Agnes L. Colton papers, 1862-1964

Agnes Louise Colton was born on November 5th, 1905 in Colton, South Dakota to parents William Oscar Colton and Nina L. Smead Colton. She grew up during the latter part of the western frontier, and spent some of her childhood in Spokane, Washington. Her mother, Nina L. Smead Colton was her father's second wife. William's first wife, Ellen Sylvester Colton died in 1903, at the age of 45 after 23 years of marriage. Agnes attended Lewis and Clark high school in her teens, and got her bachelor's degree from Whitman College. In 1939 she graduated from the University of Washington with a PhD in History. In 1954 she was hired by Eastern Washington University. She taught in both the English and History departments for 18 years until her retirement in 1972. In addition to teaching, Colton conducted her own research. She died in 1992 at the age of 86.