Edward F. Rhodenbaugh Papers, 1875-1964

The largest group of papers in this series are those of Edward F. Rhodenbaugh's son, Harold Rhodenbaugh (1901-1951), a professional photographer. Included in his papers are letters written while on the staff of the Washington Post in Washington, D.C. (1932-1934) and while serving as a military photographer during World War II. A few of his photographs are included. This series also contains probate papers relating to Harold Rhodenbaugh's estate; memorabilia relating to the participation of Julia Rhodenbaugh (Edward F. Rhodenbaugh's wife) in the Daughters of the American Revolution and other organizations; and obituaries and newspaper clippings relating to Saloma Rhodenbaugh Moberly (Edward F. Rhodenbaugh's mother) and other relatives (1888-1964).

This series contains four articles about Edward F. Rhodenbaugh (including two obituaries) and two brief autobiographical sketches written in his own hand.

Edward F. Rhodenbaugh's correspondence files consist chiefly of letters sent to him, arranged chronologically. Most of the letters are of a business or professional nature with occasional personal letters mixed in. Included among the personal correspondents are cousins, friends from school and college days, early professional colleagues, and former students. Two small groups of personal letters have been placed into separate folders: correspondence between Rhodenbaugh and his wife, Julia Anderton Rhodenbaugh (mostly letters to her), and correspondence with his brother, Will Rhodenbaugh. The papers of Edward F. Rhodenbaugh' son, Harold (including letters between father and son) are found in Series I, Family Papers.

Professional and business correspondence constitute the bulk of the correspondence files. There are many letters of reference written on his behalf (primarily 1898-1903), and many of the later letters deal with employment concerns such as appointments, contract renewals, and sabbatical leave. During his years as Idaho state chemist (1917-1922) Rhodenbaugh often analyzed soil, minerals, and water for citizens. He retained copies of many of the letters reporting tests results and filed them among his correspondence.

Rhodenbaugh's outside business interests as an occasional home builder are reflected in letters from clients concerning rent, building details, etc. A few letters (particularly in the 1930s) relate to his property and recreation interests on Payette Lake. As a professor of geology at the University of Idaho Southern Branch, Rhodenbaugh corresponded on geological matters; letters of that nature are also found in the files.

Some particular items of interest include three analyses of moonshine liquor Rhodenbaugh performed for the sheriff of Lincoln County (1923); one letter from Hortense Perrine of Twin Falls (March 1934) regarding a fossil; and two letters from Vardis Fisher (December 1935) regarding the Federal Writers Project state guide for Idaho, which Fisher edited. There is also an exchange of correspondence with Gilbert Grosvenor, editor of the National Geographic Magazine, in March 1924. Rhodenbaugh was critical of an article on Craters of the Moon by Robert Limbert which appeared in that month's issue, and Grosvenor responded by explaining the process of review and naming the reviewers of the article.

Edward R. Rhodenbaugh was a meticulous recorder of his life's events. This series includes daily diaries and a retrospective yearly chronicle prepared in 1942. The handwriting in the books is quite small and often hard to read. The entries are usually brief and relate chiefly to personal and family matters and community events. Loose items from the diaries have been moved to Series 7 (Miscellaneous papers), Box 5 Folders 15 and 16. Log books of geological field trips and other travels are in Series 10.

This series is composed of manuscripts of speeches and articles on geological topics as well as photocopies of newspaper articles written by Rhodenbaugh or reporting his activities. The earliest articles (1894-1895), from an unidentified newspaper, were written by Rhodenbaugh and concern events at Iowa Agricultural College, where he was a student. Most of the remaining articles are on geological topics or fossils. The file includes a seven part series written by Rhodenbaugh in 1931 about the Idaho Primitive Area. It reports on a horseback trip by a group from the University of Idaho Southern Branch. Newspaper clippings about the sensational Lyda Southard murder trial (1921), in which Rhodenbaugh played a role as state chemist, are found in Series 7, Miscellaneous papers.

Edward F. Rhodenbaugh's teaching material includes typewritten and handwritten lecture notes on geological subjects from his years at University of Idaho Southern Branch and Boise Junior College; a gradebook from the Southern Branch; and geology tests from Boise Junior College. Also included are two small handwritten books of notes on mineral properties and other scientific topics.

A notable file among the miscellaneous papers in this series is the folder of toxicological reports prepared by Rhodenbaugh in 1921 for the prosecuting attorney of Twin Falls County. The prosecutor was investigating the death of Edward F. Meyer of Twin Falls. His widow, since remarried and known as Lyda Southard, was charged with murder. Rhodenbaugh's toxicological investigations established that large amounts of arsenic had been administered to Meyer and to Southard's three previous deceased husbands, as well as to a deceased brother-in-law. Southard was convicted in the Meyer case and sent to the Idaho State Penitentiary. Also present are photocopies of newspaper clippings of the sensational trial. Rhodenbaugh is mentioned in a number of them.

Another file in the miscellaneous series is a small group of papers relating to the Payette Lake Club. Rhodenbaugh was a frequent vacationer to the Payette Lakes region; he owned a cabin there and was a member of the club. Included in the file is the program for the club's first annual dinner meeting in Boise (1913). There are photos of the Payette Lake region and a home movie (in color) in Series 12, Photographs.

In 1924 Rhodenbaugh participated in an "editorial caravan" on the North and South Highway (U.S. Route 95) from Weiser to the panhandle. This automobile trip was organized to acquaint southern Idaho journalists with the northern part of the state. Included in this series are photocopies of several newspaper articles by Byrd Trego describing the caravan and the country they saw. Photos of the trip are located in Series 12 (Photos 79-106). Brief diary entries about the trip are in Series 10, Field trip logs (Book 2).

This series also contains a photocopy of Rhodenbaugh's Christmas card scrapbook. The original, which is quite fragile, is located in Series 11, Photograph albums and scrapbooks.

Included in the accounts kept in these financial notebooks are records of Rhodenbaugh's real estate transactions and investments.

These are handwritten course notes taken by Rhodenbaugh while both an undergraduate and graduate student.

Recorded in these books are logs and narrative accounts of geological field trips, occasional hunting trips, and vacation travel. Handwritten maps sometime accompany the text.

Edward F. Rhodenbaugh recorded observations on the geology, topography, and flora of many sites in Idaho in his field trip logs. The following is a listing of sites and trips represented by notes in those logs. Some of the notes are accompanied by hand-drawn maps and illustrations. Narrative descriptions of several duck and pheasant hunting trips are included. Occasionally a field trip or site visit merited no more than a brief paragraph recording the fact of the visit; those trips and sites are not listed.

Rhodenbaugh recorded his notes in bound theme books. Several of the books appear to have once belonged to students, for names other than Rhodenbaugh's own are inscribed inside the front covers. He apparently cut out pages that had been written on and used the rest himself. Most of his observations appear to have been written sometime after the trip or site visit; they are not notes taken in the field.

Included in the photograph albums and scrapbooks are family photos, scenes of hunting, fishing, and camping, photos of homes, and scenes of Payette Lake and vicinity. Many of the early family photos are from Iowa. Some of the oldest hunting, fishing, and camping scenes in Idaho are from the first decade of the twentieth century. The Rhodenbaughs reached their destinations by horse and buggy, rather than automobile, as the photos attest. There are also photos from Rhodenbaugh's student days at Iowa State College in 1890s. There are very few geological photos in the albums.

This series also includes a scrapbook of verse cut from newspapers and magazines (1884-1889) and a Christmas card scrapbook (1928-1941). Included in the latter are cards sent to the Rhodenbaughs by the Idaho artist Thomas Raymond Neilson. The sketches of Idaho scenes on the card fronts are Neilson's own.

Most of the photographs in the Rhodenbaugh collection are scenic and geologic shots from the early years of the twentieth century to the 1950s, and most are uncaptioned. They document the Payette Lake region (where the Rhodenbaugh family vacationed), the forested central Idaho wilderness (then called the Primitive Area), and the rock and lava formations of the southern portion of the state, including Craters of the Moon. There are also a number of family portraits and photos from Iowa and Idaho. Included among them are old tintypes and album prints from the nineteenth century, as well as photos of the Rhodenbaugh family's hunting, fishing, and camping activities in Idaho during the early years of the twentieth century.