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Murie Family papers, 1834-1982 (bulk, 1920-1975)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Murie Family
Title
Murie Family papers
Dates
1834-1982 (bulk, 1920-1975) (inclusive)
Quantity
31.26 cubic ft. (51 boxes)
Collection Number
11375
Summary
The Murie Family Papers consist predominately of the professional papers of three famous conservationists, Olaus Murie, Margaret Murie, and Adolph Murie. The collection contains reports, correspondence, memoranda, field notes and journals, publications, and an extensive collection of films. The materials relate to public land management wildlife conservation in Alaska, western Wyoming, and the desert Southwest.
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
Access Restrictions

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

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Olaus Johan Murie was born in Moorhead, Minnesota, on March 1, 1889 to Joachim and Marie Murie. His brother, Adolph, was born ten years later in 1899. Olaus subsequently worked for such prestigious institutions as the Carnegie Institution and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He was President of the Wilderness Society from 1950-1957 and was active in a variety of conservation societies and biologists’ professional organizations. He received numerous awards for his environmental efforts, including the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award, which he received in 1952, and the Sierra Club’s highest honor, the John Muir Award, received just a few months before he died. He wrote several books, including The Elk of North America and a Field Guide to Animal Tracks. Olaus died on October 21, 1963, after a year long hospitalization.

Margaret E. Thomas met Olaus in Alaska while he was working on a study of caribou. A native of Seattle, Washington, Margaret was born in 1902 and moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, during her childhood. She married Olaus in 1924 and became an outspoken advocate for the environment in her own right. Soon after their marriage, the two moved to Moose, Wyoming, where they spent the rest of their lives. Margaret bore three children, Martin, Joanne, and Donald. The first woman graduate of the University of Alaska, she helped to found the Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming, and was instrumental in the designation and protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. She and her husband were also active participants in the designation of Grand Teton National Park in 1929. Along with Olaus, Margaret (Mardy) was credited with preparing the way for the passage of the Wilderness Act, and she was frequently called to give testimony on environmental issues before Congress. She received numerous awards over the course of her life for her work, including the Audubon Medal and the John Muir Award. President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. Mardy Murie died in Moose on October 19, 2003. She was referred to by many as the “mother of the modern conservation movement.”

Adolph Murie was another distinguished environmentalist. An award-winning author, he wrote The Wolves of Mount McKinley and the Ecology of the Coyote in Yellowstone. He was an employee of the National Park Service for most of his adult life, which enabled him to study wildlife in a variety of pristine settings. The U.S. Department of the Interior recognized him with its Distinguished Service Award. Adolph married Margaret’s sister, Louise, and the two subsequently moved to Moose as well. They had two children together. He died there suddenly, on August 15, 1974.

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Content Description

The Murie Family Papers consist predominately of the professional papers of three famous conservationists, Olaus Murie, Margaret Murie, and Adolph Murie. The collection contains reports, correspondence, memoranda, field notes and journals, publications, and an extensive collection of films. The materials relate to public land management wildlife conservation in Alaska, western Wyoming, and the desert Southwest.

Rather than being extensive in the topics covered, these papers document in detail a limited number of subjects. Among these are the management of Mt. McKinley National Park, the relationship between livestock and coyotes on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, and the management of wildlife and natural areas in the Jackson Hole and Yellowstone areas. The films document scenic areas all over the world, including South Africa and Ireland. Mildred Capron produced many of them.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

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

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Murie Family Papers, Collection Number 11375, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at http://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~82~82.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There is an archival collection created by Olaus Johan Murie in the Conservation History Research Center at the Denver Public Library. There is an archival collection created by Olaus Johan Murie in the Conservation History Research Center at the Denver Public Library. There are also Murie Family papers at the Murie Center, Moose, Wyoming.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

Olaus and Margaret Murie donated their papers to the American Heritage Center in several accretions between 1963 and 1986. The Adolph Murie material was donated by Louise Murie MacLeod and Steve Buskirk in 1982, 1984, and 2003 and Linda Franklin in 2018.

Processing Note

Processing Information

This collection was reprocessed by Shannon Bowen and Vince Siriani in December 2003 and updated by Jamie J. Greene in November 2019. It was initially inventoried as two separate collections in 1984 and 1986; these collections were the Olaus and Margaret Murie Papers and the Adolph Murie Papers. The Murie Family Papers is a combination of those collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Shannon Bowen and Vince Siriani.
2005

CC Attribution
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