Collection Summary
Foster, Mike, 1935-
Mike Foster papers
1853-2021
10541
24.87 cubic ft. (41 boxes) + 8.64 MB
University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
English
Manuscripts and research material of a biographer of Ferdinand V. Hayden and other 19th century explorers of the American West.
Mike Foster (1935-) was an author and adjunct history professor at the University of Colorado-Denver. He authored books and articles on explorers and naturalists of the American West during the 19th century, including Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden and Franklin Rhoda.
Collection contains manuscripts of Mike Foster’s book "Strange Genius: A Life of Ferdinand Hayden", as well as research material assembled in the course of writing, including photocopies and microfilm of primary materials. The collection also contains Foster’s research and manuscripts for his book "Summits to Reach: An Annotated Edition of Franklin Rhoda’s Report on the Topography of the San Juan Country" and "The Ties that Bind: Birds, Nature and Us". Additionally there are materials from Foster’s teaching career and some unpublished manuscripts.
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.
Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections
The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are
respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of
reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our
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Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event.
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For more information, read our full statement.
There is one other known Mike Foster Collection preserved at the University of California-Berkeley’s Bancroft Library.
Mike Foster donated this collection to the American Heritage Center from 1997-2021.
The collection was processed by Andrea Gietzen in May 2008, updated by Jamie Greene in February 2017 and June 2018, and Alexandra Cardin in June 2022.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection
Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Access Terms
Foster, Mike, 1935-, Strange genius.
Hayden, F.V. (Ferdinand Vandeveer), 1829-1887.
Rhoda, Franklin.
Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories (U.S.)
Geological Survey (U.S.)
Geologists -- Rocky Mountains --19th century.
Geology -- Rocky Mountains -- 19th century.
Surveyors -- Rocky Mountains -- 19th century.
Surveying -- Rocky Mountains --19th century.
Geological surveys -- Rocky Mountains -- 19th century.
Authors -- United States --20th century.
Yellowstone National Park.
West (U.S.) -- Description and travel.
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Science, Technology and Health
Science
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Immigration and American Expansion
Expeditions and Adventure
Container List
Series I. F.V. Hayden Research Material
Sub-series 1. Research Index File
Research index file contains annotated bibliographic citations for research articles and correspondence regarding F.V. Hayden and his contemporaries
4
Alphabetical, K-Z
undated
8
Articles on Science & Western exploration, A-L
undated
9
Articles on Science & Western exploration, Mc-XYZ
undated
2
Author file
undated
5
Index to author's correspondence
undated
7
Index to F.V. Hayden chronology, general files regarding F.V. Hayden and his activities
undated
6
Index to F.V. Hayden correspondence and catalogues
undated
3
Reviews of Hayden publications, Hayden sources and Alphabetical A-J
undated
1
Subject file
undated
Sub-series 2. Research Notes and Articles
14
35mm slides, negatives and transparencies of F.V. Hayden, Mrs. Hayden and with hand colored maps showing area explored during Hayden Survey
1865-1882
13
Articles by F.V. Hayden and Fielding B. Meek
1853-1886
11
Articles authored by F.V. Hayden, articles regarding Hayden directed United States Geological Survey, Ethnography and Philology of the Indian Tribes
1858-1883
13
Notes on archives, libraries and completed research tasks regarding F.V. Hayden material
10
Notes on material and articles regarding F.V. Hayden and his contributions, his obituaries, and publications regarding his survey
1873-1987
10
Photocopies of finding aids for J.V. Howell and F.M. Fryxell archival collections
1965-1968
12
Research material related to F.V. Hayden's contemporaries, A-P
13
Research material related to F.V. Hayden's contemporaries, R-Z
Sub-series 3. Correspondence
1854-1884
16
Correspondence, corrections and reviews regarding F.V. Hayden biography and notes on F.V. Hayden survey lecture
1981-1996
16
Correspondence regarding F.V. Hayden research
1981-1996
15
Photocopies of letters authored by F.V. Hayden to Fielding B. Meek, Spencer F. Baird, George Engleman and James Hall
1854-1884
15
Photocopies of letters authored by F.V. Hayden to his contemporaries
1854-1885
16
Photocopies of letters authored by F.V. Hayden to Professor Leidy
1854-1884
Sub-series 4. Microfilm
Microfilm contains papers from various archival collections.
17
Alexander Winchell Diary
1878-1879
17
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden papers
1846-1865
17
Letters received by the United States Geographical Survey
1879, 1880-1885 (index)
17
Letters received by the United States Geographical Survey
January 13 - December 9, 1879
17
Letters sent by United States Geographical Survey
1881, January 3 - December 31, 1881 (index)
17
Letters sent by the United States Geographical Survey
1879 - 1880, July 7, 1879 - December 31, 1880 (index)
17
Register of letters received by the United States Geographical Survey
January 8, 1879 - December 31, 1880
17
Registers of Letters received by Topographical Bureau of War Department
1850s
Sub-series 5. Audio-Visual Material
18
35 mm slides lecture: "In the Tracks of Hayden"
1982
18
35 mm slides of Mike Foster
1982
18
35 mm slides used in lecture given on F.V. Hayden's survey
1982
18
35 mm slides used in various lectures on F.V. Hayden, 35 mm slides of Yellowstone National Park
1982
18
Microcassettes containing field notes of climb up North Maroon Peak
1982
18
Microcassettes containing field notes from "In the Tracks of Hayden" trip
1982
18
Photographs of San Juan Mountains
1982
Sub-series 6. Maps
19
Annotated maps pertaining to F.V. Hayden exploration routes
1853-1874
Series II. Personal Papers
36"Outstanding Program Naturalist" for Jefferson County Open Space2016
Digitalahcdm_10541_005"With Fresh Air Comes a Free Heart", Niobrara (DVD)2010
3258…and for Yale! Yale Class of 1958, 50th Reunion Class Book2008
2870th birthday Odyessey, parts 1 and 22005-2006
37A Bibliography on Birds and Related Subjectsundated
32Alaska Trip Photo Album1980
20
Annotated copy of "Guide to Colorado Mountains" noting various climbs
1980
33Architecture in Rural Colorado Photo Album1970-1980
36Audubon Society of Greater Denver, Naturalist Training Course2016-2017
36Awards, Degrees, Certificates1958-2017
36BA Yale University1958
33Bathurst Inlet, Canadian Arctic Photo Album1993
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Biographical Information (resumes, biography notes)1998-2017
32Bosque del Apache2004-2007
32Career Records1950-2011
33Chicago Vacation Photo Album2003
32Climbs1975-1991
36Colorado Mountain Club, 40 years of Membership2014
36Colorado Mountain Club, Certificate of Appreciation2000
31Columbine Universal Church2014-2016
36Cornell Lab of Ornithology2012
32Correspondence2017-2019
31 and Digitalahcdm_10541_001Correspondence1989-2017
31Correspondence, pictures, and cards2012-2016
31Denver Museum of Natural Science (Correspondence Relating to Foster's Donation to the Museum and his Volunteering)2014
32Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Slides1988 February-March
23
Ephemera and diaries from travels to England, Alaska, Ecuador, Galapogos Islands, Yampa River, and the Arctic
1956-2006
36Essay - "Restless Curiosity: Reflections on Three Careers as a Scholar"2021 October
32Galapagos Islands1988
31Jefferson Unitarian Church: Convenent Groups2010
20
Log of mountain climbs
1974-1999
36MA, Columbia University1963
32Memories of Mike2015
31Mike Foster: Personal (Biographical Information)1974-2017
32Mike Freeman Foster: The Man, The Myth, the Legend2015
36Mountaineering Trips Scrapbook1975-78
32Niobrara River trip2010
21
Personal, business and professional correspondence
1968-1996
22
Personal, business and professional correspondence
1997-2006
28Personal, business and professional correspondence2007-2011
20
Personal diary written while following the branch of Hayden's survey
1982
36PhD, Columbia University1968
33Photos of all Colorado County Courthouses1970-1980
36Review of "Strange Genius" in Publishers Weekly1994
33Road Atlas of Great Britain 3 miles to 1 inch1956
Digitalahcdm_10541_006Sandhill Cranes Monte Vista2016
36Scrapbook - Artistry in Manuscripts. Copies of Manuscripts from 1600s Part of Research Done for his Book , The politics of stability : a portrait of the rulers in Elizabethan London1960s-1970s
Digitalahcdm_10541_002Select Letters and Files (Flashdrive)2008-2020
Digitalahcdm_10541_003Sermon at Jefferson Unitarian Church "Standing Up, Speaking out", Mike Foster (DVD)2011 July 10
33Slides and Prints from Various Trips1957-2008
38USGS Montrose Colorado Map 1984
33Various Mountaineering Trips Photo Album1979-1985
32Yale Class Book1958
32Yale College: 25 years1983
32Yale Colorado: Directory of Alumni2004
36Yale Graduation Tassle1958
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Yale Reunions1998-2004
Series III. Teaching Material
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Biography course proposal2012
23
Courses taught at Stanford University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Colorado, University of Denver
1967-1999
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Osher Life-Long Learning Institute (OLLI) - facilitated course for "Write That Novel"2017
32Racism and Prejudice: Lecture Stanford1968-1969
Series IV. Research, Book drafts, and Publication Material
Digitalahcdm_10541_004"In the Tracks of F. V. Hayden" - Photographs of Retracing San Juan Division of the Hayden Survey of 1874 (CD)2012
35Agriculture2000-2020
35Altitudes2000-2020
35Animals2000-2020
35Arapahoe County2000-2020
Digitalahcdm_10541_007"A Roving Naturalist: Revealing Nature's Secrets in Nearby Places"2020 June
34ASGD: Naturalist Training2016-2017
34Bacteria, Microbes2007-2016
34Biodiversity2009-2012
35Biodiversity2000-2020
34Bird Business Card2001
34Bird Conservation Watchlist1992-2002
34Birding, Scoops, Resources Websites2000-2001
34Birds2004-2019
34Birds Articles2003-2010
Birds and Birding:
30B in B (Birds in Balance, Evergreen Audubon Society program)1995-2004
30Birds in Balance O'Fallon Park, 2001-20052001-2005
30BCLP Survey (Bear Creek Lake Park Avian species survey and related materials)1995-2008
30Evergreen Lake 2003-10, Beaver Brook 2005 (Surveys and Study of avian species in foresaid locations)2003-2010
30Bear Creek Atlas: field notes (Correspondence, notes, records on Bear Creek atlas)2007-2012
30Bear Creek Atlas- Instructional Materials2007-2009
30BCWBBA: Maps (Maps related to creation of Bear Creek Watershed Atlas2005-2012
30Colorado Bird Atlas (Fosters material relating to his contribution to the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas)1988-1991
30Colorado Bird Atlas II (Foster's work relating to 2nd Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas)2007-2009
30My Data R+W (Records relating to Foster's re-creation of Robert B Rockwell and Alex Wetmore's 1909 project Colorado birds)undated
30Rockwell + Wetmore Redux - 2004 ( Reports and surveys related to previously mentioned project re-creation)
30Birds misc., Historical Articlesundated
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Bear Creek Watershed Breeding Bird Atlas (research results, project data, maps, routes)2008-2017
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Adventures and trips, classes, conservation, stamp collection, locations, general notes, atlases2002-2017
South Table Mountain birds:
30Avian Diversity, Community Structures (Surveys on avian Species for EPOB project)2000-2002
30Ecology Chart 2001 (Correspondence, material on Colorado and South Table Mountain bird species)2000-2001
30EPOB 4750/5750: Project Paper background material (Background material for bound report)2000-2002
30Project Report- April 30, 2002 (Bound report on avian research)2001-2002
30Research 2000-2005 (General research on avian species of Colorado, specifically South Table Mountain area)2000-2005
30STM Avian Study 2nd year (data and surveys on Avian species of South Table Mountain, Colorado)2003-2004
30STM 2003 and 2006 comparison (comparison between data on South Table Mountain avian species in years 2003 and 2006)2003-2006
30STM and NTM (North and South Table mountain avian surveys and reports)2005-2006
30STM 2012 and 2014 (Survey of, Notes on Avian Species of STM)2012-2014
31Talks on Birds2011-2012
31Birding Courses Critiquesundated
34Birds Songs and Imagesundated
29Book: Corrected copy of "Strange Genius: the Life of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden"1994
28Book: "The Ties that Bind: Birds, Nature and Us" by Mike F. Foster2010
35Boulder County Open Space2000-2020
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - Upper Arkansas and South Platte Project (UASPP) wilderness surveys:2001-2002
30Birds in the Canyon Lands (records of bird counts and sightings)1999-2002
30BLM 2002 (materials and maps related to Foster's work on the Upper Arkansas and South Platte Project)2001-2002
30BLM Unfinished (Misc. materials)1999-2002
30Canyon Country Mapping
30Canyon Country Mapping, 1999 BLM (Correspondence, photographs, informational materials, photo impact forms)1999
30Pole Creek Area Survey UASPP (Maps, Correspondence, photo log)2001
30Roubideau Birds2000-2001
30Square Top Mtn Roundlers Area 1999 and 2002 (Photographs, field journal, maps, guidance information)1999-2002
Digitalahcdm_10541_001BLM wilderness projects (photo logs, photographs, reports, correspondence)1999-2012
35Cars, Transportation2000-2020
34Cell Biology2000-2010
34Checklists-Blank1989-2018
34Checklists-Specific Trips or Pamphlets for Areas1990-2000
34Chemical Biology2000-2001
35Clear Creek County2000-2020
34Climate2003-2010
35Climate2000-2020
34Colorado Ecology, Natural History1996-2000
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Colorado Mountain Club (correspondence, records)2012-2017
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Colorado Mountains Database (spreadsheet of information on 68 Colorado peaks)2010-2012
34Colorado Particular Birds or Places Info2013
34Conservation2012
35Consumerism2000-2020
35Contacts-Connections2000-2020
35Corporations2000-2020
34Cosmology2005-2010
35CU Science Sampler2010
35Denver Mtn. Parks2000-2020
34Disease2008
34DMNS: Biological Classification and Systematics Spring 2001 (incl. notebook)2001
34DMNS: Ecology-Fall 20012001
34DMNS: Paleobotany (incl. notebook)2006
24
Drafts, Bibliography, Reviews and Page proof for "Strange Genius: A Life of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden"
1992-1994
24
Drafts of articles regarding F.V Hayden and his contemporaries
1981-1995
23
Early essays, stories,articles, poems, and plays authored by Foster
1958-1965
35Eco-Friendly2000-2020
35Economics2000-2020
34Ecosystems1996-2005
35Energy2000-2020
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Environment (clippings, notes, ideas, readings, and research on environmental issues)2008-2017
35Environment General2000-2020
34Environment: Colorado2000-2010
34EPOB 4750/5750: Ornithology (incl. notebook)2002
35Ethics2000-2020
35Events2000-2020
34Evolution1999-2004
35Evolution2000-2020
35Evolutionary Plant Biology Class2004
35Food2000-2020
35General2000-2020
34Genes2002-2009
34Geology2000-2012
35Global Warming2000-2020
35Good Deeds2000-2020
35Good Views2000-2020
35Government Resolution2000-2020
34Grasses2004
35Health, Human2000-2020
34Human Footprint2007
37Identification Guide to Bird Speciesundated
35II Miscellaneous. Subjects and Loves1970-1990
34Important Bird Areas2002
27-27AIndex to research on Western Europe historyundated
34Insects1996-2011
34IPod Birdjam2008
34Land Use2007
34Lichen2002
36List - Mike Foster's Publications, 1969-20212021
35Long Term Impacts2000-2020
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Lookout Mountain Nature Center (LMNC) - trip information, documents2015-2016
34Mammals/Rodents2004-2007
25
Manuscript material for "Strange Genius: A Life of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden"
1992-1994
35More Miscellaneous I1970-1990
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Natural History (notes, index of books)2009-2013
37Note Card Boxundated
35Notes and Photo albums on BLM Wilderness Qualities1999-2009
35Notes: Books + Articles on Subjects Related to Science, Hayden or Surrey Indirectley1970-1990
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Novel ideas (notes, manuscripts, drafts)2012-2017
34Oceans2001-2007
35Open Space Book2000-2020
35Open Space Book: Miscellaneous2000-2020
34Ornithology Lab (incl. notebook)2002
34Plants2004-2009
34Pollution2007-2008
31Publications and articles1969-2008
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Publications (books, articles, correspondence)2008-2017
28Publications for Wyoming (copies)2007
34Raptors2004-2007
35Recycling2000-2020
35Religion2000-2020
24
Reprints of articles and book on Franklin Rhoda
1984-1986
34Reptiles1984-2003
35Research Files on Latest Three Books2000-2020
26-26AResearch notebooks on Western Europe historyundated
35Resources2000-2020
35Science General2000-2020
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Talks (video, notes)2011-2013
34Taxonomy2010
35Technology2000-2020
34The State of the Birds Annually2004-2011
31"The Ties that Bind":2008-2009
31Exploring publication2008-2009
31Editorial work2009-2010
31Miscellaneous2010-2015
31Working with Author House2011-2017
35Third World2000-2020
31"This Above All" (Material related to the creation and distribution of Foster's novel "This Above All")1999-2017
37Topics of Interest-History and Historiansundated
35Violence2000-2020
34Viruses2009
35Water2000-2020
34Winter2004-2009
Digitalahcdm_10541_001Writing in Progress (essays, article manuscripts, research notes)2008-2017