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Mary Lou Pence papers, 1850-1994

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Pence, Mary Lou
Title
Mary Lou Pence papers
Dates
1850-1994 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.83 cubic ft. (12 boxes) + oversize prints
Collection Number
00403
Summary
Mary Lou Pence was an author and journalist who wrote histories of Wyoming and the West. The collection contains research, writings, scrapbook material, and artifacts.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Mary Lou Pence (1906-1995) was a journalist and author. She was born in Billings, Montana and received a degree in journalism from the University of Wyoming in 1934. She was the woman's page editor of the Laramie Daily Boomerang, served as editor of Petticoat Politics, a Wyoming women's political newspaper, and wrote feature and news stories for The Denver Post, Portland Oregonian, American Weekly, Empire Magazine, American History Illustrated, and historical journals. She was a life member of Western Writers of America and the National Federation of Press Women. Her books include The Laramie Story, Ghost Towns of Wyoming (co-authored with Lola Homsher), Boswell: The Story of a Frontier Lawman, and Women Who Made the West.

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Content Description

The Mary Lou Pence Papers mainly consist of research files and photographs for the writing of her articles, short stories, and books. There are manuscripts, scrapbook material, and a few subject files regarding the professional organizations of which she was a member. There are also copies of her books: The Laramie Story, Ghost Towns of Wyoming (co-authored with Lola Homsher), Boswell: The Story of a Frontier Lawman, and Women Who Made the West, which contains a chapter by her on Polly Pry. In addition, the collection contains artifacts collected by Alfred Pence concerning crime in Wyoming.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by Mary Lou Pence at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

The Mary Lou Pence Papers were donated to the University of Wyoming in 1985 and 1996 by Dr. and Mrs. William Moore and the Laramie Plains Museum in 2022.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Loreley Moore in May 1998. Processing was updated by D. Claudia Thompson in January 2012 and Jamie J. Greene in June 2024.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Loreley Moore
2007; 2012

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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