Dayton Ogden Hyde (March 25, 1925 – December 22, 2018) was an American

expository Narrative exposition is the insertion of background information within a story or narrative. This information can be about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc. In literature, exposition appears in t ...

author and proponent of

nature conservation Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...

. Most of his books take place in rural, agricultural settings where he spent the majority of his life. His books advocate an environmentally responsible philosophy of land management. For example, he encourages the use of wild coyotes, rather than toxic chemicals, to control mouse populations. He was born in

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquett ...

, in 1925. At age 13, he began working on his uncle's ranch in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, then moving on to the

Cate School Cate School is a highly selective, coeducational university-preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12 located in Carpinteria, California, eleven miles from Santa Barbara. The school has a current enrollment of 270 students ...

Carpinteria, California Carpinteria (; es, Carpintería, meaning "Carpentry") is a small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, it had a population of 13,264 at the 2020 U ...

, graduating with the class of 1943. He fought in the Army in World War II in the European campaign. After attending the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, majoring in English, he continued work on his uncle's ranch before marrying and starting his own ranch. The couple raised five children there. In the 1950s, one of his photographs of rodeo cowboys was chosen as the ''Life'' magazine Picture of the Week. In 1990, he moved to the

Black Hills The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk P ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, where, in addition to writing, he operated an sanctuary for

wild horse The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the endangered Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii''). The Europea ...

s. ''Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde'', a documentary released in 2013, tells the story of his efforts to protect wild horses in the American West. Hyde died in December 2018 at the age of 93 in

Chiloquin, Oregon Chiloquin ( ) (Klamath: mbosaksawaas, "flint place" ) is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Chiloquin was the pioneer version of a Klamath family name ''Chaloquin'', which was the name of a Klamath chief who was alive at the time o ...

.Dayton Hyde obituary
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Notable books

*''Home'' *''Sandy'' *''Yamsi'' *''Pasture of Beyond'' *''Don Coyote'' *''The Major, the Poacher'' *''Island of the Loons'' *''The Bells of Lake Superior'' *''Mr. Beans'' *''Life in the Saddle'' *''Wild Horses'' *''Where Horses Run Free'' *''Tributes'' *''Strange Companion'' *''The Last Free Man'' (Story of

Mike Daggett Mike Daggett, original Shoshoni name Ondongarte (died February 25, 1911), was a Shoshone man who is best known for his involvement in the Battle of Kelley Creek, during which he was killed with several members of his family. Daggett was also k ...

and the

Battle of Kelley Creek A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

February 26, 1911)

References

External links

Hyde's websiteBlack Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary
1925 births 2018 deaths American non-fiction writers People from Carpinteria, California People from Marquette, Michigan Writers from Michigan {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub