John Fraley came to Montana as a teenager to attend the University of Montana, where he received a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. He continued his education at Montana State University and received an M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Management. John worked for the state wildlife agency for nearly forty years, mostly in the forks of the Flathead; he retired in 2017. For thirty-two years he has served as an adjunct instructor at Flathead Valley Community College where he teaches wildlife conservation and other courses. John has written two previous books on Flathead pioneers within Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness: A Woman's Way West, in 1998, and Wild River Pioneers, in 2008. Over the years, he has written numerous magazine articles on the history of the Flathead. John's wife, Dana, and children, Kevin, Heather, and Troy, continue to share with him a love of wandering around the backcountry of the three forks of the Flathead.
