Inez Puckett McEwen, 1899-1987, was born in Oyens, Iowa. Her parents then moved to Wyoming, Idaho, and California while she was still a child. McEwen went to school in California, attending USC, Pomona, and Scripps, and earning a B.A. in dramatics and also winning an art scholarship. After her formal education, she became a newspaper reporter and feature writer, radio reporter and private speech instructor. She also taught school both in California and later in Alaska. In 1943 McEwen moved to a ranch in Idaho with her husband and it was there that she wrote the popularly acclaimed book, "So This Is Ranching". She also wrote scripts for a serial program, "Hodgepodge," that ran on a Twin Falls radio station. McEwen also spent the early 1960s in Somalia, Africa from where she penned her impressions of a culture different from her own. Moving in circles with regional writers, McEwen became acquainted with Vardis Fisher, the Idaho novelist. Apparently the two became romantically involved, as suggested by correspondence included in the papers.
The papers of author Inez Puckett McEwen consist largely of McEwen's writings, correspondence, journals, and memorabilia.
The collection is organized in eight series: Career, Correspondence, Journals, Manuscripts, Miscellaneous, Newsclippings, Writings, and Added Materials (2010).
The Career series is one folder materials pertinent to McEwen's career as an author, particularly the promotion of "So This Is Ranching".
The Correspondence series contains McEwen's letters including a group mailed from her African experience as well as some relevant to her relationship with Vardis Fisher.
The Journals are penned by McEwen and commence when she was still in her teens. These copious writings make up a large part of the collection inasmuch as McEwen chronicled her life well into her senior years.
The Manuscripts series is also lengthy and includes the professional writing that McEwen completed for both publication and radio broadcast.
The Miscellaneous series includes historic photographs from Idaho and also two photograph albums and one autograph album which belonged to McEwen's father Nelson Crowell Puckett.
The Newsclippings series contains miscellaneous clippings that McEwen complied and includes a file on Vardis Fisher. The Writings series includes work from both McEwen and several other individuals including her father Nelson Puckett, who penned his life story. McEwen's early prose is included in this series, as well as a limited verse.
The added material includes correspondence with Caxton Printers, Washington State University, and others, primarily concerning McEwen's writing; a folder of letters from McEwen to the Hicks family; and McEwen's journals from 1966 to 1985.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Inez Puckett McEwen Papers, 1885-1985 (Cage 48)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Inez Puckett McEwen donated her papers to Washington State University in three installments, in 1959, 1960, and 1968. Her daughter, Shannon M. Foster, donated additional materials in 1995 and 2010 (MS.2010.28), and her grandson, Craig Foster, donated additional materials in 2016 (MS.2016.28). In 2010, Joan English donated the letters from McEwen to the Hicks family (folder 91).
This collection was processed by Jean Johnson in 1995. Additional materials were added in 2010 and 2016.
Some materials from the original accessions was removed, with Inez Puckett McEwan's permission, in 1969 and
became part of the Vardis Fisher Papers, 1922-1970
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.