Description

Lummis (1859-1928) was an American journalist, and an activist for Indian rights and historic preservation. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, he travelled widely in the Southwest, eventually settling in Los Angeles, California where he also became known as an historian, photographer, ethnographer, archaeologist and librarian. In 1884 he was offered a job on the Los Angeles TImes and decided to make the 3,500 mile journey from Cincinatti where he was working for a newspaper on foot, taking 143 days and sending regular dispatches to the paper chronicling his trip, including a meeting with outlaw Frank James. He became enamored of the American Southwest and its Spanish and Native American inhabitants and later published a book about his journey, A Tramp Across the Continent (1892). For 11 years Lummis was editor of the magazine Out West in which he published work by authors including Jack London and John Muir, contributing over 500 articles himself in addition to a monthly commentary. In 1905 he took over as Ciry Librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library despite no prior training, resigning in 1911 to devote himself to setting up the Southwest Museum. This collection of stories was first published in 1897 and is reprinted from the new and enlarged edition of 1912 which is illustrated with 7 photographs.