The Craighead Family
Written by Karen Galle in the Marking Time category and the Summer 2015 issue Topics in this article: Boiling Springs, Cumberland County, entomology, Eugene Craighead, falconry, forestry, Frank Craighead, Frank Craighead Jr., Jean Craighead George, John Craighead, Pennsylvania Historical Marker Program, Yellow Breeches Creek
The Craighead family’s love of the outdoors was fostered at their summer home on the Yellow Breeches Creek outside of Boiling Springs, Cumberland County. Frank “Rattlesnake” Craighead (1890–1982), his brother Eugene (1893–1959) and the family’s next generation of naturalists discovered the wonders of nature in the nearby fields, streams, meadows and mountains.
Frank earned his nickname by milking rattlesnakes for their venom while he was working his way through Penn State University in the early 1900s. After graduation he began a 27-year career with the Forestry Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, eventually achieving the position of chief forest entomologist. He made seminal contributions to his field through numerous studies of insects and their impact on the environment. His landmark book Insect Enemies of the Eastern Forests (1949) remains a definitive source on insect pests. Following his retirement, he returned to Pennsylvania and assisted the state forestry department in addressing insect infestations. He later moved to Florida and was recognized for his voluntary efforts to save the Everglades.
Eugene Craighead worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as an entomologist and distinguished himself by publishing several papers in Entomological News. His studies on the peach tree borer and other orchard pests were crucial to Pennsylvania fruit growers.
Frank’s children all had careers related to the outdoors. Twin sons Frank Jr. (1916– 2001) and John (1916– ) achieved national recognition as conservationists. As teenagers, they wrote an article on falconry published by National Geographic that was instrumental in popularizing the sport in the United States. That article also began an association between the Craighead twins and the magazine that lasted for several decades. Their influential studies on grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park played a significant role in saving the entire species from extinction. The brothers were also responsible for much of the language that became the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.
The Craighead family in front of Yellow Breeches Creek in 1933. In the front row from the right, Eugene is first, Jean is third and John is sixth. In the back row from the right, Frank Jr. is first and Frank Sr. is third. Courtesy of Tom Benjey
Frank’s daughter Jean Craighead George (1919–2012) received many national and international accolades during her career as an author of children’s literature. She was awarded the Newbery Honor in 1960 for My Side of the Mountain and won the Newbery Medal in 1973 for Julie of the Wolves. Many of her works had themes related to the environment and the natural world. She attributed her fascination with nature to the many weekends she spent at the family’s summer home. There she explored the woods, climbed trees to observe the habits of birds, gathered and studied edible plants, and fished in the nearby stream. Jean illustrated many of her early books, and some of her sketches can still be seen on the walls of one room in the summer home.
Local preservationists formed the Craighead House Committee and have acquired ownership of the property. The group has obtained funding to preserve the house and hopes to one day open it to the public as a nature and environmental education center. The historical marker is nearby on Old York Road and was dedicated on June 14, 2014.
Karen Galle is on the staff of PHMC’s Bureau of Historic Preservation and has been the coordinator of the Pennsylvania Historical Marker Program since 2005.
