Stevens, James, 1892-1971

Stevens was a free-lance writer particularly interested in the history of logging and the timber industry. He is especially known for his Paul Bunyan stories.

Author of Paul Bunyan.

Anthologist.

James Stevens was a writer and public relations counsel who was best known as the creator of Paul Bunyan and Davy Crockett. He was born in 1892 in Albia, Iowa, and educated at public schools there and in Idaho. He worked in logging camps in his teens and early twenties, but in 1924 he turned to writing as his career. Between 1924 and 1937 he freelanced. In 1937 he was hired by the West Coast Lumbermen's Association (WCLA) as public relations director, a job that allowed him to combine his writing talents with his interest in and knowledge of the forest products industry. He stayed with WCLA until he retired in 1957.

His interest in forests also led him to become one of the founders of the Keep Washington Green Association, which was begun in 1939-1940, growing out of the Junior Forest Council. He served with the association until 1957 as a Secretary-Treasurer and a member of the Board of Trustees. He was also a Trustee of the Washington State Forestry Conference, a member of the Society of American Foresters, and of the American Forestry Association.

Besides his position with WCLA, he was very active in the activities of the Congregational Church in King County as well as in the Washington-Northern Idaho Council of Churches, and served as Public Relations Chairman for them. The job included writing a column for the publication, Congregational Way .

Stevens was also active in professional writers' associations and served as Trustee of the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. He wrote copy for the Historical Markers Committee of the Washington State Historical Society in 1957. During the planning for the World's Fair in 1961-62, he served as a member of the Cultural Arts Committee.