Philp L. Wright's Boone and Crockett Club papers, 1902-1997

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Wright, Philip L., 1914-1997
Title
Philp L. Wright's Boone and Crockett Club papers
Dates
1902-1997 (inclusive)
Quantity
5.75 linear ft.
Collection Number
Mss 781
Summary
Philip L. Wright taught zoology, ornithology, and wildlife techniques at the University of Montana from 1939 until his retirement in 1985. Wright was an official measurer for the Boone and Crockett Club beginning in 1950 and was elected to regular membership in the Club in 1971. Wright served on the Records of North American Big Game Committee at the Boone and Crockett Club from 1971 until his death in 1997.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Philip L. Wright was born July 9, 1914 in Nashua, New Hampshire, to Avis and Clarence Wright. He obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s of science in zoology at the University of New Hampshire and, after completing a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, began teaching at the University of Montana in 1939. Dr. Wright taught zoology, ornithology, and wildlife techniques at UM for over forty-five years until his retirement in 1985.

Wright began his involvement with the Boone and Crockett Club in 1950 when he was appointed one of the Club’s first official measurers for big game trophy heads. In addition to scoring game heads in the state of Montana, Dr. Wright taught courses on big game scoring at the University of Montana (then known as Montana State University.)

In 1971, Dr. Wright joined the Boone and Crockett Club as a regular member and was appointed that same year to the Club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee. In 1978, Dr. Wright was appointed chair of the Records Committee and served as such until 1986. After stepping down as chair, Dr. Wright continued to serve on the Records Committee until his death in 1997. In 1984, he was elected to Honorary Life Membership at the Club and in 1996 he was awarded the Club’s prestigious Sagamore Hill Medal in recognition of lifetime service.

In May of 1997 University of Montana President George Dennison renamed the zoological museum at the University the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum. Dr. Wright died on July 16, 1997 in Missoula, Montana.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains the papers produced by Dr. Philip L. Wright during his involvement with the Boone and Crockett Club. The majority of the papers are correspondence, meeting minutes, notes and big game score charts. The papers provide an almost complete record of Dr. Wright’s association with the Boone and Crockett Club including his work as an official measurer, service on the Records of North American Big Game Committee, and additional involvement outside the committee. Materials not included in the collection are the earliest years of Dr. Wright’s work as an official measurer.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive copyright transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Philip L. Wright's Boone and Crockett Club Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged chronologically to reflect Philip L. Wright’s original order. Files are organized chronologically as a run with no series divisions.

Custodial History

The majority of these records were held by the Boone and Crockett Club at their headquarters in Missoula, Montana, until their transfer to Archives and Special Collections in March of 2009.

Acquisition Information

These materials were transferred to the archives by the Boone and Crockett Club in 2009.

Processing Note

A portion of the materials arrived at the archives organized in what appeared to be Dr. Wright’s original order. The original order involved files being arranged chronologically regardless of content. Papers that arrived with no discernable order were filed according to this organizational scheme. Folders, folder titles, and original order within the folders were maintained.

Related Materials

The University of Montana's Archives & Special Collections department holds the archival collection of the Boone and Crockett Club (Mss 738). The Archives also holds a small amount of unprocessed papers documenting Dr. Philip L. Wright’s time as a professor at The University of Montana.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1 Red Deer/Elk 1935-1974
1/2 Early Big Game Competition 1948-1949
1/3 Non-Typical Elk Score Charts 1954-1988
1/4 Official Measurer 1958-1959
1/5 Official Measurer 1960-1961
1/6 Official Measurer 1962-1962
1/7 Official Measurer 1963-1963
1/8 Official Measurer 1964-1965
1/9 Official Measurer 1966-1967
1/10 13th North American Big Game Competition, Clipping 1967-1967
1/11 Official Measurer 1968-1970
2/1 Scoring Methods, General Rule Applying to Less than One Species 1969-1990
2/2 14th North American Big Game Competition 1970-1971
2/3 General 1971-1971
2/4 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1971-1971
2/5 Summaries of 1971 Records 1971-1971
2/6 General Correspondence 1972-1972
2/7 National Rifle Association, Correspondence 1972-1972
2/8 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1972-1972
2/9 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1973-1973
2/10 Northwest Territory Moose Classification 1973-1973
2/11 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1973-1973
2/12 15th North American Big Game Awards 1974-1974
2/13 Debate on Purpose, Trophy Program, and Conservation 1974-1974
2/14 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1974-1974
3/1 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1974-1974
3/2 Sheep 1974-1984
3/3 Non-Typical Elk 1974-1988
3/4 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1975-1975
3/5 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1975-1975
3/6 Bison 1975-1987
3/7 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1976-1976
3/8 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1976-1976
3/9 Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou 1976-1983
3/10 Blacktail Deer Boundary Scoring 1976-1986
3/11 16th North American Big Game Awards 1977-1977
4/1 16th Records of North American Big Game Awards, Judging Notes 1977-1977
4/2 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1977-1977
4/3 Muskox 1977-1977
4/4 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1977-1977
4/5 Horses and Burros 1977-1979
4/6 Mountain-Barren Caribou Boundary 1977-1981
4/7 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1978-1978
4/8-9 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1978-1978
4/10 Membership Nominations 1978-1989
4/11 Conservation Committee and Executive Committee 1979-1979
5/1 General 1979-1979
5/2 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1979-1979
5/3 17th North American Big Game Awards 1980-1980
5/4 Executive Committee 1980-1980
5/5 General, Includes Dissolution of Agreement with the National Rifle Association 1980-1980
5/6 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1980-1980
5/7 18th Records of North American Big Game Awards 1980-1983
5/8 General, Conservation Committee, and Executive Committee 1981-1981
6/1 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1981-1981
6/2 18th Records of North American Big Game Awards, Head Disputes 1981-1983
6/3 Roosevelt Elk Scoring 1981-1987
6/4 Eastern Canada Moose 1982-1982
6/5 General 1982-1982
6/6 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1982-1982
6/7 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1982-1983
7/1 Executive and Annual Meeting Minutes 1983-1983
7/2 Scoring Subcommittee 1983-1983
7/3 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch 1983-1984
7/4 Grants-In-Aid Proposals 1983-1985
7/5 19th North American Big Game Awards, Entries 1983-1986
7/6 Perry's Caribou 1983-1987
7/7 Grants-In-Aid Progress Reports 1983-1988
7/8 Caribou Column 1983-1993
7/9-11 George Johnson and Philip Wright, Boone and Crockett Club Member, Correspondence 1983-1995
8/1 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1984-1984
8/2 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1984-1984
8/3 Quebec-Labrador Caribou 1984-1987
8/4 Sitka Blacktail Deer 1984-1987
8/5 Stelfox, John, Correspondence 1984-1991
8/6 Ad Hoc Committee on Scoring, Meeting Minutes 1985-1985
8/7 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1985-1985
8/8-9 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch 1985-1985
8/10 19th North American Big Game Awards 1985-1986
8/11 General Correspondence 1985-1987
8/12 General Correspondence 1986-1986
9/1-2 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch 1986-1986
9/3 Wyoming Moose Boundary 1986-1987
9/4 Grants-In-Aid Proposals 1986-1988
9/5 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1986-1988
9/6 Records of North American Big Game Committee, Notes 1986-1990
9/7 Roosevelt Elk 1986-1992
9/8 Whitetail and Mule Deer circa 1987
9/9 General Correspondence 1987-1987
9/10 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch 1987-1987
10/1 20th North American Big Game Awards, Incomplete Entries 1987-1988
10/2 20th North American Big Game Awards, Trophy Entry Summary 1987-1988
10/3 Polar Bear 1987-1988
10/4 20th North American Big Game Awards 1987-1989
10/5 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch 1988-1988
10/6 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch, Progress Reports, Stivers 1988-1988
10/7 Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale, Annual Report 1989-1989
10/8 Notes 1989-1993
10/9 General Correspondence 1990-1993
10/10 Committee Meeting Notes 1990-1996
10/11-13 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1990-1997
11/1 Old Milwaukee Depot Committee 1991-1993
11/2 University of Montana Collaboration 1991-1994
11/3 California Big Horn 1992-1992
11/4 Fair Chase 1992-1992
11/5 Grants-in-Aid, Audits and Policies 1992-1996
11/6 Oral History 1992-1996
11/7 General 1992-1997
11/8 Historical Committee 1993-1996
11/9 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch Elk Study, Final Report 1994-1994
11/10 Notes 1994-1995
11/11 Five Valleys Land Trust 1995-1995
12/1 Historical Committee, Synopsis of Work Completed 1996-1996
12/2-3 Records of North American Big Game Committee 1902-1996

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Big game hunting--North America--Statistics.
  • Hunting trophies--North America--Statistics.
  • Hunting trophies--North America.
  • Sports officiating--United States.

Corporate Names

  • Boone and Crockett Club.
  • Boone and Crockett Club. Committee on Records of North American Big Game.
  • University of Montana (Missoula, Mont.)--Faculty.

Finding aid prepared by Amy Weiss
2011

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