Edward Benton Dodd studied technology in Georgia and at the Art Students League in New York. His love for nature inspired him to buy a ranch in Wyoming in 1926. He also became a guide in national parks. Four years later, he started making nature illustrations with 'Back Home Again', a series of drawings distributed until 1945 by United Feature Syndicate.
In 1946, Ed Dodd launched the ecological daily strip 'Mark Trail', in which he could express his love for wide landscapes. A more educational Sunday page was added in 1948, for which most of the artwork was done by Dodd's assistant Tom Hill. Ed Dodd drew the series until 1978, after which it was continued by his assistant, Jack Elrod. Ed Dodd is also the author of large number of specialized books about animals, such as 'Mark Trail's Book of North American Mammals'.
Dutch edition of Mark Trail (Vaderland, 30/6/1965)
Photo from the Winnipeg Free Press dated 16 June 1954