(1st ed. dj, Lovat Dickson & Thompson, 1935, bought in U.K.–where he was very popular)
(his signature, same book)
(the back cover, same book; note info about his tour)
(same book: laid in U.K. newspaper article of the day)
(same book: laid in newspaper article of the day; his wife on right)
(1970 Macmillan reprint; Grey Owl did original dj and inside sketches)
(from the above book)
Grey Owl–aka George Stensfield Belaney, Wa-sha-quon-asin (1888-1938) was born in Hastings, England, and ‘became an Indian’ as an adult in Canada. There, he started life as a trapper, but converted to a conservationist, employed to look after animals in Riding Mountain National Park, MB in 1931. He became an alcoholic which led to his public decline and falling out of favor with his government-employer. When he died, a North Bay newspaper revealed his true identity and that led to a further decline in his reputation and a temporary withdrawal of his books. Angele, the first of four significant others, inherited much of his estate which increased when public interest in his strange story was revived.
Richard Attenborough, like his brother David, had been fascinated by Grey Owl’s story in their U.K. youth, and he eventually made a film in 1999 with Pierce Brosnan as the famous imposter. (There are some rare extras on the DVD of this movie showing the real Grey Owl, by the way.) Information on Grey Owl’s Cabin near Prince Albert, run by Parks Canada, can be found online. This is one of the more famous visitable literary tourist sites in Canada.
Highly recommended reading: Jane Billinghurst’s The Many Faces of Archie Belaney: Grey Owl, Greystone Books, 1999.