View XML QR Code

Nelson Wayne Durham Papers, 1876 - 1975

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Durham, Nelson Wayne
Title
Nelson Wayne Durham Papers
Dates
1876 - 1975 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 linear ft., (3 boxes)
Collection Number
Ms 24
Summary
Nelson W. Durham served as managing editor of the Spokesman-Review, 1889-1938. His long tenure was interrupted for the years 1911-1912 when he was on leave to compile and write the three-volume History of the City of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington, published in 1912. Durham was also active in many civic groups. The collection is fragmentary and includes correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, and research notes for his History. The papers of Durham’s son, Fenton Wayne Durham, constitute part of the collection; correspondence, financial records, family property records and correspondence, a diary, and several literary manuscripts of Mabel Durham Saunders.
Repository
Eastern Washington State Historical Society (Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture)
2316 W. First Avenue
Spokane, WA 99201
archives@northwestmuseum.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is not restricted.

Additional Reference Guides

Described in: A Guide to the Manuscript Collections in the Eastern Washington State Historical Society / Edward W. Nolan (1987), entry 69.

Languages
English.
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Nelson W. Durham was born in 1859 in Atchison County, Missouri. He arrived in Spokane in 1889, after working for newspapers in Portland, OR, Denver, CO, and Atchison County, KS. He served as managing editor of the Spokesman-Review, 1889-1938. His long tenure was interrupted for the years 1911-1912 when he was on leave to compile and write the three-volume History of the City of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington, published in 1912. Following his leave of absence he acted as chief editorial writer, a position he held until his death in 1938. He was active in many civic groups and was at various times Spokane County Chairman of the Defense Council during World War I, a trustee of the Eastern Washington State Historical Society, and a proponent of the Columbia Basin Project.

Durham married Annie Esther McLeod in 1882 and together the couple had four children. After Annie's death in 1919, Durham married Data Rothrock. Nelson Durham passed away after suffering a heart attack on June 27, 1938. His second wife lived until 1963.

Return to Top

Content Description

The collection is fragmentary and includes correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, and research notes for his History. Letters containing reminiscences from pioneers living at the time are included, as are manuscript and newspaper copies of Durham’s editorials, speeches, and historical articles, family photographs, and financial and real estate records. The papers of Durham’s son, Fenton Wayne Durham, constitute part of the collection and include correspondence, financial records, family property records and correspondence, a diary, and several literary manuscripts of Mabel Durham Saunders.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Eastern Washington State Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Museum Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Eastern Washington State Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher

Preferred Citation

Nelson Wayne Durham Papers (Ms 24), Eastern Washington State Historical Society/Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane, WA.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into one series by author or owner of the material and alphabetically within these subseries:

  • Subseries 1.1: Manuscripts
  • Subseries 1.2: Manuscripts of Editorials
  • Subseries 1.3: Manuscripts of Speeches
  • Subseries 1.4: News Clippings
  • Subseries 1.5: Correspondence Re Maude Noyes
  • Subseries 1.6: Manuscripts

Acquisition Information

Donated by Fenton Wayne Durham, 1975 (809).

Bibliography

Durham, Nelson W. History of the City of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington: From its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1912.

Related Materials

See also:

  • Callison Marks Papers (Ms 37)
  • R. Belle Colver Papers (MsSC 6)
  • Henry Rising Papers (MsSC 119)

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life--Washington (State)
  • History--Societies, etc.
  • Journalism--Washington (State)

Personal Names

  • Durham, Annie McLeod
  • Durham, Nelson Wayne--Archives

Family Names

  • Durham family
  • Sanders family
  • Saunders family

Geographical Names

  • Spokane County(Wash.)--Frontier and pioneer life
  • Spokane County (Wash.)--History
  • Washington (State)--Frontier and pioneer life
  • Washington (State)--History--Societies, etc.

Finding aid prepared by H.W. Johnston
1975

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

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...