Newton H. Chittenden

Born in Connecticut in 1840 and later living in California, Newton H. Chittenden built a varied career that included military service, law, public life, and writing. Records connected with his life identify him as Newton Henry Chittenden, and he is remembered as a Civil War veteran who later became active in the American West.

As an author, he wrote travel and promotional books about the Pacific coast and British Columbia, including Travels in British Columbia, Settlers, prospectors, and tourists guide, and Health seekers', tourists' and sportsmen's guide. His most notable title is Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Government of British Columbia (1884), a detailed account of Haida Gwaii that has remained of interest to readers of western history and exploration.

Chittenden died in Long Beach, California, in 1925. While much of his personal story is less widely documented today than his books, his writing still offers a vivid window into how the Pacific Northwest and coastal British Columbia were described to English-language readers in the late nineteenth century.