Charles Alexander Sheldon (1867 - 1928)
Charles Sheldon was born in Rutland, Vermont. He completed his education at Yale University and became a successful businessman who was able to retire at age thirty-six. He devoted the rest of his life to hunting and studying wildlife. Sheldon climbed mountains all over North America.1)
As he travelled, Sheldon wrote a journal that became two classic hunting books. The first, The Wilderness of the Upper Yukon, described hunting trips in 1904 and 1905 and was published in 1909. In 1904, Sheldon hunted up the north Fork of the Macmillan River with Frederick Selous. In 1905, he hunted up the Pelly, in the Glenyons, the Pelly Mountains near the head of the Lapie River, and the Ross Mountains downstream from Faro. He had permits to collect specimens for the U. S. Biological Survey and the hides and skulls from both years went to the National Museum in Washington D. C.2)
Sheldon was unable to find a commercial steamer travelling the Pelly in 1905 so he received permission to travel on the Royal North-West Mounted Police boat Vidette. Inspector Taylor names Sheldon’s companion as Tom Geoffrois, a French-Canadian hunter. Sheldon was looking for ‘saddle-back’ sheep in the Glenyon and Pelly ranges.3) They had a packhorse named Danger, and Danger Creek is named for it. He also had a Strickland canoe and he and his guide made an arduous ascent of Ross River to Sheldon Lake where he climbed Sheldon Mountain. He spent several days on that trip at Nahanni House, [Clement] Lewis’ trading post. He also met ninety-eight First Nations traders there. Sheldon named Rose Mountain and Rose Creek after Oliphant Rose, a trapper who had a cabin on the Pelly near Rose Mountain.4)
Sheldon's second book is called The Wilderness of Denali.5) Charles Sheldon Is known as the father of Denali National Park for his role is establishing the park. He hunted in Senora, Mexico and in an area that later became Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia. The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada was named in Sheldon's honour.6)