and Elizabeth Elliott, who was of Scottish descent. As a boy, he helped with the cattle and horses on the family farm. During the early 1880s, he went to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, where he stayed for 10 years, spending much of that time driving cattle on the western trails. In 1890, he tried working as a businessman, but the venture failed, so he tried gold-mining in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. In 1894, he settled in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, where he lived until his death. He began writing at the age of 43, publishing his most successful book, ''The Log of a Cowboy'', in 1903. His other works include ''A Texas Matchmaker'' (1904), ''The Outlet'' (1905), ''Cattle Brands'' (1906), ''Reed Anthony, Cowman: An Autobiography'' (1907), ''Wells Brothers'' (1911), and ''The Ranch on the Beaver'' (1927). ''The Log of a Cowboy'' is an account of a five-month drive of 3,000 cattle from Brownsville, Texas, to

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 Columb ...

during 1882 along the

Great Western Cattle Trail The Great Western Cattle Trail was used during the late 19th century for movement of cattle and horses to markets in eastern and northern states. It is also known as the Western Trail, Fort Griffin Trail, Dodge City Trail, Northern Trail and Tex ...

. Although the book is fiction, it is based on Adams's own experiences, and it is considered by many to be literature's best account of cowboy life.Harvey L. Carter, "Retracing a Cattle Drive: Andy Adams's 'The Log of a Cowboy, ''Arizona & the West'' (1981) 23#4 pp 355-378. Adams was disgusted by the unrealistic cowboy fiction being published in his time; ''The Log of a Cowboy'' was his response. It is still in print, and even modern reviewers consider it compelling. The Chicago Herald said: "As a narrative of cowboy life, Andy Adams' book is clearly the real thing. It carries its own certificate of authentic first-hand experience on every page."

Works

*1903: ''The Log of a Cowboy''. *1904: ''A Texas Matchmaker''. *1905: ''The Outlet''. *1906: ''Cattle Brands: A Collection of Western Camp-fire Stories'' - contains 14 short stories. *1907: ''Reed Anthony, Cowman: An Autobiography'' - Adams breathes life into the story of a Texas cowboy who becomes a wealthy and influential cattleman. *1911: ''The Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings'' - Tells the tale of two orphaned boys who, against all odds and in the face of numerous calamities, establish their own cattle ranch. It was followed by a sequel, ''The Ranch on the Beaver'' (1927). *1927: ''The Ranch on the Beaver: A Sequel to Wells Brothers''.

References

External links

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Classic ReaderReview of Log of a Cowboy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Andy 1859 births 1935 deaths Novelists from Colorado Cowboys Western (genre) writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers American male novelists Novelists from Indiana Writers from Colorado Springs, Colorado

Life and career

Works

References

Further reading

External links