Angus Munn Woodbury was a man of science and of religion; an historian, a naturalist, an ecologist. He sought throughout his life to understand how geology, history, biology, and botany had merged to create the awe and beauty of the world around him. His love of nature lead him far--from rancher to Professor of Zoology. Woodbury had a talent for describing the complexities of nature in terms which all could understand and enjoy. Yet he could write as an expert, communicating with his scientific peers on the technicalities of cortisone extraction from the Joshua tree to biotic relationships in the Great Salt Lake Desert. He published numerous scientific and historical articles and a college textbook on general ecology.
Angus Munn Woodbury was born in St. George, Utah on July 11, 1886. His parents, John Taylor and Mary Evans Woodbury, owned a farm in Pine Valley, north of St. George. Angus was raised in St. George and educated at the Brigham Young Academy. In 1908 he began working for the U.S. Forest Service in the newly created Dixie National Forest. During his twelve years with the Forest Service, he worked in nearly every forest in Region Four, which included Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming. The majority of his time, however, was spent in southwestern Utah at the Dixie and Fillmore (later the Fishlake) National Forests.
Woodbury left the Forest Service in 1920 to manage his father's farm. He settled his family, at last, in a permanent home in St. George. During his twelve years with the Forest Service, Woodbury had moved his wife Grace and their six children nineteen times. To supplement his income from the farm, Woodbury worked as an inspector for the Utah State Department of Agriculture and as a temporary enumerator for the special 1925 agricultural census.
The flora, fauna, and history of the Dixie region had always captivated Woodbury. He spent his spare time on field trips collecting plants, insects, and relics of the Indian and pioneer residents of the area. In order to better understand the world around him, he returned to school at the age of forty. He began taking courses at Dixie College. He received his B.S. from Brigham Young University in 1927. A year later he was awarded a Master's degree from the University of Utah. Woodbury then attended the University of California at Berkeley where he received his Ph.D. in 1931. His dissertation, entitled "Biotic Relationships of Zion Canyon," reflects two of his lifelong interests--ecology and the spectacularly carved canyon which was Utah's first National Park.
While in school, Woodbury spent his summers as Naturalist in Zion National Park. He was the pioneer of the naturalist program in Zion. Under his direction trails were built, interpretive aids prepared, and a museum constructed. He also initiated the nightly camp fire lecture which is still a tradition in Zion Park. Woodbury left his position in Zion National Park in 1933 to accept a faculty appointment at the University of Utah. He relocated his family in Salt Lake City, which was his residence until his death. He became a professor of Zoology and in 1948 was named head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology. He held this post until 1952 when he became Director of Ecological Research at Dugway, Utah. He retired in 1956.
Dr. Woodbury and his wife died in an automobile crash near Loveland, Colorado, in 1964.
Woodbury was a Utah historian, naturalist, and ecologist who served in a number of capacities as researcher and teacher in the state of Utah. His photograph collection pertains primarily to his study of flora and fauna of the southwest with emphasis on the National Parks of southern Utah. The collection also contains original prints of Buffalo Bill. Also, there is a small collection of photos from his work at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah.
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Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Manuscript materials were transferred to the Angus Munn Woodbury papers (MS 0176).