View XML QR Code

Varsity Boat Club photograph collection, 1906-1984

Overview of the Collection

Collector
Varsity Boat Club (University of Washington)
Title
Varsity Boat Club photograph collection
Dates
1906-1984 (inclusive)
Quantity
249 photographic prints, 2 albums, 35 color slides and 1 negative (4 boxes and 5 oversize folders) ; various sizes
Collection Number
PH0621
Summary
Photographs document men's crew at the University of Washington from 1906-1984, including coaches, rowers and rowing events in Seattle and elsewhere
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Request at UW

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

The official University of Washington Crew Team began in 1903, but the Huskies had been rowing on Lake Washington since early 1900. Although the program got off to a slow start (the team had a hard time finding schools to compete with) the program grew steadily in prestige until 1936 when the Varsity Crew took the gold in the Berlin Olympic Games. In addition to rowing in the Hudson River Classic, Poughkeepsie Regatta in New York and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the Husky Crew have also rowed against teams from Egypt, England and the USSR. Today the Husky Crew can boast of winning many national collegiate championships, Olympic Gold and a proud history of over 100 years

The Varsity Boat Club wasn't established until 1910. Begun by Coach Hiram Conibear, the Varsity Boat Club was to be a social organization for all of the varsity upperclassmen who rowed on the team. It was originally housed in the old Coast Guard Station, a temporary building erected for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909.

Over the years, the Varsity Boat Club evolved into a student and alumni organization focused on fund-raising and support for the Crew program. Through Title IX, women were allowed to join the Varsity Boat Club in 1977. Today the Varsity Boat Club is open to both men and women who have rowed for four quarters or more.

Return to Top

Content Description

Photographs document men's crew at the University of Washington from 1906-1984, including coaches, rowers and rowing events in Seattle and elsewhere.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in four series:

  • University of Washington Eights rowing
  • University of Washington General rowing
  • Coaches
  • Coaches and crews from other schools

Processing Note

Processed by Linda Corets, 2003 and Marion Brown, 2009; revised by Stefanie Terasaki, 2013.

Photographs were relocated from the Varsity Boat Club Records, MSS Accession No. 3368-002 in the repository, in 2003.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection