Background
Evelyn Minerva Wells was born 7 April 1899 in Illinois to unknown parents.
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Evelyn Wells
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The family lived in the Chicago area until about 1905, when they moved to Ashland, Oregon, and then to San Jose, California. Around 1918, young Evelyn, armed with a letter from Veblen"s divorced wife, went to Fremont Older seeking work. He asked instead that she do a piece on being an 18-year-old girl, which she promptly produced, after which she began working with Older at the San co Call, and was even part of his household for a while.
During her tenure with the San co Call, she interviewed Martha Jane "Patty" Reed Lewis of the Donner Party and wrote a series of articles in 1919 entitled "The Tragedy of Donner Lake." She also wrote serials about Lola Montez, Sarah Althea Hill, and other early California personalities.
She retained her maiden name in her many books, though she is referred to in a few accounts as Evelyn Wells Podesta. In addition to the books listed below, she also edited Betty Martin"s best-selling "Miracle at Carville" (Doubleday, 1950) and its sequel, "Number One Must Ever Know" (Doubleday, 1959).
She died 6 September 1984 in Seattle, Washington.
