Born in 1859, Andy Adams was one of the great writers of the Western genre. He was raised in Indiana on the family farm where he grew up working with cattle. In 1882 he left home heading for Texas where he spent the better part of 10 years on driving cattle from from Texas to Montana and all across the western trails.

Following that stint he focused his attention on mining for gold, albeit unsuccessfully, and settled in colorado. At the age of 43 he started to write about his adventures and experiences on the western trail, drawing heavily from his own personal experiences. His first book was published in 1903: The Log of a Cowboy. It is still widely regarded as one of the most accurate accounts of the life and times of a real cowboy. It was a success and he followed up with several more books:

• 1904: A Texas Matchmaker
• 1905: The Outlet
• 1906: Cattle Brands: A Collection of Western Camp-fire Stories
• 1907: Reed Anthony, Cowman: An Autobiography
• 1911: The Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings
• 1927: The Ranch on the Beaver: A Sequel to Wells Brothers

In 1935, Andy Adams died in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the age of76.

An excerpt from his first book:

On the morning of April 1, 1882, our Circle Dot herd started on its long tramp to the Blackfoot Agency in Montana. With six men on each side, and the herd strung out for three quarters of a mile, it could only be compared to some mythical serpent or Chinese dragon, as it moved forward on its sinuous, snail-like course. Two riders, known as point men, rode out and well back from the lead cattle, and by riding forward and closing in as occasion required, directed the course of the herd. The main body of the herd trailed along behind the leaders like an army in loose marching order, guarded by outriders, known as swing men, who rode well out from the advancing column, warding off range cattle and seeing that none of the herd wandered away or dropped out. There was no driving to do; the cattle moved of their own free will as in ordinary travel. Flood seldom gave orders; but, as a number of us had never worked on the trail before, at breakfast on the morning of our start he gave in substance these general directions…