Saga of a Forest Ranger

Leonard Calvin (Len) Shoemaker was born in Rosita, Colorado in 1881, and moved to the Glenwood Springs area with his parents in 1886. He worked at numerous jobs—ranch hand, mule skinner, stage driver, carpenter, coal miner, timberman, and many others. His connection with the Forest Service began in 1913 and continued until 1943, during most of which time he was a ranger of the White River and Roosevelt National Forests. He also spent much of this time writing, turnout out articles, stories, poems, radio scripts, and—as assistant in the Denver Branch of Information and Education—publicity releases. Mr. Shoemaker was thus uniquely fitted to write the story of the first United States Forest Ranger, his friend colleague, the late William R. Kreutzer.

“This book is the story, the fascinating, realistic, convincing story of how Bill Kreutzer, the first Forest Ranger to be appointed, had to fight not only the trespassers and thieves, but his own superior officer, who did his best to prevent an honest and effective public servant from doing his duty, even to the extent of trying to get him killed….

“Bill Kreutzer’s struggle to clean up the mess is by far the most vital part of his story. I am glad it has been told, for in these days, when the National Forests stand high in public esteem and support, we are apt to forget both what it took to put them where they are, and the men who made the fight that had to be made to do it.” (From the Foreword by Gifford Pinchot.)