Sketches of Ernest Thompson Seton

The field journal can at once both a record of scientific data, and a home for the thoughts and feelings of the researcher. Initially these roles seem to be at odds with one another, the first charged with the gathering of objective information, the second prone to romanticization. But both have done well to share the beauty, intricacy, and wonder of the natural world. The careful study and observation of nature can only be enhanced by the lens of human experience and reflection.

Ernest Thompson Seton was also a seeming contradiction. An ardent admirer of the natural landscape, and the fauna it offered, and also a trapper, a bounty hunter with expertise in wolf hunting. One legendary encounter is especially noteworthy in that, according to Seton, it is related without embellishment, and for the fact that it had such a profound effect on him. In 1883 Seton was hired in New Mexico to trap and kill a renegade wolf named Lobo, who had evaded all other attempts on his life. What Seton thought would be a two week job turned into months of failed attempt after failed attempt to apprehend the wolf. All the while, Seton was sketching the wildlife of New Mexico, and falling in love with its natural beauty. Using notes from his experience with Lobo he wrote the short story “Lobo, the King of the Currumpaw.” The story is an emotional one in which Seton positions himself as the villain, and Lobo as the unfortunate protagonist, and is included, along with other short stories, in his book “Wild Animals I Have Known.”

Seton had a gift for observing the actions and habits of animals and bringing out the personalities he felt lay with them. It would be easy to label this as the mere projection of human characteristics on these animals, but Seton’s writing is much more nuanced, transcending the mere “storybook” utilization of animal characters.

“… animals have no language in the full sense as we understand it, they have a system of sounds, signs, touches, tastes, and smells that answers the purpose of language, and I merely translate this, when necessary, into English.” 

After his experience of hunting Lobo, Seton began to question the role humans were playing in effecting the natural environment and went on to influence the conservation movement of the early twentieth century. He was also an greatly influential founder of both the Boy Scouts of America and the Woodcraft movement.

“Ever since Lobo, my sincerest wish has been to impress upon people that each of our native wild creatures is in itself a precious heritage that we have no right to destroy or put beyond the reach of our children.” 

Ernest Thompson Seton died in 1975, but left behind a great number of journals and sketches of his observations of the American environment, as well as dozens of field manuals and short stories. We owe Seton a sizable debt of gratitude for helping to instill in the American psyche the value of our natural environment, and for his ability to touch our hearts in a way only a storyteller can.

For more information on Ernest Thompson Seton, and Lobo visit:

Blue Sky! - The Ernest Thompson Seton Pages
Project Gutenberg - Wild Animals I Have Known
Nature - The Wolf That Changed America

34 Notes/ Hide

  1. sbuehrer reblogged this from bestmadeco and added:
    I count Seton as one of my influences.
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  10. savannaleigh reblogged this from bestmadeco and added:
    Collecting data, and pining romantic
  11. bestmadeco posted this