Ern Pedler papers, 1914-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989
Title
Ern Pedler papers
Dates
1914-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.5 linear feet, (1 box)
Collection Number
ACCN 2946
Summary
The Ern Pedler papers (1914-1986) spans his career and creative life, from his high school writings to a letter granting a magazine interview in the 1980s. In addition to the manuscripts, other written material and ephemera give a detailed picture of Western life. Pedler was a long-distance rider, cowboy, and horse wrangler. He was also a prolific writer of fiction.
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

Ernest "Ern" Joseph Pedler was born May 31, 1914 in Prospect, South Australia, Australia, the third child of William Joseph Pedler and Lily Violetta Cook. When he was between 2 and 3 years of age, the family emigrated from Australia to Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, after his parents were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved horses and began his career as a long-distance rider, cowboy, and horse wrangler at the age of sixteen. He rode horses in the Wasatch and Uintah Mountains and on the west desert of Utah, where he chased and caught wild horses, until that became illegal. Later in his life, he was able to live on a ranch in the Vernon area. Pedler was also a prolific writer of fiction, writing about horses and the landscapes that surrounded him. He died on 17 November 1989.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Ern Pedler papers (1914-1986) spans his career and creative life, from his high school writings to a letter granting a magazine interview in the 1980s. In addition to the manuscripts, other written material and ephemera give a detailed picture of Western life.

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

Purchased from Ken Sanders Rare Books in 2016.

Processing Note

Processed by Betsey Welland in 2017.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Separated Materials

See also the Ern Pedler photograph collection (P2137) in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

I:  Personal materialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
Correspondence
1981; 1984
1 2
Certificates and documents
Included in this folder is a certificate of blessing, certificate of baptism and confirmation, and a replacement birth certificate.
1914-1981

II:  Writings by PedlerReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 3
The Big Lonely Horse and Other Stories
1961
1 4
"The Decay of Age"
1 5
"The Dream Never Ends"
1 6
"Hold Back the Horizon"
1 7
"Just a Thinkin'"
1 8
"Lakehills-Community Correctional Center, Discharge Summary"
In later life, Pedler worked for ten years at the Utah State Division of Corrections, writing summaries of prisoners in which he described disposition, physique, prison experience, and probable future success. In this spoof document, written on his retirement, Pedler turns his scrutiny on himself.
1981
1 9
"The Miles Between"
1 10
"My Compositions and Short Stories"
Writings by Pedler while a student at West High School in Salt Lake City.
1 11
"O, Little Town"
Published in the The Morgan Horse Magazine.
1959
1 12
"The Song and the Star"
1 13
Article about Morgan Horse, Flying Jubilee
1 14
Notecards with quotes by Pedler
1 15
Lists of works by Pedler

III:  General materialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 16
News clippings about Morgan horse, Little Fry
1964
1 17
Cosetta Wright Castagno, "A Collection of Poems"
1985
1 18
"National Clydesdale Sale" booklet
This booklet includes photographs taken by Pedler along with handwritten notes, mostly of prices realized.
1986
1 19
Pencil drawing of horse and rider
Artist's signature is illegible.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Cowboys--Utah--20th century--Fiction
  • Horsemanship
  • Horsemen and horsewomen--Utah--20th century--Specimens
  • Horses--Fiction
  • Morgan horse
  • Short stories

Personal Names

  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Archives
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Big lonely horse and other stories, 1961
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Collection of poems, 1985
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Decay of age
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Dream never ends
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Hold back the horizon
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Just a thinkin'
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Lakehills-Community Correctional Center, discharge summary, 1981
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Miles between
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--My compositions and short stories
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--O, little town
  • Pedler, Ernest Joseph, 1914-1989--Song and the star

Form or Genre Terms

  • Baptismal certificates
  • Bibliographies
  • Birth certificates
  • Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
  • Drawings
  • Manuscripts
  • Novels
  • Personal correspondence
  • Poetry
  • Sales records
  • Western fiction