Archives West Finding Aid

Harold Duane “Hamp” Hampton was born in North Park, Colorado on June 21, 1932. He attended the University of Colorado for his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees in history and achieved his doctorate in 1965. It was at the University of Colorado where he met his wife, Susie Galloway.

In 1964, H. Duane Hampton began his career as a professor as an instructor at Ohio State University. In 1965, Hampton and his wife moved to Missoula, Montana, where he had been offered a position as an assistant professor of history at the University of Montana. He became a full professor in 1973 and in 1981 he was named the A.B. Hammond Professor of Western History, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1992.

Hampton taught graduate and undergraduate courses in conservation, western, and environmental history during his tenure at the University of Montana. He collaborated with Archaeology professor Carling Malouf to teach a joint history-archaeology course that included field work. These courses took students to a variety of archaeological sites around Western Montana. Hampton’s research and publication interests included early western pioneers and settlers, the history of conservation and the development of national parks, including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, and conservationist George Bird Grinnell. In addition to his own research and writing, he served as a referee for a variety of historical reviews and university presses. He served on university committees as well as the University Graduate Council.

In 1992, H. Duane Hampton retired from the University of Montana. He and his wife, Susie, continue to reside in Missoula, Montana. They have three sons: Andrew, Wade, and Matthew.