Mary Jobe Akeley (January 29, 1878 – January 19, 1966) was an American explorer, author, mountaineer, and photographer. She undertook expeditions in the
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...
and in the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...
. She worked at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
creating exhibits featuring
taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proces ...
animals in realistic natural settings.
Akeley worked on behalf of conservation efforts, including advocating for the creation of game preserves.
She founded Camp Mystic, an outdoor camp near Mystic, Connecticut, for girls.
Biography
Early life
Akeley was born Mary Lenore Jobe on January 29, 1878, in
Tappan,
Harrison County, Ohio
Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,483, making it the fifth-least populous county in Ohio. Its county seat and largest village is Cadiz. The county is named for Genera ...
; the town was submerged below
Tappan Lake
Tappan Lake, also known as Tappan Reservoir, is a reservoir in Harrison County, Ohio, United States.
The lake covers of water and of surrounding land, as part of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District. Normal pool elevation is above s ...
in 1938. (Although several printed sources, including her death certificate, give Akeley's birth year as 1888, the 1880 census and records at the
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...
Archives confirm the 1878 date.
) Both of her parents were of English descent; her father was a veteran of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
Jobe attended
Scio College from 1893 to 1897, graduating with a bachelor's degree, after which she taught at the elementary and high school level in
Uhrichsville, Ohio
Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,272 at the 2020 census.
Claymont City School District is the public school district of Uhrichsville and Dennison, Ohio. The twin cities is a nickname us ...
. She went on to study at
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...
from 1901 to 1903, while teaching at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
(1902–1903).
She taught history and civics at the normal school in Cortland, New York from 1903 to 1906, and then taught history at the Normal College of the City of New York (now
Hunter College
Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
) from 1906 to 1916.
She earned a master's degree in History and English from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1909.
During her time at Bryn Mawr, Jobe had her first opportunity to join a scientific expedition, joining a botanical expedition to the
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mic ...
in British Columbia. It was the first of many expeditions to the mountains of British Columbia.
Mountaineering
Jobe was an accomplished mountain climber and was a member of the
Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is an amateur athletic association with its national office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, ...
(ACC)
and the
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado.
Through its members, the AAC advocates for American climbers d ...
.
From 1905 to 1918 she made ten expeditions to the
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...
. In 1913, she left her teaching job at Hunter to undertake an
ethnographic
Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
expedition to study and photograph the
Gitksan
Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encom ...
and
Carrier Indians living between the
Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose na ...
and the
Peace River
The Peace River () is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the ...
.
Jobe concluded the summer of 1913 by meeting up with the annual camp of the ACC. There she heard of a distant mountain northwest of
Mount Robson
Mount Robson is the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range; it is also the highest point in the Canadian Rockies.
The mountain is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and is part of ...
that had been glimpsed by members Samuel Prescott Fay and Donald 'Curly' Philips.
In 1914, she returned to the Canadian Rockies in search of the mountain, hiring Philips as her guide. At the time, Jobe called their destination "Big Ice Mountain", but in her later reports she referred to the peak as Mount Kitchi (from a
Cree
The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
word meaning "mighty"
); the mountain was officially named
Mount Sir Alexander
Mount Sir Alexander, is a , ultra-prominent mountain in the Sir Alexander Area of the Continental Ranges (sometimes referred to as the Northern Continental Ranges), Canadian Rockies located in British Columbia.
Located within Kakwa Provincial ...
in 1916.
Joining Jobe and Philips on the expedition were Margaret Springate and Philips's assistant (and brother-in-law), Bert Wilkins.
From their starting point near Mount Robson, the trip to and from Mount Sir Alexander took six weeks on foot and on horseback, during which time they saw very little evidence of prior human activity along the route. They reached the base of the peak on August 21, 1914, and reached their highest point on the mountain on August 25, stopping at about above sea level, well short of the summit, which Jobe estimated to be between and . She took about 400 photographs on the trip. Upon her return, the ''New York Times'' hailed her as "the first white person and probably the first human being" to explore the remote mountain.
The ''Times'' article overstated some of Jobe's accomplishments on the expedition, and she wrote a letter to the editor a few days later to correct the errors. Jobe reported on the expedition in both scholarly and popular publications after her return home. In 1915, she took a commission from the Canadian government to explore and map the
Fraser River
The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
in British Columbia and the Mount Sir Alexander glaciers.
She was joined by fellow ACC member Caroline Hinman; they again hired Curly Philips as a guide, as well as several of his staff as cooks and porters. Jobe and Philips became romantically involved during that summer.
The expedition made another attempt to climb Mount Sir Alexander, and came within about of the summit.
In honor of Jobe's work in the Rockies, the
Geographic Board of Canada
The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canada ...
renamed one of the south-eastern peaks of Mount Sir Alexander as Mount Jobe () in 1925.
Camp Mystic
In 1914, Jobe purchased near
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States.
Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784. Mystic Seaport, located in ...
, and in 1916 she founded there the Mystic Camp for girls aged eight to eighteen.
Campers typically numbered "over 80 or more" at any one time,
and were mainly from wealthy and influential families. Campers included Hawai'ian princesses
Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa
Abigail Helen Kapiʻolani Kawānanakoa (March 14, 1903 – April 8, 1961) was a member of the House of Kawānanakoa and the eldest daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa and Princess Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa.
Life
She was born in Honolulu, ...
and
Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa
Helen Lydia Kamakaʻeha Liliʻuokalani Kawānanakoa (July 22, 1905 – May 19, 1969) was a member of the House of Kawānanakoa and the second daughter of David Kawānanakoa and Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa.
Early life
Born July 22, 1905, L ...
, as well as the daughters of artist
Howard Chandler Christy
Howard Chandler Christy (January 10, 1872 – March 3, 1952) was an American artist and illustrator. Famous for the "Christy Girl" – a colorful and illustrious successor to the "Gibson Girl" – Christy is also widely known for his ico ...
, radio sportscaster
Grantland Rice
Henry Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) was an American sportswriter and poet known as the "Dean of American Sports Writers". He coined the famous phrase that it was not important whether you “won or lost, but how you playe ...
, cookbook author
Ida Bailey Allen, and publisher
Bernarr Macfadden
Bernarr Macfadden (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden, August 16, 1868 – October 12, 1955) was an American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories. He founded the long-running magazine pu ...
.
Advertisements for the camp appeared in popular magazines such as ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ' ...
'' and ''
St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya Province, Turkey) dur ...
''.
A 1916 advertisement in
Scribner's Magazine
''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ...
promised campers experience with backcountry
camping
Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...
,
boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...
,
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
,
horseback riding
Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...
,
dancing
Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...
,
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
,
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
, and
field athletics.
Jobe owned a boat that she used to take campers to Mystic Island (now called
Ram Island (Connecticut)
Ram Island is a small island off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut. It is located in the Town of Stonington, approximately offshore, between Mystic and Fishers Island.
Once called Mystic Island, it was formerly the site of an exclusive Victori ...
) in Fishers Island Sound.
In 1921, Jobe purchased the southern half of Mystic Island, and later bought the rest of the island.
In addition to giving girls first-hand experience with the outdoors, the camp was visited by famous explorers and naturalists of the day such as
Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada.
Early life and education
Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. ...
,
Herbert Spinden,
George Cherrie, and
Martin and Osa Johnson
Martin Elmer Johnson (October 9, 1884 – January 13, 1937) and Osa Helen Johnson (née Leighty, March 14, 1894 – January 7, 1953) were married United States, American adventurers and documentary filmmakers. In the first half of the 20th centur ...
.
The fee for campers in 1923 was $375.
In a brochure for the camp, Jobe wrote that "girls find health, happiness and their highest development out-of-doors, where they leave behind them the artificialities of towns and cities for the joyous realities of the wooded hills and seashore."
Another stated that "girls of today have a right to freedom, health, and happiness."
Although she did not describe herself as a
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
or
suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...
, she has been so identified by others, and she declared herself to be "very much in sympathy with the
uffragemovement."
The camp closed in 1930 due to the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. She remained the camp's director throughout its existence.
Marriage and African expeditions
In 1920, fellow explorer
Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada.
Early life and education
Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. ...
introduced Jobe to naturalist and taxidermist
Carl Akeley
Carl Ethan Akeley (May 19, 1864 – November 17, 1926) was a pioneering American taxidermist, sculptor, biologist, conservationist, inventor, and nature photographer, noted for his contributions to American museums, most notably to the Milwauk ...
. Akeley was married to
Delia Akeley
Delia Julia "Mickie" Akeley ( Denning, formerly Reiss, later Howe; December 5, 1869 – May 22, 1970) was an American explorer. She was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, a daughter of Irish immigrants, Patrick and Margaret ( Hanberry) Denning.
Earl ...
at the time, but Mary and Carl began an affair. Delia and Carl concluded a bitter divorce in 1923, and Jobe married Akeley on October 28, 1924, at All Souls Episcopal Church in New York City.
He was deeply involved with a project to collect specimens for a new Africa exhibit at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
, and she wrote later that he expected Mary to abandon her own work and devote her time to his African project. Although she described this as "startling," she largely complied.
In 1926, she accompanied him on his fifth expedition in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
(and her first) to collect specimens. On the trip, known as the Akeley-Eastman-Pomeroy Expedition, he became sick on
Mount Mikeno
Mount Mikeno is an extinct volcanic mountain located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo section of the Virunga Mountains along with Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Nyamuragira, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke and Mount Sabyinyo. At Mount Mikeno ...
of the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...
and died of a fever.
She completed the expedition, mapping parts of the Belgian Congo as well as
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
and
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
, and collecting plant specimens, taking hundreds of photographs.
Upon her return to the United States, the museum named her to be her husband's successor as the Special Adviser to the development of their African Hall, a role she held until 1938.
In that role, she lectured, wrote, and raised funds for the hall.
The hall was renamed in Carl Akeley's honor in 1936.
(Upon her death, the New York Times incorrectly stated that the hall was named after Mary.)
Part of the purpose of the 1926 expedition was to map the area around the new Belgian game preserve
Parc National Albert. Following the end of the expedition, Akeley collaborated with Belgian zoologist
Jean Marie Derscheid to complete a report on the park. She was awarded the Cross of the Knight, Order of the Crown by the Belgian king for her efforts. From 1929 to 1936, Akeley also served as the American secretary for an international committee organized to preserve the Park.
Akeley returned to Africa in 1935 to
Transvaal Province
The Province of Transvaal (), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's ...
,
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
, and
Portuguese East Africa
Portuguese Mozambique () or Portuguese East Africa () were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese overseas province. Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a str ...
, as well as
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...
in South Africa. There she photographed
Zulu people
Zulu people (; ) are a native people of Southern Africa of the Nguni people, Nguni. The Zulu people are the largest Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group and nation in South Africa, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
They o ...
and
Swazi people
The Swati or Swazi ( Swati: ''Emaswati'', singular ''Liswati'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, inhabiting Eswatini, a sovereign kingdom in Southern Africa, and South Africa's Mpumalanga province. EmaSwati are part of the ...
.
She returned again in 1947 at the behest of the Belgian crown to inspect the wildlife reserves in the Congo, and to film
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
.
Photography
Mary Jobe Akeley
Akeley began her photographic work in the Canadian Rockies on a 1909 expedition led by Herschel C. Parker for the Canadian Topographical Survey.
The results of her early work are preserved on
hand-colored
Hand-colouring (or hand-coloring) refers to any method of manually adding colour to a Monochrome photography, monochrome photograph, generally either to heighten the realism of the image or for artistic purposes. Hand-colouring is also known as ...
lantern slides
The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...
she used when lecturing about her expeditions.
Her ethnographic work records people and their customs, including ceremonial objects.
Her work in Africa focused on wildlife, as well as on their environment.
On the 1926 trip to the Congo, her husband Carl was in the process of developing a
gorilla
Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
scene for the American Museum of Natural History. Carl died before completing the research for the exhibit, so Mary used his reference photos to identify the particular spot he was trying to re-create, taking hundreds of photos of the scene, both of individual plant species and the larger scene. She also collected specimens of the plants.
She also took a side-trip to
Lake Hannington in
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
to photograph
flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...
s.
Her photos were used in the Akeley African Hall of the American Museum of Natural History.
Over 2000 of Akeley's lantern slides survive.
Her photographic output is preserved at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
and the Mystic River Historical Society.
Biographer Dawn-Starr Crowther describes Akeley's photography as representing an important period for women, revealing Akeley to be "resolving for herself the dilemma of many women who were struggling to shake off the tenets of Victorianism and find meaningful ways through which to express themselves."
She describes Akeley's photographic style as "straight-forward... direct and powerful," as well as "stable and balanced," documenting the people and places she encountered on her expedition.
Authorship and public life
Akeley spoke frequently about her work. In 1912, she is reported to have given over 40 lectures about her early expeditions.
Following her return from Africa in 1927 and throughout much of the rest of her life, Akeley worked for conservation causes, lectured extensively, and appeared on the radio. She dined at the White House with first lady
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
, who noted Akeley's conservation and education work in Roosevelt's daily syndicated newspaper column, "My Day".
Akeley was the author of seven books, some of them posthumously co-authored with her husband by making use of materials he had written before his death. The first book, ''Carl Akeley's Africa'' (1929), was Mary's account of the expedition that cost Carl Akeley his life, documenting the animals and native peoples encountered on the expedition to the Congo. The following year, she published ''Adventures in the African Jungle'' (1930), with Carl listed as a co-author, in keeping a plan they had made while both were still alive. Chapters are signed either by Mary or Carl; Mary assembled Carl's chapters from his field notes and from stories related by his friends. Her chapters include her accounts of experiences from their journey to the Congo, both before and after his death on the expedition. ''Lions, Gorillas, and their Neighbors'' (1932) also lists Carl as a co-author and also covers their expedition, using the story to convey a message of conservation, noting the decline in large animal populations over the previous 30 years. A review in the ''Times'' of London of the book tells a thrilling tale of the hunt, but emphasizes that their purpose was scientific, not thrill-seeking. The reviewer writes, "they show how greater and more lasting pleasure
anbe had by restrained and intelligent hunt than by indiscriminate killing... the big game of Africa is presented as something of real value to the human race."
In ''The Wilderness Lives Again'', Akeley recounts her late husband's work as a taxidermist, including his expeditions in Africa. A review in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' calls particular attention to the story of development of the
gorilla
Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
exhibit for the American Museum of Natural History, describing both the taxidermy process and the moving effect of the life-like exhibit.
''Congo Eden'' (1950) was published following Akeley's final trip to Africa in 1947, and relates the story of that journey. Historian Jeannette Eileen Jones identifies the "Eden" of the book's title as part of Carl and Mary Akeley's campaign to challenge the public perception of Africa as "hellish" or "dark."
Death
Akeley's health declined toward the end of her life, with Akeley suffering from hip problems and arthritis. She was in and out of hospitals and nursing homes from 1959 to 1966.
Akeley lived her last years at the former site of Camp Mystic, decorated with souvenirs of her African adventures, retaining an independent spirit despite illness and a "failing mind."
She died of a stroke in 1966 at the Mary Elizabeth Convalescent Home in Mystic, Connecticut
Although she had expressed a wish to be cremated and buried next to her late husband on Mt. Mikeno, she was buried in
Deersville, Ohio
Deersville is a village in Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 69 at the 2020 census. The Deersville Historic District is located along Main Street.
History
Deersville was platted in 1815. A post office called Deersville h ...
near where she was born, in the same cemetery as her parents.
Following her death, the former camp became the Peace Sanctuary under the stewardships of the Mary L. Jobe Akeley Trust & Peace Sanctuary. It is now maintained by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center.
Akeley left an extensive record of her work. Her papers are held in the Mary L. Jobe Akeley Collection at the Mystic River Historical Society,
the American Museum of Natural History, and at
Connecticut College
Connecticut College (Conn) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Originally chartered as Thames College, it was founded in 1911 as the state's only women's colle ...
.
Books
*''Carl Akeley's Africa; the account of the Akeley-Eastman-Pomeroy African Hall Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History'' (1929)
*''Adventures in the African Jungle'' (1930)
*''Lions, Gorillas, and their Neighbors'' (1932)
*''The Swan Song of Old Africa'' (1932)
*''The Restless Jungle'' (1936)
*''The Wilderness Lives Again'' (1940)
*''Rumble of a Distant Drum: a True Story of the African Hinterland'' (1946)
*''Congo Eden'' (1950)
Awards and honors
* Knight of the Order of the Crown by King Albert of Belgium for work in the Congo
*Mount Jobe in the Canadian Rockies named in her honor by the Canadian government
*Honorary Doctorate from
Mt. Union College in 1930
*Inducted into the
Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame was a program the State of Ohio's Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Department of Job and Family Services ran from 1978 through 2011. The Hall has over 400 members. In 2019, the Hall's physical archives an ...
in 1979
*Inducted into the
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions.
The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers part ...
, 1994
Memberships
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Royal Geographic Society, Fellow, 1915
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American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado.
Through its members, the AAC advocates for American climbers d ...
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Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is an amateur athletic association with its national office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, ...
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French Alpine Club
* Society of Women Explorers
References
External links
Peace Sanctuaryat the site of Akeley's former home and camp
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Akeley, Mary Jobe
20th-century American explorers
American women photographers
American mountain climbers
American naturalists
1878 births
1966 deaths
American ethnographers
People from Mystic, Connecticut
People from Harrison County, Ohio
American women anthropologists
Writers from Ohio