American Character
The Curious Life of 
Charles Fletcher Lummis and 
the Rediscovery of the Southwest

     In 1884, he walked from Ohio to California in a pair of knickerbockers and street shoes  to take a job as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.  He gained a national following with weekly letters about his escapades along the way.  A New England Yankee by birth, he gained a deep appreciation for both the natural beauty and cultural diversity of the Southwest, where he remained for the rest of his life. 

Charles Fletcher Lummis, almost always attired in his trademark well-worn, dark green, Spanish-style corduroy suit, soiled sombrero and red Navajo sash, went on to become one of the most famous and colorful personalities of his day as a book author, magazine editor, archaeologist, preserver of Spanish missions, advisor to President Theodore Roosevelt and a crusader for civil rights for American Indians, Hispanics and other minority groups.         An award-winning biography of Lummis, American Character, published 2001, tells his story.   Publisher's Weekly called it  "a compulsively engaging and spirited biography of a man as colorful as he was influential."  Western Writers of America honored it with a 2002 Spur Award for best biography of the year. Here are other reviews of the book. Click here for information on how to buy the book.  Or, explore the following links to learn more about a most unusual American character.

(N.22203) Photos of Lummis  courtesy of the  Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, Calif.