▁establish ments ▁in ▁Colorado <0x0A> </s> ▁James ▁Stevens ▁( 1 8 9 2 ▁– ▁December ▁ 3 1 , ▁ 1 9 7 1 ) ▁was ▁an ▁American ▁author ▁and ▁composer . ▁Born ▁in ▁Al bia , ▁Iowa , ▁he ▁lived ▁in ▁Id aho ▁from ▁a ▁young ▁age , ▁and ▁based ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁later ▁novel ▁Big ▁Jim ▁Turner ▁( 1 9 4 8 ) ▁on ▁his ▁child hood ▁spent ▁in ▁Pacific ▁North west ▁logging ▁cam ps . ▁After ▁fighting ▁in ▁World ▁War ▁I , ▁he ▁came ▁back ▁to ▁work ▁in ▁the ▁woods ▁and ▁saw m ills ▁of ▁Oregon . ▁ ▁Stevens ▁"... character ized ▁himself ▁as ▁' a ▁h ob o ▁labor er ▁with ▁wish ful ▁literary ▁year ning ,' ▁and ▁became ▁self - ed uc ated ▁at ▁public ▁libraries , ▁which ▁he ▁called ▁' the ▁poor ▁man ' s ▁univers ities . ▁ ▁He ▁later ▁tra ve led ▁through ▁the ▁West ▁and ▁Mid west , ▁and ▁lived ▁in ▁Detroit , ▁Port land , ▁and ▁Seattle . ▁He ▁research ed ▁logging ▁history ▁and ▁wrote ▁about ▁the ▁logging ▁industry ▁and ▁about ▁conservation . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s , ▁as ▁the ▁public ▁relations ▁director ▁for ▁the ▁Western ▁L umber man ' s ▁Association , ▁he ▁promoted ▁the ▁" Ke ep ▁Washington ▁Green " ▁campaign ▁against ▁forest ▁fires . ▁ ▁Among ▁his ▁literary ▁works ▁were ▁Paul ▁Bun yan ▁( 1 9 2 5 ), ▁Bra wn y ▁Man ▁( 1 9 2 6 ), ▁Mat to ck ▁( 1 9 2