The Mountain Divide — Frank H. Spearman

Frank Hamilton Spearman (1859-1937) was an American author. He was known for his books in the Western fiction genre and especially for his fiction and non-fiction works on the topic of railroads. Although he wrote prolifically about railroads, his actual career was that of a bank president in McCook, Nebraska and did not work for a railroad. Spearman was also a devout Roman Catholic convert and held political views best described as proto-libertarian, both of which beliefs are also reflected in his novels. His Western novel Whispering Smith (1906) was made into a movie on three separate occasions, in 1915, 1927 and 1947. His works include: The Nerve of Foley and Other Railroad Stories (1900), Held for Others: Being Stories of Railroad Life (1901), Doctor Bryson (1902), The Daughter of a Magnate (1903), The Strategy of Great Railroads (1904), The Close of the Day (1904), Robert Kimberly (1911), The Mountain Divide (1912), Merrilie Dawes (1913), Nan of Music Mountain (1916), Laramie Holds the Range (1921), The Marriage Verdict (1923), Selwood of Sleepy Cat (1925), Flambeau Jim (1927), Spanish Lover (1930) and Hell's Desert (1933).