Winston C. Churchill was born on November 10, 1871, in St. Louis, Missouri.

He was an American author, painter, and politician. He is sometimes referred to as "the other Winston Churchill" or "the American Winston Churchill." He attended Smith Academy in Missouri and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1894. He served briefly in the U.S. Navy, working as an editor for the Army and Navy Journal, and then joined the staff of Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1895. After marrying a wealthy woman, he retired to devote himself to writing. His first novel was "Mr. Keegan's Elopement" (1896), followed by "The Celebrity" (1898). The next novel, "Richard Carvel" (1899), was a phenomenal bestseller, selling millions of copies and making him a famous writer. While Churchill would be most successful as a novelist, he was also a published poet and essayist. The British Winston Churchill (1874-1965) would subsequently sign his name as "Winston Spencer Churchill" or "Winston S. Churchill," and later "Sir Winston Churchill" to distinguish himself from the American writer. In 1899, he moved to a mansion, "Harlakenden House," near Cornish, New Hampshire, and became involved with the Cornish Art Colony. He started painting in watercolours and became known for his landscapes. Some of his paintings are part of the collections of the Hood Museum of Arts in Hanover, New Hampshire. He also became involved in politics and was elected to two terms in the New Hampshire state legislature. In 1919, Churchill decided to stop writing and withdrew from public life. In 1923, Harlakenden House burned down and, the family moved to Plainfield, New Hampshire. In 1940, he quietly published "The Uncharted Way," his first book in twenty years.

In 1895, he married Mabel Harlakenden Hall (1873–1945). He died on March 12, 1947, in Winter Park, Florida.

Richard Chute was born on September 23, 1820, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1841, he went to work as a clerk for W. G. and G. W. Ewing, Fort Wayne, Indiana-based buyers of furs and skins. In 1844, the firm sent him to build a fur trading post along the Minnesota River about eight miles above Fort Snelling. In 1845, he became a partner with the Ewings, and the name of the firm became Ewing, Chute & Co. A few years later he became involved in the fur business with P. Choteau, Jr. & Co. In 1854, Chute moved to St. Anthony, Minnesota, where he engaged in the real estate business. He was also for many years associated with, and an owner of, the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company. After retiring from the company in 1880, he spent time in Washington, Atlanta, Hawaii, and elsewhere. He was also an organizer of the Republican Party in Minnesota (1855), a regent of the University of Minnesota (1876-1882), a president of the Minneapolis Board of Trade (1880), and an elder in the Andrew Presbyterian Church.

In 1850, he married Mary Eliza Young (1832-1918). He died on August 1, 1893, in Chicago, Illinois.