Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Elaine Thatcher collection, 1799-2016
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Thatcher, Elaine
- Title
- Elaine Thatcher collection
- Dates
- 1799-2016 (inclusive)17992016
- Quantity
- 10 linear feet, (20 boxes)
- Collection Number
- UUS_FOLK COLL 081
- Summary
- This collection contains papers, correspondence, and publications pertaining to the research and career of folklorist Elaine Thatcher.
- Repository
-
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
No restrictions on access, except: not available through interlibrary loan. Some slides require a slide viewer to view. Some records may include information such as physical or email addresses for people other than the collection subject, which should be treated with caution.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In 1983, Elaine Thatcher was the first student to graduate from USU with a master's degree focused on folklore. Since that time she has worked throughout the country, including contracts with the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution. She also worked for many years with the Western Folklife Center, which produces the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada.
In 1993, Thatcher became the first regional folklorist for the 12 Western states, working through the Western States Arts Federation, then based in Santa Fe, N.M., and providing services and support to folk arts programs and artists throughout the West. She operated a consulting firm, Heritage Arts Services, from Santa Fe for five years before joining the staff of the Mountain West Center at USU in 2001, eventually becoming director of the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at Utah State University.
In 2006, the American Folklore Society presented her with the Benjamin A. Botkin Prize in recognition of her outstanding achievement in public folklore.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Materials contain interviews and field notes for oral history projects Elaine Thatcher participated in, correspondence relating to multiple folklore conferences she helped operate, official publications relating to folklife in the western states, and some personal records.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Elaine Thatcher Collection must be obtained from the Folklore Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.
Preferred Citation
Initial Citation: Elaine Thatcher Collection UUS_Folk Coll 081. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill- Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.
Following Citations: UUS_Folk Coll 081, USUSCA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Fieldwork, 1799-2014Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Missionary Poetry |
1799-1991 |
| 1 | 2 | Images of women in folklore
Much taken from Fife Mormon Collection
|
1930-1977 |
| 1 | 3-4 | Study of Cache Valley Furniture
Goal was for furniture to be made in cache valley prior to 1900s, several examples from post-1900. Pictures most likely all taken in 1981, but photos are dated with estimate of when the furniture was created.
|
1854-1981 |
| 1 | 5 | A.D. Henderson, woodcarver-Weston, ID |
undated |
| 1 | 6 | Public Sector Folklore in Utah |
1901-2004 |
| 2 | 1-3 | Public Sector Folklore in Utah, continued |
1901-2004 |
| 2 | 4 | Cane Carving
Undated paper probably more recent than dates on newspaper fragments
|
1973-1986 |
| 2 | 5 | Graduate School Research + Other Fieldwork Tapes
Interviews with Virginia Bennett, Cipriano Vigil, John Crossman, Jim Groutage, Dave Hansford, Jay Christensen.
|
1980-1997 |
| 2 | 6 | Assorted Fieldwork Recordings |
1980 |
| 3 | 1 | Western Colorado Work, 1983
Some duplicates, written and typed
|
1970-1983, bulk 1983 |
| 3 | 2 | Psych Impact of Fieldwork |
1984-1986 |
| 3 | 3 | 1984 Field Notes |
1984 |
| 3 | 4 | Paiute Notes 1984 |
1984 |
| 3 | 5 | St Johns Cemetery Project |
1985-1987, bulk 1987 |
| 3 | 6 | AZ Heritage Fair |
1987-1988 |
| 3 | 7 | Cowboy Crafts & Arts |
1995-1997 |
| 3 | 8 | Santa Fe Railyard Neighbohood History Project
Interviews with Alvaro & Christina Vigil, Lambert Garcia, Francis Gonzalez Martinez, Charlotte White, Jerry Richardson, Amanda & Jim Evans, Rose Solano, Edward & Josie Vigil. Some marked as duplicates, but unsure where originals are.
|
1998-1999 |
| 3 | 9 | Tape logs & other documents-Grand Junction |
undated |
| 4 | 1 | Albert Parra Interview |
2000-2001 |
| 4 | 2-3 | South Dakota Arts Council Photos |
2000-2001 |
| 4 | 4 | Tucson-Pima Arts Council Cultural Corridors Project |
1984-2001, bulk 2000 |
| 5 | 1 | Tucson-Pima Arts Council Cultural Corridors Project, continued |
1984-2001, bulk 2000 |
| 5 | 2-3 | Tucson-Pima Interviews
33 cassettes, box with slide photographs
|
2000 |
| 5 | 4 | Made in Dakota Fieldwork |
2000-2002 |
| 6 | 1 | Colorado Council on the Arts Fieldwork |
2000 |
| 6 | 2 | Ruby Hill Tapes |
2000 |
| 6 | 3 | Fieldwork Slides
Original box was labeled "Unknown hatmaker & unknown house 1999"
|
1999 |
| 6 | 4 | Fieldwork Photos
Interviews, events, some personal
|
2003-2006 |
| 6 | 5 | Idaho City Photographs |
2003 |
| 6 | 6 | Forest Service Fieldwork |
1995-2004, bulk 2003-2004 |
| 7 | 1 | Mark Jardine Interview |
2006 |
| 7 | 2 | Bear River Newcomers Folklife Project Release Forms |
1987-2011, bulk 2010-2011 |
| 7 | 3-4 | Field Materials for Special Collections |
2010-2011 |
| 7 | 5 | Release Forms to be Donated |
2011-2014 |
Series II: Publications, 1977-2008Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 8 | 1-3 | Federal Folk Art Publications
Topics include apprenticeship programs, hispanic/mexicano folk culture, and indigenous culture.
|
1977-2007 |
| 8 | 4 | State Folk Art Publications |
1978-2006 |
| 9 | 1-2 | State Folk Art Publications, continued |
1978-2006 |
| 9 | 3-4 | Utah Folk Arts |
1981-2011 |
| 10 | 1 | Northwest Folklife Materials |
1981-2013 |
| 10 | 2-5 | Folklore Training |
1984-2007 |
| 10 | 6 | Westaf Publications |
1985-1999 |
| 11 | 1 | Cowboy Poetry Gathering |
1985-2002 |
| 11 | 2 | Nevada Apprenticeship Program |
1985-2001 |
| 11 | 3 | "Made in Dakota" |
1986 |
| 11 | 4 | Cowboy & Saddles Publications |
1988-2005 |
| 11 | 5 | Idaho Saddle Project |
1992-1993 |
| 12 | 1-2 | Refugee, Hispanic, and Indigenous Culture |
1988-2000 |
| 12 | 3-4 | Symposium Proceedings |
1988-2008 |
| 12 | 5 | Women in Mormon Folklore |
1988-1989 |
| 12 | 6 | Missionary Poetry Paper |
undated |
| 13 | 1 | State Reports - Survey 1992 |
1991-1992 |
| 13 | 2 | AFS Public Programs Newsletters |
1991-1993 |
| 13 | 3 | Instructional Publications |
1991-1998 |
| 13 | 4 | Assorted Publications |
1995-2007 |
| 13 | 5 | Voices of the West |
1994 |
| 14 | 1 | Folklore Recordings |
1994-2004 |
| 14 | 2 | Spirit of Place Recordings
Contains "safety" versions of 1-9, "original" versions of 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, & 12
|
1996-1997 |
| 14 | 3 | Railyard Neighborhood History Project |
1997-1999 |
| 14 | 4 | Wisconsin Arts Board |
1999 |
| 14 | 5 | AWSF History Lesson |
2005 |
| 14 | 6 | Recorded Music |
2008 |
| 14 | 7 | Bear River Heritage Published Materials |
2008 |
| 14 | 8 | Arvada Lecture - Women and folk arts |
undated |
| 14 | 9 | Cache Valley Memories |
undated |
| 15 | 1 | "Just Real Plain, But it Works"
Marked "Personal History" and "Duplicate"
|
undated |
| 15 | 2 | Hand Game
Names on tape are Larry Johnson, Gerald Lewis
|
undated |
| 15 | 3 | Folk Singer Photographs |
undated |
Series III: Correspondence, 1967-2016Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 16 | 1 | Folkore Society of Utah Finances
Contains lots of personal addresses
|
1967-2001 |
| 16 | 2 | FSU Old Membership Records |
1982-1988 |
| 16 | 3 | Folklore Society of Utah |
1995-2002 |
| 16 | 4 | Alaska, Spirit of Place |
1994-1998 |
| 16 | 5 | Fife Registration |
1996 |
| 16 | 6 | Fife 1996 Consulting |
1996 |
| 16 | 7 | Fauxfife 98 |
1996-1999, bulk 1998 |
| 16 | 8-9 | AWSF (Fife) 99 |
1998-1999 |
| 17 | 1-5 | Westaf Folk Art |
1984-1998 |
| 18 | 1 | Yuma Art Center |
1988 |
| 18 | 2 | Wells Fargo |
1996-2001 |
| 18 | 3 | Letter to Senator Slade Gorton |
1997 |
| 18 | 4 | AFS PPS Bulletin Commitee |
1997-2010 |
| 18 | 5 | Albaquerque Arts Alliance Billing |
1998-1999 |
| 18 | 6 | Contract and Emails, Folklore Village Farm |
1999 |
| 18 | 7-8 | Colorado Council on the Arts |
1994-2000, bulk 1999-2000 |
| 18 | 9 | Folk Arts Meetings Recordings |
1999-2000 |
| 18 | 10 | Rivers & Headwaters |
2014-2016 |
Series IV: Personal, 1981-2009Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 19 | 1 | Undergraduate Notes & Essays |
1981 |
| 19 | 2-3 | Elaine Thatcher Thesis Materials |
1981-1983 |
| 19 | 4 | Festivals and Conferences |
2001-2007 |
| 19 | 5 | Mementos |
1994-2003 |
| 19 | 6 | Accolades to Elaine Thatcher |
2001-2006 |
| 19 | 7 | Press |
2004-2005 |
| 20 | 1-2 | Songfest Music & Photos
15 CDs with photos, 14 with music, 6 printed photos, 1 pamphlet
|
2002-2006 |
| 20 | 3 | MWC photos |
2003-2009 |
| 20 | 4 | Personal Photos |
2005 |
| 20 | 5 | Lot & Garden Blueprints |
undated |
| 20 | 6 | Hess Pumice |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Finding aid created by Samuel Rowles and Joe Kinzer
2025
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
