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Harry and Ann Morrison Papers, 1919-1996

Overview of the Collection

Title
Harry and Ann Morrison Papers
Dates
1919-1996 (inclusive)
Quantity
16 linear feet, (16 boxes)
Collection Number
MSS 279
Summary
The Harry and Ann Morrison Papers consist primarily of photos, articles, and other memorabilia from their world travels with The Morrison-Knudsen Company. Also included are photos of family and friends, articles about Harry and Ann, documents about Ann's honorary degree from Pepperdine University, correspondence about Ann's autobiography "Those Were the Days," and other personal and professional materials.
Repository
Boise State University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
1910 University Drive
Boise ID
83725
Telephone: 2084263990
archives@boisestate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is available for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Harry Morrison (1885-1971)

Harry Morrison was born in 1885 in Illinois. At a young age he moved to Boise, Idaho and started Morrison-Knudsen Construction Company (MK) with Morris Knudsen in 1912. He married Ann Daly in 1914. Harry led MK through steady growth, from road and other public works projects in the Northwest to international heavy construction. While his company built bridges, dams, airports, and freeways around the world, Harry and Ann traveled from job to job to survey the company's work. In 1954, Time Magazine said Harry Morrison was "the man who has done more than anyone else to change the face of the Earth."

Ann Morrison (1884-1957)

Born and raised in the Boise Basin, Ann Daly married Harry Morrison in 1914. Harry co-founded the construction firm Morrison-Knudsen in 1912, and from humble beginnings the company became one of the largest construction contractors in the world. Ann and Harry spent much of their 43-year marriage on the road, regularly traveling to Morrison Knudsen's construction sites in places such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and India. Nicknamed "the first lady of construction," Ann chronicled her journeys in the Morrison Knudsen newsletter, Em-Kayan, and her articles were later compiled and published as Those Were the Days: Diary of Ann Morrison in 1951.

[Biographical note written by Jim Duran and Gwyn Hervochon]

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Content Description

The Harry and Ann Morrison Papers consist primarily of photos, articles, and other memorabilia from their world travels with The Morrison-Knudsen Company. Also included are photos of family and friends, articles about Harry and Ann, documents about Ann's honorary degree from Pepperdine University, correspondence about Ann's autobiography "Those Were the Days," and other personal and professional materials.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[item description], Harry and Ann Morrison Papers, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

See also: Lyman Wilbur Papers, Morrison-Knudsen Company Labor Relations Records

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Dams--Design and construction
  • Engineering
  • Voyages and travels

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries

Cheryl Oestreicher
2015

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

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