Robert E. Pinkerton and Kathrene Pinkerton papers , 1911-1967

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Pinkerton, Robert E. (Robert Eugene), 1882-1970; Pinkerton, Kathrene, 1887-1967
Title
Robert E. Pinkerton and Kathrene Pinkerton papers
Dates
1911-1967 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.5 linear feet, (5 containers)
Collection Number
Ax 591
Summary
Robert E. Pinkerton (1882-1970) and Kathrene Pinkerton (1887-1967) were writers of both fiction and nonfiction, primarily writing in Canada. The collection includes correspondence, literary manuscripts, tear sheets, photo albums, books and Kathrene Pinkerton's diary.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Robert E. Pinkerton (1882-1970) and Kathrene Pinkerton (1887-1967) were writers of both fiction and nonfiction.

Robert E. Pinkerton was born March 12, 1882 in Arena, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin for two years. He worked as a cub reporter on the Milwaukee Free Press and was later telegraph news editor for The Journal in Milwaukee.

Kathrene Pinkerton was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 9 1887. She received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, and did graduate work at the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy. Her early career was in social work in Chicago and public health in Wisconsin.

The Pinkertons married in 1911. Their first fictive effort a 30,000 word novelette sold to Munsey's Magazine. With the $150 earnings they departed for the wilds of Canada, where they built onto a cabin in the bush, eight miles from the village of Atikokan, Ontario. The only means of transport to and from Atikokan were by canoe in the summer and dog sled during the long Canadian winter. Their nonfiction pieces sold to outdoor magazines, totaling for their first two years work $532.00. Their fiction did not sell during this period.

Two years later the Pinkertons came out of the bush for a short while, for the birth of their daughter, Bobs, and returned by dogsled when she was seven weeks old. "For the next four and one half years," wrote Ben Hibbs, then editor of The Country Gentleman, "they sold every story they wrote."

Mrs. Pinkerton died in 1967 and Mr. Pinkerton in 1970.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Kathrene Pinkerton's Two Ends to our Shoestring and photographs in the collection document the years spent in the Pinkerton's Canadian cabin with their daughter Bobs. Included is Kathrene Pinkerton's logbook of the trip to Alaska from 1924 to 1931, Three's a Crew and an untitled manuscript. She also wrote teen-age novels, autobiographical books, and a book on fur farming. Her books were translated into German and Dutch.

Robert Pinkerton's writing includes fiction, a history of the Hudson's Bay Company, as well as one of the most widely accepted books on canoes and canoeing. Most of their collaborative efforts were novelettes, which appeared in the pulp magazines from 1916 through 1935.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • American fiction--20th century--Authorship
  • Authors, American--20th century
  • Publishers and publishing--Correspondence
  • Pulp literature--Authorship
  • Women authors, American--20th century

Personal Names

  • Pinkerton, Kathrene, 1887-1967
  • Pinkerton, Kathrene, 1887-1967
  • Pinkerton, Kathrene, 1887-1967
  • Pinkerton, Robert E. (Robert Eugene), 1882-1970
  • Pinkerton, Robert E. (Robert Eugene), 1882-1970

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Manuscripts for publication
  • Photographs
  • Tear sheets