Bret Harte

Snow-bound at Eagle's Bret Harte

Bret Harte (1836-1902) was a 19th century writer most famous for his contributions to western literature. When his widowed mother moved their family to California in 1854, he found work as a miner, messenger, printer, and journalist, working with such luminaries as Mark Twain, Charles Warren Stoddard, Prentice Mulford. He came into his own as a writer, however, with "The Luck of Roaring Camp" published in the Overland Monthly (which he also edited). As his fame spread, he continued writing about the American West. In 1871 he moved back east and pursued a political career as well as continuing to write fiction and poetry. In 1878 he was appointed United States Counsul at Crefeld, Germany. He was transferred to Scotland in 1880. He died in Camberely, England on May 6, 1902.