ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pete “Smokey” Dryer has a deep interest in nineteenth-century history, which began with the reading of the classic western tales of Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and Owen Wister. That interest prompted him to create a persona, Smokey Pickett, born in 1830, who could have lived through many historic events. After moving to Arizona, he became fascinated with the history of the territorial prison, where he now gives tours and continues to research its history.