Frederick R. (Frederick Ritchie) Bechdolt

Born in Pennsylvania in 1874, Frederick Ritchie Bechdolt became an American journalist, novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Reliable library and reference records describe him as a remarkably productive writer whose career included newspaper work in California and a large body of fiction and nonfiction.

Accounts of his life say he spent time doing rough, practical work in the West before fully settling into writing, including jobs connected with Alaska and major engineering projects. That background helped shape the Western settings and hard-earned realism of many of his stories.

Bechdolt is best known for books and stories about the early American West, including collections such as When the West Was Young and Tales of the Old-Timers. He was also associated with the Carmel, California literary and arts community, and he died in 1950.