Background
Ramon Frederick Adams was born on 3 October 1889, in Moscow, Texas, United States.
Ramon Frederick Adams was born on 3 October 1889, in Moscow, Texas, United States.
Adams studied at Austin College in Sherman, that he graduated in 1912.
After his graduation from Austin College in Sherman in 1912, Adams pursued a musical career as a violin teacher at the University of Arkansas. After he moved to Dallas, he worked as a theatre musician until he broke his wrist, which ended his career as a violinist.
Adams and his wife then opened a retail candy store, which became a wholesale store after six years of operation. Their candy store was known for its "Burnt Offerings, a chocolate almond candy created for Neiman-Marcus. The Adams also created Texas Pecandy.
After Adams closed his candy store in 1955, he devoted his time to his Western writing. He was the author of the first Western dictionary, the first full biography of Western artist Charles Russell, and the first history of the cow camp cook.
Adams also wrote the first critical analysis of the stories about the infamous Billy the Kid, as well as the first bibliography of books about Western outlaws.
Ramon's works, spread out over more than sixty years, concentrated on three major areas: dictionaries of the specialized language used by cowboys and other western figures; folklore and biographies of cattlemen, outlaws, and other figures; and bibliographies of western literature.
Adams was a member of Texas Institute of Letters, Southwest Writers Association, Western History Association and Press Club.
Quotes from others about the person
“Adams is one of the great scholars of the great plains saga. He has created a milestone in historical research about the west.” - Tribune critic R. W. Howard
“Mr. Adams has performed a major service for everybody interested in the West in this splendid dictionary, and he has further endeared himself to readers by allowing a favorite word to lead him into some yarn of the cow camp. His book totes a double threat for it can be read for sheer pleasure as well as being invaluable as a reference volume.” - a Springfield Republican reviewer