Mrs. Gwen Lewis, pictured in the attached image, was from Quesnel, British Columbia, and lived three miles down the "Six Mile Road." She was a member of the Women’s Missionary Council of Bethel Tabernacle and participated in charity events to support the community. Lewis financed some of these projects by donating all the sales of the Buckskin Cookery book to missionary causes. She was known for her beautiful artistry and published several illustrations of trails and maps of the area. She also published notecards with sketches of landmarks or events that took place along the Goldrush Trail between Quesnel and Barkerville, many of which include short stories. Lewis was a prolific writer and published several novels in the Family Herald such as "Babiche Land," "Alive Arm Land," and "There’s a Long, Long Trail" in 1954.

Before living in Quesnel, Lewis and her family lived in Heffley Lake. Her grandmother, Mrs. Page, told Lewis about adventures in the north land when they sat around the cookhouse and campfire. These stories fascinated Lewis and became the inspiration for Buckskin Cookery. In 1952, she began interviewing wilderness cooks and collecting recipes from women and men who lived locally, or, "north of nowhere."