Frank H. (Frank Howbert) Cheley

Born in 1889, Frank Howbert Cheley was an American writer and youth leader whose work was closely tied to camping and outdoor life. Early in his career he served as a YMCA boys' work director in South Bend, Indiana, and his novel Buffalo Roost was published in 1913. Other books linked to him include The Three Rivers Kids, Told by the Camp Fire, and Overland for Gold.

Cheley is also remembered as the founder of Cheley Colorado Camps, which began in 1921 near Rocky Mountain National Park. The camp's own history says his aim was to give boys time away from the city, teach them the skills of the woods, and encourage spiritual growth through nature. That same mix of adventure, character-building, and affection for the outdoors runs through the books associated with his name.

He died in 1941, but his influence lasted well beyond his lifetime through both his writing and the camp tradition his family continued. For readers today, his work offers a window into an earlier American camp culture, full of trails, campfires, and the idea that the outdoors could shape young lives for the better.