Edward Zane Carroll Judson was born in New York in 1845. After a brief stint in the Navy, he turned his focus to writing where he hoped to make a living as a serious writer. But with bills to pay, he turned to churning out stories that people would pay to read.
He later adapted those stories to an American West setting. It was around that time that Judson befriended a young hunter named William Frederick Cody. Judson even claimed to have originated the nickname of “Buffalo Bill” for Cody.
Throughout his career, Judson went by several pseudonyms, including Captain Hal Decker, Scout Jack Ford and Edward Minturn. Under his most famous alias he became known as the “King of the Dime Novels.” By the time he died in 1886 at the age of 63, Judson had a legacy of more than 400 novels to his name.
Learn more about this “dime millionaire” and his Colt revolvers by clicking here. It’s just one of the many great treasures found at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va.
