Frederick R. (Frederick Ritchie) Bechdolt

Born in Pennsylvania in 1874, Frederick Ritchie Bechdolt studied at the University of North Dakota and the University of Washington before spending time on a wide mix of western jobs. Accounts of his early life describe work that included gold mining in Alaska, driving sled dogs, and helping with the Cascade Tunnel project, experiences that later gave his writing a lived-in western feel.

He went on to work as a journalist in California and became known as a writer of Western fiction, historical pieces, and essays. He was also associated with the Carmel art colony, and his books included When the West Was Young and Giants of the Old West, works that helped introduce colorful episodes of frontier history to a broad audience.

Bechdolt died in 1950 in California. Today he is remembered as one of those versatile early twentieth-century writers who moved easily between newspaper work, popular history, and fast-moving adventure tales.