Archibald Belaney, Grey Owl

Belaney, Archibald Stansfeld
Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, alias Grey Owl, writer, conservationist (b at Hastings, Eng 18 Sept 1888; d at Prince Albert, Sask 13 Apr 1938). Raised by 2 maiden aunts and his grandmother, Belaney had an unhappy childhood. As a boy he was fascinated with North American natives and dreamed of becoming one. At 17 he left for northern Canada where, apart from his war service, he spent the remainder of his life. Through his association with the Ojibwa of northern Ontario he learned about the wilderness.

Shortly after his arrival he imaginatively presented himself as the son of a Scot and an Apache and began to use the name Grey Owl. As Grey Owl he published his first book, The Men of the Last Frontier (1931). ANAHAREO, his Iroquois wife, convinced him of the need for CONSERVATION, and that became the central theme of his writings.

Appointed to Riding Mountain, and later to Prince Albert National Park to look after a beaver conservation program, he wrote 3 books in western Canada: Pilgrims of the Wild (1934), The Adventures of Sajo and her Beaver People (1935) and Tales of an Empty Cabin (1936). His work was extremely popular, especially in Britain, where he made 2 lecture tours.

After his death the press discovered his English birth, and in the ensuing uproar his contributions as a conservationist were forgotten. Only a generation later were they again recognized.

Author DONALD B. SMITH

Suggested Reading
Lovat Dickson, Wilderness Man (1973).

Links to Other Sites
Grey Owl
Watch the Heritage Minute about Grey Owl from the Historica-Dominion Institute. See also related online learning resources.

Canadian Heroes in Fact and Fiction
See brief profiles and bibliographies for many notable historical Canadian figures (real and fictional). From Library and Archives Canada.

Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney)
A Yousuf Karsh photograh of Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney.)