Wells, William Bittle, 1872-1965

William Bittle Wells was born in Floyd County, Virginia in 1872. After first moving to California in 1874, Wells’ family settled in Portland, Oregon in 1881. He graduated from Stanford University in 1897 with a degree in English and a certificate in education. At Stanford, Wells had developed an interest in publishing and publicity. He was an editor of several school newspapers, including The Daily Palo Alto and Olla Podria .

In 1898 Wells founded the western magazine Pacific Monthly, which featured book reviews, reports on the development of the pacific coast, literature, and humor. Wells made the magazine into an outlet for the work of young American writers. Pacific Monthly was not a financial success, and after he encountered difficulties obtaining editorial assistance, Wells finally sold the magazine in 1906. It was later consolidated with Sunset Magazine .

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