Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Joseph B. Halm Photographs and Cartoons, 1901-1935
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Halm, Joseph B. (Joseph Baldwin), 1884-1965
- Title
- Joseph B. Halm Photographs and Cartoons
- Dates
- 1901-1935 (inclusive)19011935
- Quantity
- 3.6 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 970
- Summary
- The Joseph B. Halm Photographs and Cartoons collection consists of six photo albums, 21 loose print photographs, and 62 glass lantern slides spanning Halm's time at Washington State College (now known as Washington State University) and his career with the U.S. Forest Service. Student athletics at WSC in the early 1900s and the Great Fire of 1910 are particularly prominent subjects in the collection.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
- Languages
- English, visual
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Joseph Baldwin Halm - known as "J.B" - was born on March 20, 1884 in the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, which was then part of the German Empire. Halm immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was less than a year old. Halm's parents eventually settled in the Yakima Valley town of Prosser, Washington, where J.B. grew up and went to high school.
After graduating from high school, J.B. attended Washington State College (now Washington State University), where he studied forestry. J.B. was a standout athlete at Washington State, participating in football, track and field, and baseball, and he received offers to play professionally in the latter. However, J.B. declined and graduated from the WSC School of Forestry in 1909.
Shortly after receiving his degree, J.B. started working in the U.S. Forest Service. He was initially assigned to work with the renowned forester Edward Pulaski out of Wallace, Idaho. During his first year in the Forest Service, Halm is believed to have built an early prototype of what came to be known as the Pulaski Tool, a now widely used hand-tool in firefighting that combines an axe and an adze in one head.
With less than a year's experience as a forest ranger, J.B. also participated in fighting the "Great Fire of 1910." The Great Fire scorched major areas of the Northwest United States. It burned three million acres of land, killed 87 people, and is widely regarded as the largest forest fire in U.S. history. For a few days during their firefighting efforts, J.B. and the crew he was supervising became unaccounted for and were believed to be dead. J.B. eventually led his crew to safety and was praised widely for his courage.
J.B. Halm married Esther Christine Stoll, a native of The Dalles, Oregon, on November 4, 1918. In 1922, Halm took a hiatus from the Forest Service to attend the Institute of Fine Arts at Chicago. By then, he had settled in Missoula, Montana and was already well-known there as a talented cartoonist with several of his cartoons appearing in newspapers such as The Missoulian.
J.B. returned to Missoula and the Forest Service in 1923 and was assigned to the regional division of surveys and maps. In 1943, he took on the role of instructor of drafting at the University of Montana. Two years after this appointment, Halm retired from the Forest Service, ending a 36-year career with the agency.
J.B. Halm died in Missoula, Montana on April 16, 1965 at the age of 81.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Joseph B. Halm Photographs and Cartoons collection consists of six photo albums, one folder of loose print photographs, and 62 glass lantern slides primarily depicting Halm's time at Washington State College (now known as Washington State University) and his career with the U.S. Forest Service. Student athletics at WSC in the early 1900s and the Great Fire of 1910 are particularly prominent subjects in the collection. Other highlights include class photos from the WSC School of Forestry, survey images for USFS trail and telephone line construction in northern Idaho, slides of game and song birds of the Ninepipes region in the Lower Flathead Valley of northwestern Montana, and a set of cartoons drawn by Halm satirizing the differences between the early days of the USFS and the agency in the 1920s and 1930s.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive copyright held by the University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
Joseph B. Halm Photographs and Cartoons, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series:
Series I: Photograph Albums, 1901-1917, 3.0 linear feet
Series II: Loose Photographs, circa 1906-1935, 0.2 linear feet
Series III: Glass Lantern Slides, circa 1920s-1930s, 0.4 linear feet
Custodial History
The albums and loose photographs in this collection were held by Bonnie Halm Johnson, granddaughter of J.B. Halm, before she donated them to the University of Montana in 2021. Custodial history of the glass lantern slides is unknown.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Bonnie Halm Johnson, September 2021.
Processing Note
The Archives began processing the glass lantern slides, now part of Series III, in 2019. After the albums and loose photographs were donated in 2021, the collection was arranged into three series and fully processed in 2022 as the Joseph B. Halm Photographs and Cartoons (Mss 970).
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Photograph Albums, 1901-1917Return to Top
Series I features six photograph albums dedicated to Halm's time at Washington State College and his career with the U.S. Forest Service. An avid athlete, Halm played baseball and football and ran track while at WSC. He was also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. In his first few years with the USFS, Halm worked under wildland firefighting pioneer Edward Pulaski and helped fight the Great Fire of 1910, which is prominently depicted in the albums. In addition to Pulaski and his family, other prominent figures, such as photographer Rollin H. McKay, also appear in a few of Halm's images in this series. Most of the photographs in the albums are captioned.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Album | ||
| 1 | 1 |
Photo Album: Prosser High School and Washington State College Prosser High School class photo; Prosser baseball team; Washington State College baseball team; Spokane Indians vs. Washington State College; Washington State College track meet (team won the Northwest Track Championship at the World's Fair in Seattle); Washington State College football team; Encampment at Lewiston, Idaho; Washington State College library; Washington State College campus from the old standpipe; Ophites; Dorm table crew; Graduation ceremony in the chapel; Band and choir performing Messiah in the gym; Washington State College ladies’ gym class; Washington State College men's gym class; Washington State College School of Forestry; Lake de Puddle (Silver Lake); Prosser Falls; Harvesting near Walla Walla, Washington
|
circa 1901-1909 |
| 1 | 2 |
Photo album: Washington State College and the U.S. Forest Service The old Ophites; Washington State College-University of Washington football game (11-5, WSC); Football practice; Old Stevens Hall; Whitman-Washington State College game (16-8, WSC); Washington State College track team; Practice on Rodger's Field; Freshman-Sophomore Fight; Washington State College-St. Louis football game (11-0, WSC); Washington State College-University of Montana game (38-0, WSC); College Hill at Washington State University; Silver Lake; Moffat's Drug Store in Prosser, Washington; Washington State College School of Forestry; Train depot at Potlatch, Idaho; Bunker Hill Mill and Sullivan Mine; Kellogg Peak; Pullman, Idaho; Main street in Wardner, Idaho; Pavilion at Point Defiance in Tacoma, Washington; On the ferry in Tacoma Harbor; Colman dock; Topenish, Washington; Kettle Falls on the Columbia River; Salmon fishing on Prosser Falls; Baseball team of Tekoa; Old Sigma Nu frat house; Barnstormers at Ellensburg, Washington; Washington State College at North Yakima baseball game; Ranger Jacroux at Montgomery Ranger Station; Northern Pacific railroad bridge at Pasco, Washington; Track meet at University of Montana in Missoula; Winter in Wallace, Idaho; Burke Canyon; Fishing on Bear Creek; Washington State College men's relay track team; Quiet Lake; Ranger station at Avery, Idaho; Fire crew passing cabin on Big Baron; Ranger Edward Pulaski at home in Wallace, Idaho; Tom Robinson near Montgomery Creek; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad bridge over Kelly Creek; Town square at Grand Forks, Idaho; Indian camp; Twin Lakes from Stevens Peak; Ranger Henry Kotkey and family; St. Joe Ranger Station; Planting Black Walnuts on the Coeur d'Alene River
|
circa 1906-1912 |
| 2 | 3 |
Photo album: U.S. Forest Service and the Great Fire of 1910 After the Great Fire of 1910; Burned Big Creek of St. Joe; Grand Forks, Idaho, after the fire; Our relief string of 40; Construction of new trail after the Great Fire; The old K.C. Dredge at Cedar Creek; Placer Creek; J.I.C. tunnel; Silver Lake; Billy and R.H. McKay; The remains of St. Joe Ranger Station; The trail crew; R.H. McKay and J.B. Halm; Pack string; Ranger Edward Pulaski in Wallace, Idaho; Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad bridge; Camp at Chamberlain Meadows; The crew that rebuilt the St. Joe Ranger Station; Rescue party; Lake Elsie; Bean Creek; The new St. Joe Ranger Station; Ed Pulaski at the mouth of the Bullion Tunnel (6 men died in there); Mrs. Ed Pulaski at the J.I.C. Tunnel where her husband saved 45 out of a crew of 51 by his bravery and judgment; West Fork of Placer Creek; Champion Creek; Picnic on the first spring day at Lake Creek; Mrs. Ed Pulaski, Elsie, and the pony; Snowshoeing at Placer Creek near Wallace, Idaho; Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad bridge at St. Regis, Montana; Train depot at Glendive, Montana; J.B. Halm and his father fishing on the St. Joe River; Old St. Joe Ranger Station in winter; Telephone line construction near station; From the summit above Taft Tunnel; The fire tower over St. Paul Tunnel; Train depot of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad at Stetson, Idaho; Phone line construction crew; Grand Forks, Idaho; Little North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River in winter; Phone camp; Bird Creek; Topping phone trees; Tiger Peaks; Camp at Dorsey, Idaho; Skidding logs; Nine Mile looking toward Wallace, Idaho; Cabin at Deception Creek; Dead trees near Anaconda, Montana; Georgetown Lake; Clear Creek Camp; Granite Peak; Mullan, Idaho; Burke, Idaho; Kellogg Peak; The Devil's Trail to Stevens Peak; Harrison, Idaho; Chatcolet, Idaho; St. Maries, Idaho; Twin Lakes from Stevens Peak
|
circa 1909-1910 |
| 2 | 4 |
Photo album: U.S. Forest Service Snowstorm Mine in Larson, Idaho; Dorsey, Idaho; Stevens Peak; Looking toward Borax from old Mullan Road; Carney Tunnel; Danielson's camp near Dorsey, Idaho
|
circa 1910 |
| 3 | 5 |
Photo album: Great Fire of 1910 and the U.S. Forest Service Sigma Nu banquet (photo by R.H. McKay); The old Pullman Glee; South Fork of St. Joe River, Coeur d'Alene National Forest, after the fire of 1910 (photo by Harry English); Results of hurricane and crown fire in a heavy stand of White Pine. The fire was stopped and held for several days at the break shown in the picture but jumped under the cyclone winds of late August; Wallace, Idaho, 10 days after the fire of 1910; Lolo National Forest - general view of burned district on upper St. Regis River in Montana; Mine tunnel near Wallace, Idaho; Mouth of mine tunnel where firefighters took refuge during the fire of 1910 and 5 perished (the tunnel is 60 feet long); Office of Geography; Kulp Claim on the Little North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River; Deep Creek; Cache and the creek where 18 firefighters were saved by getting into the water on the night of the 1910 fire; Rocky Ridge Lookout and Camp Martin (fire camp with 145 men); Timekeeper and foreman at Camp Martin; Office at Camp Martin; Foreman and timekeeper at Camp Mildred; Nez Perce National Forest; Camp near Elk City, Idaho; Mt. Finley fire camp
|
circa 1910-1916 |
| 3 | 6 |
Photo album: U.S. Forest Service Forest Rangers in boats at Seeley Lake; Sunset Peak Lookout; Morrell Peak; Mission Mountains; Gold Peak Lookout (we could see the Gold Creek fire for miles); Construction of new tower at Gold Peak Lookout; Stoney Creek Ranger Station; Old cabin on Rock Creek; Sliderock Mountain Lookout (Ralph Stocking was the lookout); Quigg Peak; Rock Creek Ranger Station; Ice cave on Mount Emerine; Grizzly Peak; Construction of trail at Castle Bluff (surveying a line along this cliff was no easy task with water running 10 feet deep, but the survey was made and 280 feet of trail was constructed); Clearwater River at Mouth of Orogrande Creek; Castle Bluff Camp across the river; Cottage Bluff (Halm drilled 13 holes of explosives before blowing by battery); Twin Falls on the Clearwater Trail; Camp above the canyon at Twin Creeks; Trapper's cabin on Quartz Creek; Corduroy bridge of cheap construction over the Clearwater River; Bad Cliffs on the Selway River; Selway Falls; Nez Perce Pass; Bitterroot Trail; Fish Lake Ranger Station; Canoeing on Fish Lake; Pack train loaded with wire; Mosquito Camp; Sprague's trapper cabin near Wallow Mountain Camp; Quartz Creek Canyon; Chamberlain Meadows; Mouth of Lake Creek on the North Fork of the Clearwater River; Camping and fishing at Lake Creek; Making camp at Twin Lakes; Avery Ranger Station; Driving one of the new sections of Libby Troy Road; Big Creek on the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River; Lost Creek Bluffs; Rafting down the Coeur d'Alene River; Camping at Rock City; Supplies being brought up the North Fork in pole boats by horse power; Rock City Ranger Station; Jacob's Ladder at Skookum Hill; Trail at Skookum Bluff; Bluffs at Halfway Hill; The Big S on the St. Joe River; Avery and the Kelly Creek Trail; The District Office
|
circa 1910-1917 |
Series II: Loose Photographs, circa 1906-1935Return to Top
Series II features miscellaneous loose photographs spanning Halm's college days to his later career and family life.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | photo_number | ||
| 4 | 970(II):001 | Joseph B. Halm |
undated |
| 4 | 970(II):002 | Joseph B. Halm holding a duckling Likely in the Ninepipes region of Flathead Valley, Montana
|
circa 1920s |
| 4 | 970(II):003 | Joseph B. Halm and members of the Washington State College football team in uniform |
circa 1906-1909 |
| 4 | 970(II):004 | Junior Holcomb |
1926 |
| 4 | 970(II):005 | Pole vaulting at University of Montana |
undated |
| 4 | 970(II):006 | Joe E. Halm, son of Joseph B. Halm Seated behind the wheel of a car at home at 431 Mount Avenue in Missoula, Montana
|
1935 |
| 4 | 970(II):007 | Joseph B. Halm with his father, Hector Halm, and another unidentified man "Does this look natural. The weather here has not been above zero for weeks. It ranges from zero to 28 below. It was 18 below night before last at 5 o'clock in th evening - Joe"
|
January 1916 |
| 4 | 970(II):008 | McDonald Creek above Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park |
undated |
| 4 | 970(II):009 | Joseph B. Halm in his Washington State College track uniform "Tomorrow we meet O.A.C. Don't worry about the other, but be ready to leave on one days notice. Don’t buy anything till I get there. - Joe"
|
1909 |
| 4 | 970(II):010 | Flathead River |
September 1931 |
| 4 | 970(II):011 | The Gorge at Niagra Falls, New York |
undated |
| 4 | 970(II):012 | Pack train at the Clearwater Oxford Ranger Station "The timber you see was burnt the 19th of August"
|
circa 1910 |
| 4 | 970(II):013 | Unidentified house |
undated |
| 4 | 970(II):014 | North slope facing Fish Lake in Idaho |
June 1917 |
| 4 | 970(II):015 | Two unidentified men standing on a rocky outcrop near an unidentified river Likely part of Halm's survey work with the USFS
|
circa 1910-1920 |
| 4 | 970(II):016 | Pablo, Flathead Valley, Montana Photographer: Herman Schnitzmeyer; "Compliments of Farmers State Bank"
|
1916 |
| 4 | 970(II):017 | Pablo, Flathead Valley, Montana Photographer: Herman Schnitzmeyer; "Compliments of Farmers State Bank"
|
1918 |
| 4 | 970(II):018 | Aerial view of Missoula, Montana |
1934 |
| 4 | 970(II):019 | E.A. "Eddie" Holcomb |
1910 |
| 4 | 970(II):020 | Vets football team in Spokane Washington |
1907 |
| 4 | 970(II):021 | The Merchant of Venice Duplicate of photograph in album 1
|
1902 |
Series III: Glass Lantern Slides, circa 1920s-1930sReturn to Top
Series III features slides of birds and landscapes from the Ninepipes Region of Montana, captured circa the 1920s and a set of "Then vs. Now" cartoons drawn by Halm, most likely in the 1920s or 1930s, comparing how things have changed in USFS operations since its early days of existence.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | photo_number | ||
| 5 | 970(III):001 through 970(III):034 | Game and song birds of the Ninepipes region of Flathead Valley, Montana |
circa 1920s |
| 5 | 970(III):035 through 970(III):039 | Landscapes of the Ninepipes region of Flathead Valley, Montana |
circa 1920s |
| 5 | 970(III):040 | Unidentified house Likely in the Flathead Valley
|
circa 1920s |
| 5 | 970(III):041 | "Reports: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):042 | "Reports: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):043 | "The Book of Knowledge: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):044 | "The Book of Knowledge: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):045 | "Grub: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):046 | "Grub: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):047 | "Uniform: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):048 | "Uniform: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):049 | "Office: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):050 | "Office: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):051 | "Ranger Applicant: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):052 | "Ranger Applicant: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):053 | "Field Trip: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):054 | "Field Trip: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):055 | "Recreation: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):056 | "Recreation: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):057 | "Public Relations: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):058 | "Public Relations: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):059 | "Home: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):060 | "Home: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):061 | "Bedtime: Then" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
| 5 | 970(III):062 | "Bedtime: Now" U.S. Forest Service Cartoon |
circa 1920s-1930s |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Big Blowup, 1910$--Photographs
- Trails--Montana--Photographs
Personal Names
- Halm, Joseph B. (Joseph Baldwin), 1884-1965--Archives
Corporate Names
- State College of Washington. School of Forestry--Photographs
- United States. Forest Service--Officials and employees--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Cartoons
- Lantern slides
- Photograph collections
- Photographs
Finding aid prepared by Hayden Nelson and Kristin Gates
2022
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
