Melvin E. Lewis papers, 1970-2004

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lewis, Melvin E.
Title
Melvin E. Lewis papers
Dates
1970-2004 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.0 linear feet
Collection Number
ACCN 1668
Summary
The Melvin E. Lewis papers (1970-2004) consist of an autobiography, poems, and a number of brief photo essays. The essays are from one to three pages long and illustrate Lewis's view of the American West. The photographs which accompany the essays were taken in Utah, Idaho, and Montana from the mid 1970s through 2004.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Melvin Lewis was born in 1917 on a small ranch near Mt. Shasta, California. In addition to traveling around the country and staying in various "hobo cities" during the Depression years, he worked as a private gamekeeper, a truck driver, and a laborer with the Civilian Conservation Corps. Lewis also worked for the California State Forestry Service as a fire fighter and served as an Army Air Corps pilot in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Following the war, Lewis relocated to Salt Lake City, where he was a camera salesman for Standard Optical in Utah and Idaho before becoming an engineeer for Ingersoll Rand in 1947, where he remained until 1985.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Melvin E. Lewis papers consist of an autobiography, poems, and a number of brief photo essays.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Boxes 1-4 (1.75 linear feet) were donated in the 1997 and 2003. Box 5 (0.25 linear feet) was donated in 2004.

Processing Note

Processed by Sabrina Baksh-Riches in 2005.

Separated Materials

Photographs have been removed and transferred to the Multimedia Division (PO683).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

AutobiographyReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
Life History of Melvin E. Lewis
 1917-1990
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
2 1
"Quiet Moments"
2 2
"Morning on the Lake"
2 3
"The Fields of Summer"
2 4
"The Haunted House"
2 5
"Broken Strings"
2 6
"A Reverie"
2 7
"The Breath of Spring"
2 8
"Satan's Garden"
2 9
"County Fair of Long Ago"
2 10
"Fiddler's Green"
2 11
"The Haunted Lane"
2 12
"Twilight on the Farm"
2 13
"The Ballerina"
2 14
"Old Fashioned Day Lilies"
2 15
"The Park Bench"
2 16
"A Prayer"
2 17
"The Voice of the Road"
2 18
"Have Faith"
2 19
"Good Bye Country Road"
2 20
"Dry Farmin' Country"
2 21
"Over Yonder"
2 22
"What the Eagle Sees"
2 23
"The White Shoe"
2 24
"A Summer Afternoon"
2 25
"Lover's Lane"
2 26
"The Waterfall"
2 27
"Ode to the Evening Blooming Primrose"
2 28
"The Ballad of Limber Pine Hill"
2 29
"I Will Walk This Road"
2 30
"Autumn's Wildflowers"
2 31
"The Lake"
2 32
"The Clock on Main Street"
2 33
"The Woodland Path"
2 34
"Mother Nature, My Friend"
2 35
"The Singing Book"
2 36
"Green Fields and Flowing Streams"
2 37
"A Song"
2 38
"The Psalm of the Wood"
2 39
"The Old Apple Tree"
2 40
"Gifts"
2 41
"Three Little Words"
2 42
" Old Hay Wagon"
2 43
"La Mer, The Sea"
2 44
"Old Summer's Song"
2 45
"The Lottery Winner"
2 46
"Peace in the Garden"
2 47
"Who Is Pomona?"
2 48
"The Little Flower That No One Sees"
2 49
"Sonnet of the Rose"
2 50
"The Country School"
2 51
"The Road of Long Ago"
2 52
"Grandmom's Place"
2 53
"The Country Store"
2 54
"Just a Sunbeam"
2 55
"Just an Old Barn"
2 56
"An Ode to the Farmer"
2 57
"My Vanished Friend"
2 58
"The Sunny Side"
2 59
"The Light House"
2 60
"The Sea Shell"
2 61
"Sonnet of the Creek"
2 62
"Ode to Grandmothers"
2 63
"Silent Cow Bells"
2 64
"Have I Given or Taken?"
2 65
"The Witness Tree"
2 66
"The Enchanted Way"

Poems, Essays, and StoriesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
3 1
"The Vest Pocket Symphony"
3 2
"The Prairie Grass"
3 3
"The Desert Night"
3 4
"The Old Windmill"
3 5
"Something Lost"
3 6
"Memories"
3 7
"The Aspen Grove"
3 8
"The Old Guitar"
3 9
"A Girl Called Dream"
3 10
"Dan's Dream"
3 11
"Honey 'n' Bread"
3 12
"The Desert Storm"
3 13
"Leaving Nauvoo"
3 14
"The Deserted House"
3 15
"The Shadow of Twilight"
3 16
"Mist in the Tree"
3 17
"The Mixed Drink"
3 18
"The Here After"
3 19
"The Old Picket Fence That Used To Be"
3 20
"The Beach Walkers"
3 21
"The Old Road Home"
3 22
"Ode to the Farmer"
3 23
"The Ghost of Laura Barnes"
3 24
"The Fields of Summer"
3 25
"Just a Sunbeam"
3 26
"Accomodatin' Sam"
3 27
"Just an Old Barn"
3 28
"Peace in the Garden"
3 29
"My Vanished Friend"
3 30
"The White Shoe"
3 31
"Grandmom's Place"
3 32
"Ode to Grandmothers"
3 33
"Sonnet of the Creek"
3 34
"The Lottery Winner"
3 35
"The Country Store"
3 36
"Pomona"
3 37
"The Road of Long Ago"
3 38
"The Little Flower That Noone Sees"
3 39
"The Flower Lady"
3 40
"The White Rose"
3 41
"The Enchanted Way"
3 42
"Memories"
3 43
"Old Summer's Song"
3 44
"Johnny Poncho"
3 45
"The Livery Stable"
3 46
"East Meets West"
3 47
"The Vanishing Breed"
3 48
"The Used To Be"
3 49
"Old Hen"
3 50
"Mister Ford's Tractor"
3 51
"The Share Croppers"
3 52
"The Emporium"
3 53
"The Speculators"
3 54
"A Touch of Nostalgia"
3 55
"The Trading Post"
3 56
"City of Rocks"
3 57
"The Entrepreneur"
3 58
"Farm Tradition"
4 1
"Little Orville's Dream"
4 2
"Trails West"
4 3
"The Jack Rabbit Mine"
4 4
"Big Bertie"
4 5
"Symphony in the Meadow"
4 6
"The Meditation Room"
4 7
"The Sody Fountain"
4 8
"The Artist"
4 9
"The Saloon"
4 10
"The Country Church"
4 11
"High Lonesome"
4 12
"The Harvester"
4 13
"The Come-Back Cabin"
4 14
"The Engineer"
4 15
"Old Sim"
4 16
"The Mail Order Bride"
4 17
"Gramp's Dream"
4 18
"The Freight Wagons"
4 19
"The Farewell"
4 20
"The S.O.B."
4 21
"Big Jake"
4 22
"The Irish Baby Buggy"
4 23
"Nigger Hill"
4 24
"The Monster"
4 25
"The House on the Hill"
4 26
"The Fire Chief"
4 27
"The School Marm"
4 28
"Singin' Sammy"
4 29
"Fiddler's Green"
4 30
"Moments in Passing"
4 31
"The Root Cellar Mine"
4 32
"Father Anselmo's Church"
4 33
"Destinations"
4 34
"Murphy's Pride"
4 35
"The Drug Store"
4 36
"The Wheelwright"
4 37
"The Racing Mule"
4 38
"Determined Millie"
4 39
"The Country Store"
4 40
"The Pot-Bellied Stove"
4 41
"Ties"
4 42
"Roads"
4 43
"The Black Smith"
4 44
"Elder Benson's Mill"
4 45
"The Ballad of Limber Pine Hill"
4 46
"The Jack Rabbit Mine"
4 47
"The Diving Rod"
4 48
"Mister Kapuska's Truck"
4 49
"A Bit of Nostalgia"
4 50
"The Sacrifice"
4 51
"The Meeting Place"
4 52
"The Water Wagon"
4 53
"The Cottonwoods"
4 54
"The Mediation Room"
4 55
"Hambone"
4 56
"The Fiddler Maker"
4 57
"The Listening Post"
4 58
"East Meets West"
4 59
"The Town Builders"
4 60
"The Dream Hunters"
4 61
"The Pioneers"
4 62
"The Drug Store"
4 63
"Cagle's Folly"
4 64
"Old Hen"
4 65
"The Milk Wagon"
4 66
"The Livery Stable"
4 67
"The Homestead"
4 68
Autobiographies and Civilian Conservation Corps Documents
 2003

Publications about LewisReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
5 1
"My Eighty Year Love Affair with Photography"
 2003
5 2
Merit Award and Utah! Calendar
 2004
5 3
Featured Photos in Utah Guidebooks
 2002
5 4
"The Birth of Spring"

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Engineers--United States--Biography

Personal Names

  • Lewis, Melvin E.--Archives

Form or Genre Terms

  • Autobiographies
  • Poems

Finding aid created by Sabrina Baksh-Riches, Karen Carver, and Heather Harkness
2005 (last modified: 2019)

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