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Manuscript Group 233

EARL JUNIOR LARRISON, 1919-1987

Papers, 1915-1987
10 cubic feet


The papers of Earl J. Larrison were donated to the University of Idaho Library between August 1988 and March 1990 by Don Johnson, who sorted them following Larrison's death. Other typescripts were transferred from previous holdings in the Special Collections Department. These materials were combined and processed by Judith Nielsen in September and October 1990.

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF EARL JUNIOR LARRISON

Earl Junior Larrison was born in Mabton, Washington on Mother's Day, May 11, 1919. He was the son of banker Earl and Anna Marie (Kuble) Larrison. During his public school years in Seattle he was active in scouting, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and as a result he developed a keen interest in natural science and the outdoors. Following his graduation from Lincoln High School in 1936 he attended the University of Washington, earning a bachelor's degree, cum laude, in 1941. During the early years of World War II he was employed at Boeing as a chemist, and then returned to the University of Washington where he earned a master's degree in zoology in 1946. His thesis was on the chipmunks of the central Cascade Mountains of Washington. In 1946 he accepted a fellowship in the Laboratory of Vertebrate Biology at the University of Michigan to work under Dr. Lee R. Dice. He continued work toward a doctorate in zoology at the university until February 1949 when he accepted a position at the University of Idaho.

An animal researcher and author, Larrison taught biology, zoology, mammalogy, and ornithology at the university for over 30 years. During his tenure at the school he established the skeletal and pelt museum and the Audubon Room for bird studies at his own expense. He developed the Animal Research Library, with over 12,000 volumes, including many original prints. He was also instrumental in establishing the Idaho Academy of Science. He was the first person to catalog the animals and plants of the Owyhee Mountains near Boise, a project he undertook from 1949 to 1950.

In addition to his writing and research he was a professional photographer, with a vast collection of movies, prints, and slides of his natural science research. He was frequently a visiting science teacher in public schools in Idaho and Washington as well as a recurring speaker at student and civic groups in the Palouse region.

He was an accomplished organist and was proficient in German, French, and Latin. He wrote poetry and short stories and became an authority on Sir Walter Scott. His interest in Scott developed when a friend loaned him a life of Scott to read during a summer spent at the forest lookout on Mount Pilchuck, near Everett, Washington. By 1962, when he donated his collection to the University of Idaho Library, he had accumulated more than 500 volumes by and about the author.

He was editor of the University Press of Idaho from 1982 to 1984. Following his retirement from the university in 1984 he moved to his cabin near Newport, Washington, where he died of a heart attack on October 21, 1987.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The papers of Earl J. Larrison span the years 1915 to 1985, although family papers in his possession which are included in this collection date to the 1880s. Included are typescripts of several books and articles, journals, notebooks and other research materials reflecting to his zoological activities. Also included are literary materials, particularly those relating to Sir Walter Scott, family papers, including photographs, which belonged to his mother, and other photographs, slides, and movie film which reflect his interest in birds and animals.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

The papers of Earl J. Larrison were in no discernible order when received. Therefore a series order was imposed during processing.

The first series reflects Larrison's zoological interests and includes typescripts of several of his books which had earlier been donated to Special Collections plus typescripts of other books articles, notes from several field trips, and correspondence, much of it with Harry W. Higman with whom he wrote a book on the animals of Mount Pilchuck in the Washington Cascades.

The second series concerns Larrison's interest in the writer Sir Walter Scott and contains copies of student papers on Scott from a variety of colleges and universities, and articles about his collection of Scott's books. There are also programs and cassette tapes of a Scott Colloquium held at the University of Florida in 1979, and a chronological bibliography of Scott's works.

The third series comprises personal and family papers. Included are Larrison's baby book, his diplomas and certificates, clippings about him, his appointment books, and items relating to his parents and other relatives.

The final series contains a large collection of photographs, slides and movie film. There are many unidentified photographs which belonged to Larrison's mother Marie Kuble. Some are of her friends, others of the Kuble and Miller families. Later pictures in this group show Earl as a small child. Some of these are taken by professional photographers, others are snapshots. These have not been arranged in any way. Some of the snapshots Larrison had copied so they exist in three forms, original photograph, copy negative, and copy print, each type is located in a separate folder. There are also some old picture postcards, probably purchased on a family vacation along the Columbia River Highway in Oregon. The remaining photographs were taken by Larrison in connection with his research. Some envelopes containing prints and negatives were numbered; the prints were placed in archival envelopes and identified by the roll number, the negatives were placed in archival negative storage pages and also identified by roll number. There is a photo log in the collection but it does not cover the majority of these numbered rolls. The remaining prints were identified by broad subject, e.g. habitats/life zones, birds, mammals. Prints and negatives which were together were kept together in folders, other negatives were placed at the end of the subject file, no attempt being made to match them with prints.

The slides which were originally in metal slide storage cases were placed in archival slide storage pages. Larrison's identifications were retained throughout. Included are pictures of Larrison's trip to Nairobi, Kenya, visits to various museums, many scenes of Idaho, and illustrative plates from books. Some of the slides are commercially produced.

Where more than two typescripts, including galley proofs, for a single book existed only the earliest and latest were retained. Duplicate photographs, when easily identified, were discarded. This, coupled with the removing of slides from their original storage cases, reduced the bulk of this collection by 1.5 cubic feet.

SERIES LIST

I.	Zoology Material, 1915-1985	1-2
II.	Literary Material, 1951-1979	3
III.	Personal and Family Papers, 1883-1981	3-4
IV.	Photographs and Slides, ca.1880-1987	5-10
	A.	Photographs, ca.1880-1980
	B.	Slides, 1949-1987
	C.	Movie films, n.d.

EARL JUNIOR LARRISON
INVENTORY

Box 	Folder	Description					Items

I. Zoology Material, 1915-1985

1	1-2	"Field guide to the birds of Washington," by Earl J. Larrison and Edward N. Francq. First preliminary draft, 1962	1
	3	"Field guide to the birds of Washington state." Final typescript, bound, 1962	1
	4	Field guide to the birds of Washington state, revision questionnaire, n.d.	1
	5	"Guide to Idaho birds," by Earl J. Larrison, Jerry L. Tucker, and Malcolm T. Jollie. Typescript, bound, 1967	1
	6	"Guide to Idaho Mammals," by Earl J. Larrison. Typescript, bound, 1967	1
	7	"Owyhee: the life of a northern desert," by Earl J. Larrison. Typescript, bound, 1957	1
	8	"Washington birds," first handwritten draft, n.d.	1
	9	"Washington birds; their location and identification" by Earl J. Larrison and Klaus G. Sonnenberg. Final typescript, bound, 1968	1
	10-11	"Washington birds," page dummy, 1968	1
2	12	"Washington mammals; their habitats, identification, and distribution," by Earl J. Larrison. First typewritten draft, 1970	1
	13	"Washington mammals...," Page dummy, 1970	1
	14-15	"The shadow of the hills," by Harry W. Higman and Earl J. Larrison. Carbon typescript, n.d.	1
	16-17	"An ecological and taxonomic survey of the chipmunks (genus Eutamias) occurring in a transect through the central Cascade Mountains of Washington," by Earl J. Larrison. A thesis submitted for the degree Master of Science, University of Washington, 1946	1
	18	Correspondence concerning chipmunk thesis, 1943-1944	7
	19	Chipmunk variation papers, n.d.	10
	20	"Mount Pilchuck, the life of a mountain," by Earl J. Larrison and Harry W. Higman. Carbon typescript, ca.1949	1
	21	Mount Pilchuck journal, 1943	1
	22	Mount Pilchuck book, notes, 1947-1948	37
	23	Mount Pilchuck book, correspondence, etc., 1949-1950	44
	24	Coypu study, 1942	26
	25	Field guide to birds of the Seattle area, incomplete typescript, n.d.	1
	26	Green Lake waterfowl study, field notes and typescript article, 1943-1944	3
	27-28	James Hepburn research notes, including typed copies of James Hepburn's ornithological notebooks, 1932-1947	19
	29	Mountain animals of the Pacific Northwest, notes and outlines, 1984-1985	24
	30	"Vegetation as a factor influencing the distribution of the native land mammals of Washington," carbon typescript of article, and notes, 1946	13
	31	Reprints of articles by Earl J. Larrison, 1940-1947	4
	32	Correspondence, 1945-1985	173
	33	Correspondence, postcards, 1915-1969	10
	34	Correspondence with Michael Corry, 1969	3
	35	American Society of Mammalogists, annual meeting program, 1948	3
	36	Articles not by Larrison, 1936-1946	10
	37	Articles by Joseph Wood Krutch, 1963	2
	38	Bird watching records, 1939-1970	3
	39	Field notes, Gold Basin, 1946	8
	40	Field notes, Hanson Lake, 1946	6
	41	Safari Journal, 1975	1

II. Literary Material, 1951-1979

3	42-44	Scott papers, n.d.	25
	45	Articles about Larrison's Scott collection, 1962	11
	46	Articles about Sir Walter Scott, 1960-1971	19
	47	Bibliography of Sir Walter Scott, n.d.	1
	48-49	Sir Walter Scott Colloquium, University of Florida, program and tapes, 1979	11
	50	Notes on Thoreau, 1951-1966	7

III. Personal and Family Papers, 1883-1987

	51	Earl Junior Larrison. Baby book, 1919	1
	52	Certificates and diplomas, 1936-1984	8
	53	Clippings about Earl Larrison, 1949-1981	10
	54	Correspondence, 1927	2
	55	Larrison family book, 1983	1
	56	Library Associates Keepsakes, 1971-1973	2
	57-63	Appointment diaries, 1960-1987	7
	64	Memorial book for Earl Larrison, Sr., 1976	1
4	65	Marie Kuble's game book, 1913	1
	66	Other personal and family papers, 1883-1949	45

IV. Photographs and Slides, ca.1880-1987

A. Photographs, ca.1880-1980

	67	Copies of family photographs, n.d.	269
	68-73	Old family photographs, ca.1880-ca.1940	565
	74-75	Marie Kuble's photograph albums, 1909-1913	2
	76	Negatives for family photographs, ca.1880-ca.1940	400
	77	Picture postcards, mostly of the Columbia River Highway, Oregon, n.d.	67
	78	Photo log, n.d.	1
	79-80	Numbered rolls, 20-45	420
	81	Numbered rolls, negatives, n.d.	17
5	82-83	Birds, n.d.	234
	84	Field trips and field work, 1959-1968	171
	85	Pend Oreille County, Washington, workshop, n.d.	7
	86-92	Life zones/habitats, 1940-1968	904
	93	Mammals, n.d.	84
	94	"Mammals of Idaho," illustrations; mammal skull enlargements, ca.1980	38
	95	People, n.d.	3
	96	University of Idaho and the Palouse region, n.d.	131
	97	Wildflowers, n.d.	64
	98	Zoology classes and activities, 1955	50
	99	Other photographs, 1942-1959	214
	100	Drawings by Bonnie Lustig, 1970	7
	101	Photograph album, 1958-1968	1
	102	Photographs of Earl Larrison and other personal photos, 1952-1976	70

B. Slides, 1949-1987

	103	Copies of illustrations from books (South American animals, Pheasants of the world, Primitive man), 1971	130
	104	Illustrations for an unidentified article, n.d.	23
	105	Illustrations from Birds of Mexico, by Davis, 1976	56
6	106	Alaska, 1958-1965	100
	107	Alaskan Animals (commercial), n.d.	35
	108	Alta, Utah, Regional Audubon conference, 1972	80
	109	Animal geography - Plate tectonics (illustrations), 1974	29
	110	Animal tracks in winter, 1958-1964	56
	111-112	Arizona trip, 1980	150
	113	Bird distribution graphics (illustrations), 1982	32
	114	Bird photographs, Eastern Washington, 1976	20
	115	Birds, Aquatic, 1964-1980	90
	116-117	Bird prints (illustrations), 1973-1982	207
	118	Chipmunk photographs, n.d.	8
	119	Columbia River Gorge, 1974	17
	120	Craters of the Moon area, 1964-1968	57
	121	Eclipse of the sun, 1970	5
	122	Ecology field trip, summer, 1971	35
	123	Glacier Park, 1979	140
	124-126	Great Britain, 1978	342
7	127	Great Britain, 1978	144
	128-129	Habitats, 1959-1966	198
	130	Idaho Biotic areas, n.d.	119
	131	Idaho helicopter trip, 1979	38
	132-137	Idaho scenes, 1950-1987	505
	138-140	Southern Idaho scenes, 1949-1952	375
8	141-144	Southern Idaho scenes, 1958-1977	357
	145	Juniper forest, 1975	16
	146	Kaslo, B.C., 1960-1963	40
	147	Kootenai, Glacier Park, and the Selkirks, 1961	20
	148	Kootenai Pass, B.C. and bird sanctuary, 1978	53
	149	Lake Itasca Museum, 1975	24
	150-152	Mammal prints and drawings (illustrations), 1975	320
	153	Mammals, 1958-1980	63
	154	Moscow, Idaho in winter, 1975	20
	155	Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens (commercial), 198-	20
	156	Mt. Hood and Tillamook, Oregon, n.d.	17
	157	Mt. Rainier, Audubon field trip, 1970	18
	158	Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, 1987	11
	159	Mountain scenes, n.d.	59
	160	Museum field trip, 1971	100
	161	Museum field trips, Vancouver, B.C., museum, 1973-1980	62
	162	Museum field trips, Seattle, 1976-1979	70
	163	Museum in Florida, 1979	69
9	164-166	Nairobi National Park, 1975	357
	167	Nairobi Museum, 1975	34
	168	New Mexico, Taos, 1983	37
	169	Olympic National Park (commercial), n.d.	40
	170	Oregon chipmunk trip, 1964	38
	171	Owyhee photos, n.d.	20
	172	Pittock Bird Sanctuary, Oregon, 1969	32
	173	Prehistoric animals (commercial) n.d.	24
	174	Priest Lake, 1986	104
	175	Project gopher, 1973	17
	176	Raft River, 1960	8
	177	Reptiles, n.d.	6
	178	Scenery, 1970	40
	179	Selway workshop, 1973	120
	180	Slides for caribou picture, 1978	7
	181	University of Idaho campus, n.d.	4
	182	University of Idaho museum, 1973	26
	183	Variations in birds and mammals, n.d.	20
	184	Victoria, B.C. Butchart Gardens, 1965	5
	185-186	Wemas (Audubon Society annual field trip), 1970-1986	236
10	187-188	Wildflowers, 1953-1973	158
	189	Wilderness workshop, 1973	120
	190	Woodland Park Zoo, 1963-1966	20
	191	Wyoming, Jackson Hole, 1983	16
	192-195	Yellowstone Park, 1978-1980	292
	196	Zoo scenes, Mt. Spokane, 1965	17
	197	Zoology 2 (commercial) n.d.	100
	198-199	Family and other slides, 1965-1975	32

C. Movie films, n.d.

	200	Scientific animal art (15mm), n.d.	1
	201	Panhandle mammal study (15mm), n.d.	1
	202-203	Mexico (8mm), n.d.	2
	204	Bears (8mm), n.d.	1

November 1995 / MG233.htm

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