Famous Sheriffs and Western Outlaws

William MacLeod Raine, a British-born American novelist, wrote imaginary adventure novels set in the American Old West. In 1959, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum recognized him into its Hall of Great Westerners. William MacLeod Raine was born in London as the son of William and Jessie Raine. When Raine was ten years old, his family moved from England to Arkansas, finally settling on a cattle ranch on the Texas-Arkansas border. His mother died. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1894, Raine left Arkansas and traveled to the western United States. He became the principal of a school in Seattle while writing pieces for a local newspaper. At this point, he began to publish short pieces, eventually becoming a full-time free-lance fiction writer and discovering his literary voice in the novel. His early writings were romantic histories set in the English countryside. However, after spending time with the Arizona Rangers, Raine altered his writing concentration and began to use the American West as a backdrop. Wyoming's release in 1908 marked the start of his prolific career, during which he averaged roughly two western books per year until his death in 1954.