Kathleen O’Neal Gear is an award-winning archaeologist and New York Times bestselling author of over 60 books and more than 200 non-fiction publications in the fields of archaeology, history, writing, and bison conservation.
She has won numerous awards.
While working as an archaeologist for the United States Department of the Interior, she was twice awarded the “Special Achievement Award” for outstanding management of America’s cultural resources.
She has been inducted into four halls of fame: The California State University Hall of Fame, the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame, the Western Writers of America Hall of Fame, and the Women Who Write the West Hall of Fame.
In 2015, the United States Congress honored her with a “Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.” That same year the California State Legislature passed Joint Member Resolution #117, saying, “…the contributions of Kathleen O’Neal Gear to the fields of history, archaeology and writing have been invaluable…” In 2021, she received the Owen Wister Award for lifetime contributions to western literature, and in 2023 she received the Frank Waters Award for “exemplary literary achievement.”
In addition, she and W. Michael Gear have received awards from the Western Bison Association, the National Bison Association, the Dakota Territory Buffalo Association, and the Wisconsin Bison Producers Association. Their bison have won 167 national and regional awards.
Kathleen and Michael live in northern Wyoming.