Eugene Manlove Rhodes (1869–1934) was an American author who earned the moniker the "cowboy chronicler" for his realistic and vivid depictions of the American West. Born in the late nineteenth century, Rhodes lived in south-central New Mexico during the formative years of the region's cattle ranching industry. His firsthand experiences working alongside early cowboys deeply informed his later literary career, lending a rare authenticity to his portrayals of frontier life.
In 1899, Rhodes relocated to New York with his wife, a move that marked the beginning of his prolific period as a writer. Distance from his homeland seemed to sharpen his focus, and he began crafting numerous stories and novels that helped shape the popular image of the American cowboy. Unlike many of his contemporaries who sensationalized the West, Rhodes was noted for capturing the genuine spirit, humor, and daily struggles of the people he had known.
Rhodes returned to his beloved New Mexico in 1926, where he continued to write novels until his death in 1934. His contributions to Western literature were permanently recognized in 1958 when he was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
