Sidford F. (Sidford Frederick) Hamp

Born in Liverpool in 1855, Sidford Frederick Hamp later moved to the United States as a teenager. An archival biographical note says he joined the Hayden Geological Survey through the influence of his uncle, William Blackmore, and that early connection to western exploration helped shape the settings and atmosphere of his fiction.

Hamp became known for books for younger readers, including The Treasure of Mushroom Rock, The Boys of Crawford's Basin, The Trail of the Badger, and Coco Bolo, King of the Floating Islands. His stories are closely tied to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, often mixing outdoor adventure with the practical details of ranching, prospecting, and frontier life.

He lived from 1855 to 1919, and modern public-domain and library records continue to preserve his work. While detailed personal information is limited in the sources I could confirm, his fiction clearly reflects a writer who knew how to turn western landscapes and experience into energetic, readable storytelling.