]> drago_hs Harry Sinclair Drago Papers An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University – &su_name; &su_address; Feb 1967 [Derived from Summit] 12 Mar 2007 English Nov 1967 - additions (--) 12 Nov 2007 - converted to EAD (MRC) 12 Dec 2007 - 1969 additions (MRC) Overview of the Collection &su_name; &su_address; Drago, Harry Sinclair, 1888-1979. Harry Sinclair Drago Papers 1926-1968 15.0 linear ft. Papers of the American novelist and short story writer who specialized in historical fiction set in the Southwestern States. Collection includes correspondence (1925-1967); typescript books and stories; and published material by and about Drago. 148951 English Biographical History

American novelist Harry Sinclair Drago (1888-1979 or 1980) was born in White Plains, New York. He held a number of jobs in the writing and publishing industry, including reporter and columnist for the Toledo Bee in Toledo, Ohio and Hollywood scriptwriter (1928-1933), but is best known for his historical fiction, most of which was set in the American Southwest. His novels include Oh Suzanna, Whispering Sage, Out of the Silent North, Buckskin Affair, Fenced Off, and Decision at Broken Butte.

Drago was a prolific writer, averaging three books a year, and published more than a hundred books over his career. In addition to his novels, he contributed articles and short stories to The Westerners and other publications and wrote several screenplays and novelizations; in his later years he turned his hand from historical fiction to non-fiction histories of the American West. He also wrote under several pseudonyms: Sinclair Drago, Grant Sinclair, Stewart Cross, Kirk Deming, Will Ermine, Peter Field, Bliss Lomax, and J. Wesley Putnam.

Drago was a member of the Publication Committee of the Westerners, New York Posse (branch), a non-profit educational organization of those whose interest is to preserve and record the cultural background and development of the West. His work received many awards, among them the Buffalo Award for best western book of the year (1960) for Wild, Woolly, and Wicked, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Award (1970) for The Great Range Wars, and the Western Heritage Award (1971).

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Harry Sinclair Drago Papers consists of two accessions which have not been integrated. The collection includes correspondence, writings, photographs, manuscripts, and published material.

Manuscripts contains handwritten and typed manuscripts of articles, books, short stories and plays, both by Drago and others, as well as those sets of gallery proofs. Published material contains newspaper clippings about others, articles by Drago and others, one novelette, and one periodical.

The 1969 additions consist of biographical and background material, correspondence, writings and photographs. Biographical and background material (1969 additions) contains a brief printed autobiography, newspaper clippings about Western subjects, and personal ephemera.

Correspondence (1969 additions) contains incoming and a few outgoing letters. Most concerns Drago's writing, though there are a few personal in nature. Box 1 includes a selected index to correspondence with specific dates of letters; a summary of this with inclusive dates is reproduced at the end of this finding aid.

Writings (1969 additions), most undated, includes manuscripts, reviews of his books, and notes. Photographs (1969 additions) contains miscellaneous photos (Tom Mix, others).

 Arrangement of the Collection

Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically first by type, then by author, and then by title. Published material is arranged alphabetically by type and then by author if applicable. Personal correspondence is arranged chronologically; business correspondence is arranged alphabetically (as received). Writings in the 1969 additions are arranged alphabetically by type and then by title.

Note that box numbers are not unique. Please specify accession and box number and title when requesting material.

 Subject and Genre Headings Literature -- American Fiction Drago, Harry Sinclair, 1888-1979, Archives. Authors, American. Novelists, American. Southwestern States, Fiction. Correspondence. Manuscripts for publication. Authors. Novelists. Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

 Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Harry Sinclair Drago Papers, &su_name;

 Acquisition Information

Gift of Harry S. Drago. Gift of Dodd, Mead & Company Inc.

 Inventory Manuscripts Articles Barber, James, "The Eyes of the Post Office" 1 Books by Drago Bad Boy 1 Buckskin Affair 1 Buckskin Meadows 1 The Champ 2 Cowtowns of Kansas 2 The Desert Hawk 2 Desert Water 3 Done in the Open 3 Epitaph for a Marshall 3 Fenced Off 3, 4 Good Men and Bad 4 Great American Cattle Trails 4, 5 Gun with a Waiting Notch 5 The Last Patrol (Dead Men's Gold) 5 Lost Bonanzas 5 1964 Many Beavers 6 Mesquite 6 Montana Road 6 Nailed Down 6 No Parking 6, 7 Opening at the West 7 Outlaws on Horseback 7, 8 Plundered Range 8 Rebel Basin 8 Red River Valley 8, 9 Spawn of the North 9 The Steamboaters 9 Sun in Their Eyes 10 Sunrise on the Cimarron 10 Wagon Road to Virginia City 10 When the Fish are Rising 11 The Wild Bunch 11 Wild Grass 11, 12 by Drago as Will Ermine Decision at Broken Butte 12 The Driftin' Kid 12 Frenchman's River 13 Laramie Rides Alone 13 Lobo Law 13 Longhorn Empire 13, 14 Pay Off at Black Hawk 14 Rider of the Midnight Range 14 Rustler's Bend 14 The Silver Star 15 by Drago as Bliss Lomax Appointment on the Yellowstone 15 Honky-Tonk Woman 15, 16 Last Call for a Gunfighter 16 The Law Busters 17 Riders of the Buffalo Grass 17 Shadow Mountain 17 Stranger with a Gun 18 Trail Dust 18 Fragments by Drago All American 19 Beyond the Sound of Bugles 19 The Smilin' Kid 19 by Waller, Helen A Girl's Privilege 19 Unidentified 3 items 19 Galley Proofs by Drago Buckskin Affair 19 Red River Valley 19 by Drago as Will Ermine Longhorn Empire 19 Maps Unidentified 20 Notes by Drago 20 Plays by Drago Cobra Song (with Charleson Gray) 20 King of the Kongo 20 The Lotus Lady 20 Nothing to Wear (with Harry Carlisle) 1928 20 by Neville, John T. Rolling Thunder 1928 20 Short Stories by Drago All the Brothers Were Bad 20 A Man Learns Fast 20 Cowards Don't Come Back 20 Death Rides the River 20 The Drifting Kid Moves On 20 Dusty Saddles 20 Main Event 20 Night Haul 21 Pardners of the Malpais 21 Raw Land 21 Savage Cargo (with Thomas Springer) 21 Six-Gun Justice 21 Sundown 21 Washout at Ute Crossing 21 Watchdog at Lonesome Creek 21 Unidentified, Untitled 21 Story Synopses by Drago Barbed Wire 22 The Cheyenne Trail 22 The Cowboy Kid 22 The Cyclone Lover 22 Drums of India 22 Everything to Win 22 Good Medicine 22 Hello Cheyenne 22 A Horseman of the Plains 22 The Iron Road 22 Ladies Must Pay 22 McCoy Gangster Story 22 On the Spot 22 Painted Post 22 The Pride of Arabia 22 A Romance of the Underworld 22 Six-Gun Ransom 22 Tony Gets His Man 22 Under Western Skies 22 by Redden, Francis J. The Solid Man 22 Unidentified 22 Published material Articles by Drago Red River Station 1961 1 The Wagon Road to Virginia City 1962 1 by Dobie, J. Frank E. Douglas Branch, Singularisimo 1962 1 by Traxler, Ralph The Texas & Pacific Railroad Land Grants 1 by Wilson, Glen Old Red River Station 1 Newspaper clippings About others 1875 (reprinted, 1955), 1926 1 Novelettes by Drago More Precious than Gold 1 Periodicals Publishers Weekly Vol. 164, no. 14 Oct. 3, 1953 Biographical and background material (1969 additions) Published material 1936, 1937, 1939, 1942, 1964, undated 1 Photograph undated 1 Correspondence (1969 additions) Personal 1903-1939 6 folders 1 1940-1956 6 folders 2 1960 2 1967 2 Undated 2 Business H. K. Fly Publishing Company 9 Jan 1919 - 20 Feb 1920 3 William Morrow and Company 30 Oct 1933 - 1 May 1951 3 Mary Leonard Pritchett 28 Dec 1935 - 9 Sep 1942 3 Louis H. Silberkleit 12 Nov 1935 - 13 Apr 1940 3 Writings (1969 additions) Books Great American Cattle Trails chs 1-10 typescript carbon ; chs 11-21 incomplete typescript carbon undated 3 Farewell Frontier original typescript revised and typescript carbon revised; incomplete typescript carbon revised; chs 1-6 incomplete original typescript revised undated 3 Honky Tonk Woman (writing as Bliss Lomax) chs 1-13 original typescript revised undated 3 Honky Tonk Woman (writing as Bliss Lomax) chs 14-26 original typescript revised; list of characters; original typescript revised undated 4 Laramie Rides Alone (writing as Will Ermine) original typescript revised undated 4 The Last Patrol cits; original typescript revised undated 4 The Law Busters typescript carbon; [synopsis] original ts undated 4 The Match King by Einar Thorvaldson incomplete original typescript revised undated 4 Outlaws on Horseback chs 1-12 typescript carbon revised undated 4 Outlaws on Horseback chs 13-28 typescript carbon revised; published material 6 Jan 1965 1965, undated 5 Red River Valley book review newspaper clippings; correspondence 1962-1963, 1968 5 Roads to Empire chs 1-22 printer's copy typescript carbon revised; galleys revised; page proofs; final proofs 1968 5 The Steamboaters chs 1-10 printer's copy original typescript revised; chs 11-21 printer's copy original typescript revised; galleys; page proofs, annotated; front matter, bibliography, index printer's copy original typescript revised; correspondence; final proofs, annotated; book reviews (photocopies of newspaper clippings) 1967, undated 6 Trigger Gospel book review; book cover; published material undated 6 Miscellaneous undated 7 Photographs (1969 additions)Tom Mix and othersundated 7 Selected index to correspondence

Following is a summary list with inclusive dates. A detailed index with specific dates is included in Box 1.

Curtis Brown, Ltd. 1939-1956 John Burr 1939-1952, undated A.L. Burt Company 1929-1934 Century Publications 1922-1949 Doubleday, Doran and Co. 1916-1937 Edward A. Ducker 1935-1940 Farrar and Rinehart, Inc. Publishers 1941-1944 Fox Film Corporation 1926-1927 Robert Thomas Hardy, Inc. 1935, 1940 Marguerite Harper 1952-1955 Franz. J. Horch 1949-1951 Lichtig-Englander 1928-1951, updated Macaulay Company 1925-1939, undated Frank A. Munsey Co. 1923-1928 Popular Library 1939-1952 Popular Publications 1937 Short Stories 1925-1942 Smart Set 1926 Street and Smith Publications 1939-1953 H.N. Swanson Inc. 1954-1955 Warner Brothers 1937-1947 Western Printing and Lithographic Company 1947-1954 World Publishing Company 1943-1949