Harry Rossoll

Harry Rossoll (fl. 1937 – 1999) was an American artist and illustrator best known as one of the creators of Smokey Bear. Rossoll also created much of the art on display at the Forest Heritage Center at Beavers Bend State Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

Early life and education Rossoll was born in Norwich, Connecticut as the son of German immigrant factory workers. He did not finish high school but studied commercial art and later studied at Grand Central School of Art in 1929.

He later developed a similar character, called Tree Bear, to raise awareness about how useful trees are as resources to the world.

In his retirement, Rossoll created what he considered his best work, a set of 14 dioramas and murals for the Forest Heritage Center in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, which depict forests throughout history.