Quintessential American poet and author of short stories about the Old West. Arrived in California via Nicaragua in 1854. Worked as a typesetter in San Francisco, contributed stories to the Californian (1864-66) and then became editor of Overland Monthly (1868-70). He also worked in the gold mines and became famous for his tales about Californian mining camps, achieving international renown with "The Outcasts of Poker Flat".