Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Lois Crisler papers, 1940-1973
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Crisler, Lois
- Title
- Lois Crisler papers
- Dates
- 1940-1973 (inclusive)19401973
- Quantity
- 3.09 cubic feet (12 boxes plus 3 items)
- Collection Number
- 2060
- Summary
- Papers of a naturalist and author who wrote about the wildlife in the Olympic mountains and the Arctic
- 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
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Lois Eula Brown Crisler, born in Hillyard, Washington on August 8, 1896, and raised in Spokane. She became an English teacher and taught at the University of Washington. She met Herbert B. Crisler and they were married on December 7, 1941. The Crislers made their home in the Olympic Mountains, and during World War II, they volunteered to occupy the Hurricane Hill lookout to watch for enemy aircraft. In June 1949, Lois began writing a weekly column for the Port Angeles Evening News, titled Olympic Trail Talk, which ran through the spring of 1951. Her column detailed life in the mountains, her observations on wildlife, the history of the Olympic Peninsula, and the Crislers' lecture tours, which resulted from Herb's filming of wildlife. Herb Crisler became associated with the Disney Studios in 1950 to film the elk herds of the Olympic Mountains; in 1951, the Disney Studios sent the Crislers to Colorado to film bighorn sheep and in the fall of 1952, they continued on to Denali National Park in Alaska to film grizzly and brown bears. The Crislers moved on to the Brooks Range within the Arctic Circle in April 1953 for 18 months, where Herb filmed the caribou and Lois kept journals of her observations of the wildlife and her surroundings. These observation resulted in her book, Arctic Wild (1958). In 1962, Lois received a one year Guggenheim Fellowship to study the wilderness behavior of certain North American mammals. The Crislers relocated to the Tarryall Mountains near Lake George, Colorado, where they continued to care for the wolves they had raised. Lois' book Captive Wild (1968) relates the story of her relationship with the wolves. The strain of protecting the wolves took a toll on their marriage, and the couple subsequently divorced. Lois died in Seattle, King County, Washington on June 3, 1971.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Correspondence, writings, list, clippings, snapshot negatives, photographs, literary manuscripts, notes, budgets, and a scrapbook.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into 4 accessions:
- Accession No. 2060-001, Lois Crisler papers, 1941-1958
- Accession No. 2060-002, Lois Crisler papers, circa 1955-1961
- Accession No. 2060-003, Lois Crisler papers, 1940-1973
- Accession No. 2060-004, Lois Crisler papers, 1948-1972
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Accession No. 2060-001: Lois Crisler papers, 1941-1958Return to Top
Scope and Content: Correspondence, literary manuscripts, notes, clippings of published articles, photographs.
Works about the Olympic Mountains in Washington and the Arctic.
Articles include nos. 1, 2, 5-9, 11, 13-26, 28-50, 52-68, 70-80, 82-100.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Estate of Lois Crisler, 12/2/1971.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Series 1: Letters |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
1/1 | 2060-001 | Incoming Letters 2 letters
|
1952-1956 |
1/2-26 | 2060-001 | Outgoing Letters approximately 130 letters
|
1942-1957 |
Series 2: Literary Manuscripts |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
2/1 | 2060-001 | Arctic Wild 344 pages
|
|
2/2 | 2060-001 | Living with the Wilderness, Break-up on the
Yukon 2 items
|
|
2/3 | 2060-001 | From Break-up on the Yukon, fragment 1 item
|
|
2/4 | 2060-001 | Notes on wolves 1 item
|
|
2/5 | 2060-001 | Observations of Wolves Hunting Caribou, published
article 1 item
|
|
2/6 | 2060-001 | The Web of the Wilderness 1 item
|
|
2/7 | 2060-001 | The Break-up on the Yukon, printed article 1 item
|
|
2/8-12 | 2060-001 | The Ways of the Taklat Grizzly |
|
2/13 | 2060-001 | Unarmed Hunters 1 item
|
|
Series 3: Literary Manuscripts, Notes |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
3/1-11 | 2060-001 | Literary Manuscript - Bighorn Sheep |
|
3/12-15 | 2060-001 | Miscellaneous Notes |
|
3/16-20 | 2060-001 | Notes - Olympic Peninsula |
|
3/21-24 | 2060-001 | Notes - Olympic Elk |
|
3/25 | 2060-001 | Notes, Miscellaneous |
|
3/26 | 2060-001 | Logbook of First Trips 1 item
|
1941 |
3/27 | 2060-001 | Financial records 2 items
|
1954, 1961 |
Series 4: Clippings |
|||
Box/Folder | Accession | ||
4/1-3 | 2060-001 | Olympic Trail Talks approximately 100 items
|
|
4/4 | 2060-001 | Xerox copies of Guggenheim Grant 1 item
|
|
4/5-9 | 2060-001 | Duplicates of Olympic Trail Talks approximately 80 items
|
|
4/10 | 2060-001 | Alaska Series 6 items
|
|
4/11 | 2060-001 | Bighorn Series 35 items
|
|
4/12 | 2060-001 | Articles by Lois Crisler approximately 20 items
|
|
4/13 | 2060-001 | Articles by E. A. Kitchin approximately 25 items
|
|
4/14-15 | 2060-001 | Miscellaneous Clippings approximately 20 items
|
|
4/16 | 2060-001 | German Clippings 2 items
|
|
Series 5: Photographs |
|||
Box | Accession | ||
5-6 | 2060-001 | Wolves (Colorado) approximately 400 prints and
negatives
|
|
7 | 2060-001 | Alaska approximately 100 prints
|
|
8 | 2060-001 | Olympics Mountains approximately 150 prints and
negatives
|
|
9 | 2060-001 | Bighorn Sheep approximately 150 prints
|
|
10 | 2060-001 | Portraits of Lois and Herb Crisler approximately 100 prints
|
Accession No. 2060-002: Lois Crisler papers, circa 1955-1961Return to Top
Scope and Content: Letters, 1955, 1958; budget, ca. 1961 (xerox copies).
Originals are in Western History Center, Denver Public Library. Annotations added by donor, 1970s and 1980s.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Donated by Ruby El Hult McAndrew, ½4/1986.
Accession No. 2060-003: Lois Crisler papers, 1940-1973Return to Top
Scope and Content: Correspondence, writings, list, clippings, snapshot negatives.
List is of dates her travel columns appeared in "Port Angeles Evening News." Folder of stories and poems are from Irving Petite, a former student of Lois Crisler.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Donated by Ruby El Hult, 12/11/1986.
Accession No. 2060-004: Lois Crisler papers, 1948-1972Return to Top
Scope and Content: Scrapbook 1948-49, 1957; biographical clipping 1972; outgoing letters 1948-57, undated; photograph undated
The scrapbook is mostly clippings of Lois Crisler's writings which were published in newspapers. Outgoing letters are from Lois Crisler to members of the Jorden Family in New Hampshire.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Received 10/29/1990.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Animal behavior--History--Sources
- Naturalists--Washington (State)--Archives
- Naturalists--Washington (State)--Olympic National Park
- Nature writers--Washington (State)--Archives
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
- Wolves--Behavior--History--Sources
Personal Names
- Crisler, Herb--Sources
- Crisler, Lois--Archives
Geographical Names
- Olympic National Park (Wash.)
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Hult, Ruby El, 1912-2008
- Petite, Irving, 1920-