William Wright, better known by his pseudonym, Dan De Quille, was born in Knox County, Ohio, in 1829. His family moved to Iowa when he was 18 and settled near West Liberty. In 1857, De Quille left for California and prospected for gold in Nevada County, Mariposa and the Mono Lake District. The excitement of the silver discovery in the Washoe Valley, however, drew him to Nevada in 1860. For a short time he worked in the Yellow Jacket Point Mine at Silver City. In 1862, he joined the staff of The Territorial Enterprise, which was published in Virginia City, and it was in journalism he found his niche. He became one of the best known men on the Comstock, and through his contributions to various periodicals, one of the most widely read journalists in the West. He wrote portions of Angel's History of Nevada and in 1884, the article on Nevada for the 10th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He also wrote two books, History of the Big Bonanza (Hartford, 1876) and A History of the Comstock Silver Lode Mines, a paper bound guide book designed to be sold on the overland trains. After the demise of the Enterprise in 1893, De Quille stayed on a short time at Virginia City, writing for the Salt Lake City Tribune and serving as Nevada correspondent for other papers. He then went to West Liberty, Iowa, to stay with his daughter and De Quille died there March 16, 1898.
De Quille's papers were given to Bancroft Library by Henry L. Day in November 1953, through the courtesy of Joel E. Ferris. The collection, which includes also a few papers of other members of the Wright Family (his brother, John; sister, Lou Benjamin; and daughter, Lou) covers the period 1860-1914. It consists of correspondence relating chiefly to the writing of the book, History of the Big Bonanza, his work on The Territorial Enterprise and his association with Mark Twain; manuscripts of sketches written for newspapers and magazines; notes and notebooks; a few of his drawings; and an extensive collection of clippings, including his contributions to various periodicals. The family papers include his brother's Civil War diary, a short biographical sketch of De Quille written by his daughter, Lou, and drafts of her letters relating to the proposed publication of some of her father's sketches. Cards have been placed in the manuscripts catalog and shelf list for major correspondents and other items of note.