University of Wyoming
Audio tapes -- reel-to-reel..
Motion picture films -- 16mm.
Fryxell, a geologist and anthropologist, was most noted for his work in dating archaeological sites and related geological studies. Early in his career he served as curator of Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Museum in Washington from 1960 to 1961. Later he was a professor of anthropology at Washington State University. While at Washington State he began excavating in 1962 at the Marmes Rockshelter archeological site in southeast Washington. The excavation resulted in the discovery of the famous Marmes human skeletal remains in 1968, the earliest well-documented remains found in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1969 Fryxell was named to NASA's Lunar Sample Preliminary Examination Team, and examined the lunar rocks and soil samples brought back by the Apollo missions. He was also the designer of the apparatus used for collecting core samples of the moon's surface. Fryxell also researched and published extensively in his field. He was killed in an automobile accident at age 40.
Collection relates to Fryxell's career as a geologist and anthropologist including his work at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Museum, Washington State University, with the Marmes Rockshelter archaeological site and with NASA. Materials include correspondence, subject files, field notes and research data, photographs and photograph albums, manuscripts of professional articles, scrapbooks and maps.
There are reel-to-reel audio tapes relating to the Apollo missions, photographs and slides of Apollo missions and lunar samples, 16mm films relating to Apollo missions and the Marmes archaeological dig, tools used in gathering and studying lunar samples, and some personal materials and correspondence with family including Fryxell's father, Fritiof Fryxell.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
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There are no known other archival collections created by Roald Fryxell at the date of processing.
Finding aid available in repository.
This material was received from Helen Fryxell from 1976-1985, F.M. Fryxell in 1976, and Colorado State University Libraries in 2020.
16mm film digitized by Kathy Gerlach from 2017-2018.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at
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