Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Wirth Family papers, 1892-1970
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Wirth Family
- Title
- Wirth Family papers
- Dates
- 1892-1970 (inclusive)18921970
1994-1995 (inclusive)19941995 - Quantity
- 2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0309wirthfamilypapers (collection)
- Summary
- The Wirth Family papers contain original manuscript material, correspondence, slides, photograph albums, loose photographs, negatives and yearbooks belonging to a family that once resided in Bellingham, Washington.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Henry Wirth was born in Iowa (date unknown) and then moved to Bellingham. In 1892 he went on an exploration in Alaska with J.W. Black and N.V. Hendricks, and later worked as a teller in a bank. Wirth married Viola Doty and had one child, Henry Edgar Wirth. Henry E. Wirth was born in Bellingham, Washington and attended the University of Washington where he received a Bachelor's degree and a PhD. He (taught?) at numerous institutions, including North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota, Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, and Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Henry E. Wirth married Naomi Thomas and the couple had three children. They moved back to Bellingham upon retirement, and after Naomi's death Henry relocated to Iowa City, Iowa where he died in 2006.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Wirth Family papers contain original manuscript material, correspondence, slides, photograph albums, loose photographs, negatives, and yearbooks belonging to a family that once resided in Bellingham, Washington. The majority of the collection documents various family members' travels through Alaska. There are also records documenting locales throughout Whatcom County and the Mt. Baker wilderness, as well as yearbooks from various Bellingham-area schools.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Wirth Family papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Processing Note
About Harmful Language and ContentTo learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content
Acquisition Information
Donated by Katy Hansen on December 5, 2011.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1-1/2 | Wirth, Henry - original manuscript from Alaska trip | 1892 |
| 1/3 | Wirth, Henry - "A Trip to Alaska in 1892" (typed copy of manuscript including newspaper clippings, correspondence and mementos) | circa 1892 |
| 1/4 | Invitation to Farewell Dinner for J.W. Black Henry Wirth and N.V. Hendricks at "Hotel de Baldi" (home of J.B. Baldy in Fairhaven, WA) | 1892 March 10 |
| 1/5 | Evans, R.D. (Captain, U.S. Navy, Commanding) - letter to Henry Wirth | 1898 April 1 |
| 1/6 | Higginson, Ella - letter to Henry Wirth | 1917 March 15 |
| 1/7 | Postcard (unknown sender) from Alaska to Mr. and Mrs. (Henry and Viola) Wirth | 1928 August 8 |
| 1/8 | Correspondence with Mrs. (Viola) Wirth | circa 1954-1965 |
| 1/9 | Annual reports - Aftermath Club and American Association of University Women-Bellingham chapter | 1994-1995 |
| 1/10 | New Whatcom Blade excerpts including accounts of Van Hendricks' whom Henry Wirth and J.W. Black left in Alaska in 1892 | 1895 November |
| 1/11 | Newspaper clippings on Fairhaven and Klondike Gold Rush/mining history | circa 1892-1950 |
| 1/12 | Landahl's Emporium (Dawson, Yukon Territory, Canada) - "Scenes from the Land of the Midnight Sun" | undated |
| 1/13 | Map of Puget Sound | 1903 |
| 1/14 | Map of Alaska | 1890 |
| 1/15 | Brochure - "Alaska by Ferry" | circa 1966 |
| 1/16 | Logbook identifying slide from Henry E. Wirth trip to Alaska | circa 1966 |
| 1/17-1/21 | Slides from Henry E. Wirth trip to Alaska | circa 1966 |
| 1/22-1/23 | Photograph albums - "Views from Alaska" | circa 1892 |
| 2/1 | Photograph album - Whatcom County and other Washington locales (includes some loose negatives and newspaper clippings, circa 1920s-1940s) | circa 1910s |
| 2/2 | Photograph album - WWI overseas (?) and Washington locales (includes some loose photographs) | circa 1910s-1920s |
| 2/3 | Photograph album - Seabeck (YWCA Girl Reserves Conference), Whatcom County and Mt. Baker wilderness (includes some negatives and one loose photograph) | circa 1920s |
| 2/4 | Photograph album - Mt. Baker wilderness, Whatcom County, San Juans and onboard the UW Oceanographic Laboratories Research Vessel Catalyst (includes a photograph of Thomas Gordon Thompson and one loose photograph) | circa 1930s |
| 2/5 | Photograph album - Oklahoma and Seattle (Wash.) | circa 1938 |
| 2/6 | Photographs - Alaska | circa 1890s |
| 2/7 | Photographs - Bellingham and Mt. Baker wilderness | circa 1920s |
| 2/8-2/9 | Negatives - Alaska | circa 1890s |
| 2/10-2/11 | Yearbooks - Kulshan | 1922-1925 |
| 2/12 | Yearbook - Klahowya | 1944 |
| 2/13-2/14 | Yearbooks - Shuksan | 1939, 1943-1944 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Mining--Alaska--History--Sources.
Family Names
- Wirth Family--Archives. (creator)
Geographical Names
- Alaska--History--Sources--Photographs.
- Alaska--History--Sources.
- Bellingham (Wash.)--History--Sources--Photographs.
- Bellingham (Wash.)--History--Sources.
Rozlind Koester
2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
