AHJ_ah00348 Inventory of the Bill Nye papers, 1878-circa 1973 Nye (Bill) papers Processed by D.C. Thompson The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/
2006

University of Wyoming

 Finding aid encoded by Ann Mulfort July 2006 Finding aid is in English Bill Nye papers, 1878-circa 1973 Collection number: 00348 University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. Publication date: 2006 Contact Information American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/ March 2000

"©" 2006 University of Wyoming

 Collection Summary Nye, Bill, 1850-1896 Bill Nye papers 1878-circa 1973 00348 .45 cubic ft. (1 document box) University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. English The collection contains handwritten correspondence (1880-1896); a typescript "Bibliography and Works of Bill Nye" compiled by Lloyd McFarling; transcripts of Bill Nye’s letters, interviews, etc. from various newspapers; articles and newspaper clippings about Nye; and miscellaneous other material. Many of the letters are addressed to J.B. Pond, Nye’s agent and manager. Biography of Bill Nye

Edgar Wilson Nye was the founder and first editor of the Laramie Boomerang, a newspaper reputedly named after Nye’s mule. His humorous columns for the paper achieved national recognition, and he went on to become a nationally-known lecturer and author under the pen name Bill Nye. He was born in Shirley, Maine, on August 25, 1850, and came to Laramie, Wyoming, in 1876. He was initially employed by J.H. Hayford on the Laramie Sentinel but supplemented his income by writing for other papers as well, including the Denver Tribune, where he came to the attention of Eugene Field. In 1877 he married Fannie Smith and in 1881 began publication of the Boomerang. The newspaper was successful, and Nye soon began to publish books based on his humorous observations. Nye, however, became ill and sold his Laramie interests in 1883. He returned to his former home in Wisconsin where he continued to write. He later settled in North Carolina. He traveled widely in the 1880s and 1890s as a lecturer, often in partnership with James Whitcomb Riley, under the management of James B. Pond. His health, however, remained poor, and he died in 1896 at the age of forty-six.

 Scope and Content

The collection contains letters from Nye (1881-1896), many of them addressed to James B. Pond, Nye’s manager, commenting on his lecture experiences and his relations with James Whitcomb Riley. Also included is Nye’s commission as a notary public in Laramie (1878), miscellaneous publications, and biographical and bibliographical material about Nye and his work from a variety of sources.

 Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

 Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

 Related Materials

For other archival materials on Bill Nye, see:

Bill Nye : newspaper articles, [circa1880-1887], Collection Number BANC MSS 71/183 z, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Papers of Bill Nye, 1882-1902, LC Control Number mm 96006347, Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C. Acquisition Information

Twenty-eight letters were purchased by the University in 1950. The Pond correspondence was a donation of the Kiwanis Club of Laramie in 1955. Other material was acquired from various sources between 1956 and 1973.

 Processing Information

The collection was processed by D.C. Thompson in March 2000.

 Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Bill Nye papers, 1878-circa 1973, Collection Number 00348, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

 Access Terms Nye, Bill, 1850-1896 --Bibliography. Pond, James Burton, 1838-1903. Daily Boomerang (Laramie, Wyo. : 1881). Newspaper publishing--Wyoming. Laramie (Wyo.)--History. Wyoming--History--To 1889. Journalists. Humorists, American. <?xm-replace_text {Title as Subject}?> McFarling, Lloyd. Bibliography and works of Bill Nye. Publishers and Publishing Social Life and Customs Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Literature Wyoming Container List Correspondence to James B. Pond, Nye’s manager, from Bill Nye Correspondence to Reverend John Dudley Fergusen from Bill Nye1881-1882 Manuscript, "Bibliography and Works of Bill Nye," compiled by Lloyd McFarlingundated Nye’s commission as a notary public in Laramie (1878), miscellaneous publications, and biographical and bibliographical material about Nye and his work