The Sigurd F. Olson collection consists of Olson's personal correspondence, photographs, and writings, as well as personal papers of his wife, Elizabeth Uhrenholdt Olson; their two sons (Sigurd Thorne, sometimes referred to as “Sig Jr.,” and Robert Keith); and several other members of the Olson and Uhrenholdt families. Sigurd F. Olson's professional papers and the majority of his writings, a much larger collection, are held by the Minnesota Historical Society. The collection is arranged alphabetically by name.
The Olson papers at the Wisconsin Historical Society were originally part of a larger body of papers donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society by Robert K. Olson. Prior to their donation, Olson partially organized the papers, dividing them into two collections: Olson Papers and Uhrenholdt Family Papers. This plan was continued in the Archives, although some overlap resulted. According to this division, all personal correspondence either to or from Sigurd and Elizabeth Olson and their immediate family is in the Olson Papers, while papers of the Uhrenholdts is in the separately catalogued Uhrenholdt Family Papers. Some papers of Elizabeth's parents, Soren and Christine Uhrenholdt of Seeley, Wisconsin, and her sister Johanne U. Johnson can be found in both collections. The Sigurd Olson Papers are arranged alphabetically by name, with correspondence filed by the name of the letter writer rather than by recipient, the normal archival practice.
Sigurd F. Olson's papers comprise the bulk of the collection; this section is subdivided into correspondence; alphabetically-arranged subject files; writings; photographs, film and videos; and sound recordings. The correspondence is further divided into incoming mail and letters that Olson wrote. The personal letters written by Olson are among the most important parts of the collection, with those periods when he and his family were apart being the best covered. For example, the months he spent in Europe after World War II (1945-1946) are extensively documented, and the letters from this period include some observations about post-war conditions and foreign policy. There are many letters to Elizabeth, their sons, and their parents during the 1920s and 1930s and while he was traveling on business during the 1950s and 1960s. Olson's letters to Robert and Vonnie Olson, who lived abroad in the diplomatic service, are also numerous. Taken together, Sigurd Olson's outgoing correspondence provides an intimate view of his family life, with some references to his professional activities and wilderness philosophy.
The incoming correspondence, however, is fragmentary, primarily consisting of social letters from friends and individuals that he met in Europe during the post-World War II, letters of congratulations on his appointment as dean of Ely Junior College in 1936, and letters from readers of his books. Among the scattered letters about conservation is a 1939 letter from Frank Hubachek that provides background information on the Quetico-Superior Council.
Olson's subject files contain limited quantities of additional correspondence exchanged with individuals such as Justice William O. Douglas; Lady Elinor Grogan, a British acquaintance who influenced his literary career; Marie Rodell, his editor at Alfred A. Knopf; and J. William Trygg. The Rodell correspondence includes both sides of their long professional relationship. Also of interest are published accounts of Olson's trips with the Voyageurs, a Canadian organization, in 1955 and 1958, and his personal finances. Useful background information on his World War II service in the subject files includes rare Army educational manuals, a 1946 history of the American University at Shrivenham where he taught, and a file of his military orders.
The most intimate documentation of Olson's life is a typed journal that he kept from 1930 to 1946. The journal, which is filed with his writings, is closed to research until 2018. Its content has not been reviewed by the Archives staff, although David Backes had access to it for his biography. Other than the journal, the writings section contains only limited quantities of unique material. A substantial number of Olson's early writings for outdoor magazines are included, but in the published form that is available elsewhere, and his books are primarily represented by published reviews. Exceptions are Of Time and Place, for which there is editorial correspondence and a typed final draft, and Listening Point, for which there are several early chapter drafts. There are also manuscripts for several articles and short pieces for which the publication status has not been researched. The previously mentioned correspondence with Marie Rodell also provides insight into Olson's development as a writer. Related to the writings are notes and outlines used for speeches and teaching and materials related to Olson's timber wolf research.
The Elizabeth Olson papers primarily consist of personal correspondence, both letters she received and letters she wrote. Social correspondence addressed to both Mr. and Mrs. Olson is also filed here. Elizabeth's correspondence begins in 1920 and concerns the time she spent as a student at Beloit College and as a novice teacher in Ojibwa, Wisconsin. This mail consists of letters to and from her parents and childhood friends. Her mail also covers the World War II years when her husband and both sons were abroad. Letters from the 1950s and 1960s written to her siblings and to Robert and his wife are numerous. These letters often refer to Sigurd Olson's activities. Some of Elizabeth's correspondence consists of joint letters for which Sig has appended a message to her longer letter.
There are two folders of letters written by Kenneth Olson, Sigurd's brother and the head of the Medill School of Journalism. Ken Olson's letters are primarily addressed to Sig and their parents, Reverend Lawrence J. and Ida Olson. Reverend Olson, oftenhe head of the Medill School of Journalism. Ken Olson's letters are primarily addressed to Sig and their parents, Reverend Lawrence J. and Ida Olson. Reverend Olson, often referred to as L.J., and his wife are represented by several folders of correspondence, primarily dating from the 1920s and 1930s when L.J. served a church in Willmar, Minnesota.
The correspondence written by Robert K. and Vonnie Olson is primarily addressed to Robert's parents and to Elizabeth's sister Johanne Uhrenholdt Johnson. While the content is chiefly about family matters, Robert sometimes commented on his foreign service assignments in Libya, Beirut, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Much of Robert's correspondence dating from 1982 to 2003 is written in his capacity as literary executor for his father.
The correspondence written by Johanne Uhrenholdt Johnson, Elizabeth's sister, often touches on her career in public health. Robert Olson placed this portion of Mrs. Johnson's correspondence here rather than in the Uhrenholdt Family papers, where she is also represented, because these letters were written to the Sigurd Olson family.
The arrangement of the photographs follows a pattern similar to the manuscripts, with some photographs pertaining to individual members of the family and others concerning their activities and interests. The majority of the images document Sigurd Olson, but there are also folders about Elizabeth, their sons and parents, and his siblings, and there are formal and informal portraits, albums, and snapshots and negatives depicting many canoe trips, family life in Ely and Ashland, and post-World War II conditions witnessed in England and Germany. Like the manuscript papers, the photographs were arranged into Olson and Uhrenholdt collections by Robert Olson and roughly identified prior to their donation. Despite his work, the photographs were still disordered, many color images dating from the 1950s were fading, and most were unidentified or under-identified.
The photographs are stored as prints, which are housed at the Northland Area Research Center, and negatives which are housed at the Archives in Madison. For some images there are only prints, for some there are only negatives, and for some there are matched prints and negatives. To better inform users at the area research center and to facilitate reproduction, in the container list the photographs have been labeled “A” when only prints exist and “C” when only negatives exist. Prints for which there are corresponding negatives are labeled “B.” A and B prints are at the area research center; B and C negatives are in Madison.
