These Dime Novels Created Wyoming’s Reputation

They were once referred to as "Dime Novels," because that's how much they sold for.

They were horrible reads.

No matter the quality, many people formed their perceptions of Wyoming based on these novels.

Dime novels made national heroes out of ordinary people.

But this was back before we had things like cell phones to look at all day, so people read these cheap little books and magazines when they needed to keep their minds occupied.

Here are a few of the best dime novels that took place in Wyoming back in the day.

Andrew Bonning came West, a raw novice, to make his fortune; and he had to learn fast in order to survive.

This is the story of a rash of cattle-rustling, a crooked sheriff, and only this raw tenderfoot with a pistol to set things right What's more, he met and fell for feisty Martha Ann only to discover she was claimed by the dangerous Tex McCall.

He had to stand up to McCall in the only way the men of Wyoming knew. (Thrift Books). 

There are many books about the old west shows of Buffalo Bill. He was big back then as was his Wild West show. Folks wanted to read all about it, no matter if it was truth or fiction.

These selections date from the 1890s and early 1900s, and range from tales of college hijinks and old-timey baseball to two-fisted, gunslinging adventures in the Old West. (Dime Novels).

Speaking of Buffalo Bill, there were many novels, back then that were like the one you see below.

These made people like Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane famous.

The bulk of our dime novels are constituted by the Beadle’s Dime Novels Collection, The Merriwell Series and The Buffalo Bill’s Series.

These fragile books are handled with extreme care while reclassifying them.

We take pride in conserving our collections and growing them with a steadfast vision to be a better resource for research for the community. (University Of Tulsa).

One of the greatest classic dime novels that took place in Wyoming was The Virginian.

The Virginian (otherwise titled The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains) is a 1902 novel by the American author Owen Wister (1860-1938), set in Wyoming Territory during the 1880s.

It is considered the first true fictional western ever written, aside from short stories and pulp dime novels, though modern scholars debate this.

The Virginian paved the way for many more Westerns by such authors as Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and several others.

But the novel did not start as a novel. It was adapted from several short stories published in Harper's Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post between Nov 1893 and May 1902.

If you're looking for a more modern writer who still tells tales of the old West, you might enjoy this next one.

Set in location of Old Faithful Inn, 1903-4. Working in a discouraging cafe, Ellen escapes an awful situation in rough and tumble Butte, Montana, and goes to work as second in command to a wary cook in the shell that will become Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone Park. She meets Charles Penrose, head carpenter on the massive project of Old Faithful Inn, which is being finished in a harsh Wyoming winter. Will it really open June 1, 1904? Can Ellen start to trust the other workers? What will she learn about the other employees? And Charles. He's a widower with a young daughter there, too. Like Ellen, he wants more. (Good Reads).