Paul I. Wellman was born in Enid Oklahoma, just a few short years after that area, known as "The Cherokee Strip" was opened to white settlers. Shortly after his birth he travelled to Portugese West Africa, where his father was a missionary. Wellman attended school in Utah, where his interest in the Native American culture was sparked. Wellman worked as an historian, and newspaperman, but is best known for his extremely accurate novels of the Old West. In addition to dozens of novels, Wellman wrote some serious studies of the Native American, and western outlaws. In 1944, Wellman moved to Los Angeles where he resided untill his death.