Phillip W. Steele became interested in Ozark and
Old West history and folklore many years ago. He has researched and written on several of these subjects. A successful columnist and historian, Steele has had more than fifty articles published in such magazines as True West, Real West, Tombstone Epitaph, The Roundup, The Westerner, True Treasure, and other
major newspapers and magazines throughout the nation. In fact, Steele's column, “Hearth Tales of the Ozarks,” appeared in the Ozarks Mountaineer magazine
for ten years.
Also a successful author, Steele's books by
Pelican Publishing Company include: The Last Cherokee Warriors; Ozark
Tales and Superstitions; Jesse and Frank James: The Family History; Starr
Tracks: Belle and Pearl Starr; Civil War in the Ozarks with coauthor
Steve Cottrell; Outlaws and Gunfighters of the Old West; and
The Many Faces of Jesse James written with George Warfel. His self-published works include The Butterfield Run, In Search of the Daltons, and Lost Treasures of the Ozarks.
Outside of his writing, Steele is the president of Good Old Days Food, Inc., of Springdale and Little Rock, Arkansas. He is also one of the owners and an executive producer of American Heritage Productions, Inc., a film company that produces documentary films on Old West, Civil War, and
Ozark folklore subjects for the home video and television markets.
A native of northwest Arkansas, Steele attended Kemper Military Academy in Columbia, Missouri, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Arkansas. He is involved in a number of organizations: the Western Writers of America; the Jesse James Historical Society, of which he is president; the Friends of the James Farm and Museum; the National Outlaw and Lawman History Association, for which he serves on the board of directors; the Ozarks Writers League; and the Ozarks Arts and Crafts Fair. He also serves on the board of directors for the Arkansas History Commission, which is appointed by the Governor of Arkansas.
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