Eugene Manlove Rhodes was born in a double log, "dugtrot" cabin in Tecumseh on January 19, 1869. At the time, his father was a member of the State Legislature, which had convened in Lincoln.
He has been hailed as the only writer of the "western story" who wrote American literature in the process. His career as a writer spanned 38 years. During that time, Rhodes published 60 short fiction stories, 14 novelettes and longer serials, 16 essays and articles, and 32 well-known poems. Twelve books and two booklets bear his name.
Some of the periodicals in which his stories appeared include the Saturday Evening Post, Redbook, Harpers Weekly, and Out West. Several motion pictures were made from Rhodes' stories. A collection of his writings are on file in the Tecumseh Public Library.