View XML QR Code

Herman W. Ronnenberg papers, 1811-2014

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Ronnenberg, Herman W.
Title
Herman W. Ronnenberg papers
Dates
1811-2014 (inclusive)
Quantity
30 cubic feet, (30 bankers boxes and 1 rolled map in a tube)
Collection Number
MG 472
Summary
This collection contains the research and manuscripts of Herman W. Ronnenberg. Ronnenberg was a University of Idaho graduate who wrote about the history of beer, particularly in Idaho and the Northwest, and the lives of the brewers.
Repository
University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

Herman Wiley Ronnenberg was born in Evansville, Illinois, in 1947. Receiving undergraduate degrees in history and physical education, he went on to earn an M.A. in library science and an M.S.E. from the University of Missouri in Warrensburg, ultimately receiving a Ph.D. in Historical Archaeology from the University of Idaho. After graduating from the University of Idaho, Ronnenberg spent twenty years teaching in Pomeroy, ID, and eventually becoming adjunct faculty for the University of Idaho History Department from 2009-2014.

Beyond teaching, he had several other ventures throughout his life, including sports coach, librarian, restaurateur, writer and owner of Heritage Witness Reflection Publishing. From 1985-1988, Ronnenberg and his wife Diane, owned a restaurant in Troy, ID called The Brewery. A historian of beer and brewing, Ronnenberg published several books and articles on the subject. With the publication of History of the Brewing Industry in Idaho, 1862-1960 he delved into the beer industry in Idaho. As he continued to write, he began focusing on specific Idahoans such as brewer John Lemp and pioneer settlers Jeanette Manuel and Isabella Kelly Benedict Robie. He died on June 2, 2015.

Return to Top

Content Description

This collection consists of materials collected and created by Herman W. Ronnenberg throughout his professional life as a historian, teacher, and author, between the years of 1962-2014. The bulk of materials are subject files pertaining to various beer, alcohol, and other topics, as well as manscript drafts for several of Ronnenberg's publications.

Subject files in this collection pertain primarily to brewers and breweries, but also include a few other subjects, such as archaeology, Native American history, American history, Idahoan history, European and Asian brewing history, and environmental issues. Materials consist mostly of photocopied materials from historic newspapers, but also include photographs, slides, printouts of genealogical website searches, and ephemera collected from brewery visits. The earliest dated materials in the collection are photocopies of newspapers from the 19th and early 20th century.

The manuscript materials contain various drafts of books written by Ronnenberg and research materials used in researching for his books. Manuscripts represented in the collection include Material Culture of Breweries, Beer and Brewing in the inland Northwest, 1850- to 1950, The Beer Baron of Boise: the life of John Lemp, millionaire brewer of frontier Idaho, The disciples of Gambrinus volumes I and II, History of the brewing industry in Idaho, 1862-1969, Jeanette Manuel: the life and legend of the belle of fabulous Florence, and Pioneer mother on the River of No Return: the life of Isabella Kelly Benedict Robie.

Other materials in the collection consist of articles he wrote, book reviews, various correspondence (both professional and personal), research notes, The Brewery business records, lecture and class notes from his time as a student and a professor, as well as some materials from his time as a teacher and basketball coach.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged into five series.

When received the majority of the subject files were organized in alphabetical order. The alphabet, however, was repeated several times throughout the boxes. This organization was mostly preserved, however, where there was no discernable difference between subjects, files were integrated under one series.

The rest of the collection had little discernable original order, so files that fit appropriately into another series were filed as such. Manuscript materials were kept together, as best as possible, along with research materials relevent to the manuscripts.

Acquisition Information

Materials received from Heather Ronnenberg in 2016 (MA 2016-48)

Bibliography

The Primary Source, University of Idaho CLASS. Fall 2014. https://issuu.com/uidaho-class/docs/fall-2014-primary-source. Accessed 11 Sept. 2019.

The Primary Source, University of Idaho CLASS. Spring 2015. https://www.uidaho.edu/~/media/UIdaho-Responsive/Files/class/departments/history/the-primary/the-primary-source-spring-2015.ashx. Accessed 11 Sept. 2019.

"Herman Wiley Ronnenberg, 68, Of Troy." Moscow-Pullman Daily News, 6 June 2015. https://dnews.com/obituaries/herman-wiley-ronnenberg-of-troy/article_78b56e57-f68c-5a25-8dfb-d46cf6a1c5a9.html. Accessed 11 Sept. 2019.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Beer Industry
  • Beer--History
  • Brewers
  • Brewing
  • Brewing industry
  • Genealogy
  • Women pioneers

Personal Names

  • Lemp, John, 1838-1912
  • Manuel, Jeanette Popham Williams, 1849-1877
  • Manuel, John J., 1827-1889
  • Robie, Isabella Kelly Benedict, 1847-1911

Geographical Names

  • Idaho--History
  • Northwest, Pacific--History
Loading...
Loading...