Walter E. Reckling family papers, 1905-2001
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Reckling, Walter E.(Walter Ervin), 1899-1964
- Title
- Walter E. Reckling family papers
- Dates
- 1905-2001 (inclusive)Date of CollectionDate of Collection
- Quantity
- 2.35 cubic ft. (6 containers)
- Collection Number
- 03137
- Summary
- Autobiography and other family papers of a Lusk, Wyoming, physician and founder of the annual pageant held in Lusk titled "Legend of the Rawhide Buttes."
- Repository
-
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu - Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
Walter E. Reckling was a prominent Lusk, Wyoming, physician and citizen. As secretary of the Niobrara County Fair Board in 1946, he conceived and promoted the pageant “Legend of the Rawhide Buttes”, which became a traditional annual event. Reckling was born on January 29, 1899 in West Salem, Illinois. After completing high school, he enrolled in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Medical Corp. Reckling graduated from the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver in 1926, opened a medical and surgical practice in Lenora, Kansas in 1927, and moved that practice to Lusk, Wyoming in 1931. In 1941 he opened the Spencer Hospital in Lusk and operated it until his death. He and his wife Daisy Jean Browder Reckling had one daughter, Velma Jean Reckling, and two sons, Walter E. Reckling, Jr. and Frederick W. Reckling. Walter E. Reckling and Jean Browder Reckling divorced in 1958. Reckling married Jean Browder's younger sister Kitty Browder in 1958 and the couple adopted four children, Candace, Jeff, Scarlet and Rhett.
Content Description
The collection contains a 650 page autobiography by Walter E. Reckling as well as other biographical material about Walter E. Reckling and his family, including a scrapbook and personal correspondence. In addition there are clippings, programs, photographs, an audio recording, and research material about “Legend of the Rawhide Buttes”. The collection also contains an article written by Velma Jean Reckling Bales about Carol Held, Miss Wyoming of 1948 and Lusk, Wyoming native.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Preferred Citation
Preferred CitationItem Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative Information
Related Materials
Related MaterialsThere are no known other archival collections created by Walter E. Reckling at the date of accessioning.
Acquisition Information
Acquisition InformationThe Walter E. Reckling family Papers were donated to the American Heritage Center by Velma Jean Reckling Bales, 1969-2002; and by Frederick and JoAnn Reckling, 2006.
Processing Note
Processing InformationThe material was processed by Laura Uglean Jackson in August 2008. The material was reprocessed by Leslie Waggener in November 2014.
Detailed Description of the Collection
-
Description: Biographical materials about Walter E. Reckling and familyDates: 1905-2001Container: Box 1
-
Description: Personal correspondence of Walter E. RecklingDates: 1956-1962Container: Box 2
-
Description: Photographs and sketch of Walter E. RecklingDates: 1950 and undatedContainer: Box 3
-
Description: Photograph of Divisional Sanitary Detachments Nos 1 and 2 (Walter E. Reckling in photograph)Dates: 1917Container: Box 5,
-
Description: Newspapers articles by and about Walter E. Reckling and familyDates: 1945-1999Container: Box 3
-
Description: Autobiography of Walter E. Reckling ("My Fifty Years of Americana")Dates: circa 1949Container: Box 4
-
Description: Autobiography of Walter E. Reckling ("My Fifty Years of Americana" - photocopy)Dates: circa 1949Container: Box 6
-
Description: Photographs of Legend of the Rawhide ButtesDates: 1946 and undatedContainer: Box 1
-
Description: Promotional materials for Legend of the Rawhide ButtesDates: 1946, 1988, 1991 and undatedContainer: Box 1
-
Description: Photograph of the Niobrara County Rodeo showing building paid for by proceeds from Legend of the Rawhide ButtesDates: undatedContainer: Box 1
-
Description: Phonograph record of music and narration about Legend of the Rawhide ButtesDates: undatedContainer: Box 1
-
Description: Newspaper articles about Legend of the Rawhide ButtesDates: 1971-1997Container: Box 3
-
Description: Article about Carol Held, Miss Wyoming of 1948, written by Velma Jean Reckling BalesDates: 1994Container: Box 1
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Miss America Pageant--History.
- Rural hospitals--Wyoming--Lusk.
- Physicians--Kansas.
- Physicians--Wyoming.
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Geographical Names
- Cheyenne (Wyo.)
- Lenora (Kan.)
- Lusk (Wyo.)
- Niobrara County (Wyo.)
- West Salem (Ill.)
- Wyoming--History--1919-1945.
- Wyoming--History--1946-
Titles within the Collection
- Legend of the Rawhide Buttes.
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
