Roy Chapman Andrews Society

Non-Profit

The Roy Chapman Andrews Society was formed in 1999 by a group of Beloit, Wisconsin residents intent on building more awareness of one of the 20th Century’s most famous explorers.

Since Roy Chapman Andrews was born and raised in Beloit, it was only fitting that such a society exist in his hometown.

Roy Chapman Andrews gained national fame as an explorer for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He began his career at the museum in 1906 by sweeping floors and assisting in the taxidermy department. By 1934 he had become the museum’s director.

Andrews is best remembered for the series of dramatic expeditions he led to the Gobi of Mongolia from 1922 to 1930. Andrews took a team of scientists into previously unexplored parts of the desert using some of the region’s first automobiles with extra supplies transported by camel caravan.

Andrews – for whom adventure and narrow escapes from death were a staple of exploring – is said to have served as inspiration for the Hollywood character “Indiana Jones.”