Summary Information
Sigurd F. and Elizabeth Olson Papers
1916-2003
- Olson, Sigurd F., 1899-1982
- Olson, Elizabeth, 1897-1994
Northland Mss 19; PH Northland Mss 19; PH 6614; AD 577; VHA 920-VHA 925; Audio 1468A; Northland Micro 2104; M2010-105
9.0 cubic feet (23 archives boxes and 1 flat box), 3.8 cubic feet of photographs (9 archives boxes, 1 flat box, and 1 tube), 6 videorecordings, 17 tape recordings, 1 film, and 1 reel of microfilm (35 mm)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center / Ashland Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Papers, 1916-2003, of Sigurd Ferdinand Olson, a nationally-known conservation advocate, outdoorsman, and writer who was raised in Ashland, Wisconsin, but lived in Ely, Minnesota during most of his adult life. The collection consists primarily of personal and family correspondence. Olson's literary career is also represented, including editorial correspondence, notes for public speaking and teaching, and book manuscripts for Listening Point (1958) and Of Time and Place (1982). Personal papers of his wife, Elizabeth Uhrenholdt Olson, are also included. Photographs document canoe trips in Minnesota and Canada, family life in Ely and Ashland, professional activities, and post-World War II conditions in Europe.
Electronic reproductions of some images are available through the Wisconsin Historical Images page on the Wisconsin Historical Society website. Portions of this collection are available only on microfilm. There is a restriction on access to this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-nort0019 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Nationally-known conservation advocate, outdoorsman, and writer Sigurd Ferdinand Olson (1899-1982) was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Ashland, Wisconsin. He graduated from the local high school in 1916 and studied at Northland College in Ashland until 1918 when he enlisted in the Army. After World War I Olson enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, where he received a B.A. in 1923. In August 1921, he married Elizabeth Dorothy Uhrenholdt; they subsequently had two children: Sigurd Thorne (1923-2008) and Robert Keith, born in 1925.
Shortly after his marriage, Olson began his career as a teacher of biology at Ely Junior College in Ely, Minnesota. In 1931 he earned an M.S. from the University of Illinois, and in 1936 Ely Junior College appointed him dean. During the 1920s and 1930s, Olson spent his summers leading canoe expeditions into the Quetico-Superior wilderness near Ely on the Minnesota-Ontario border. There he witnessed the threat posed by logging to the wild character of the area, and he began to form his philosophy about the importance of wilderness. During this period he was also a frequent contributor to Sports Afield and other outdoor magazines.
From 1945 to 1946, Olson was on special assignment for the Army and the State Department in England and Germany, primarily to teach at Army University Centers. Following his return from the war, Olson devoted himself to wilderness advocacy and writing. His leadership of the effort to ban airplanes and fly-in resorts in the Boundary Waters propelled him to the front ranks of the national wilderness movement. Olson served as an advisor to the National Park Service, including a stint as president of NPS advisory board from 1953 to 1958. During his long association with the Park Service he helped to establish the Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and Point Reyes National Seashore in California, and he assisted in the preservation of the dunes of Indiana and Cape Cod. Olson also served as advisor to the Secretary of the Interior from 1959 to the early 1970s. Olson served as president of the Izaak Walton League, the Wilderness Society, and the National Parks Association. Olson aided in the drafting of the Wilderness Act of 1964, which created the legal definition of wilderness and offered protection of nine million acres. The culmination of a lifetime of work came with the passage of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act in 1978 which guaranteed the protection of a million acres of lakes and wilderness in northern Minnesota.
Olson's reputation as a nature writer began with the publication of his first book, The Singing Wilderness, in 1956. His other works include Listening Point (1958); The Lonely Land (1961); Runes of the North (1963); Open Horizons (1969); The Hidden Forest (1969); Wilderness Days (1972); Reflections from the North Country (1976); and an autobiography, Of Time and Place (1982). In 1974 Olson received the John Burroughs Medal, the nation's highest honor for nature writing. Over time, Sigurd Olson became nationally recognized for his conservation philosophy, and he was awarded the Horace Marden Albright Medal for scenic preservation, as well as the John Muir Award and the Wilderness Society's Robert Marshall Award. He was named to halls of fame established by the Izaak Walton League and the National Wildlife Federation. Beloit College, Carleton College, Macalester College, Northland College, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Minnesota all awarded him honorary degrees. In 1972, Northland College created the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in his honor to pursue the study of wilderness preservation.
Sigurd Olson died of a heart attack while snowshoeing near his home in Ely, Minnesota on January 13, 1982. Elizabeth Olson died in Hayward, Wisconsin on August 23, 1994.
Scope and Content Note
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.
Related Material
Sigurd F. Olson Papers, Minnesota Historical Society.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Olson's journals, 1930-1946, and 1964, in Box 23 are closed until June 17, 2018.
Presented by Robert K. Olson, Hayward, Wisconsin, 2008. Accession Number: M2010-105
Processed by Carolyn Mattern, 2010.
Contents List
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Northland Mss 19
Box
1
Folder
1-2
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Johnson, Johanne Uhrenholdt (“Auntie Jo” or “AJ”), 1920s-1970s
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Olson, Elizabeth Uhrenholdt
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Incoming correspondence
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General
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Box
1
Folder
3-8
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1916-1970s
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Box
1
Folder
9-10
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1982, Letter of condolence
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Box
1
Folder
11
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1982-1985
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Box
2
Folder
1-3
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1986-1990s, undated
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To Elizabeth and Sig, jointly
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Box
2
Folder
4-8
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General, 1930s-1981
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Box
2
Folder
9
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From the Voyageurs, 1958-1982
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Box
2
Folder
10
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From Danish relatives, 1970s
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Box
2
Folder
11
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From Mary Ziegenhagen, 1983-1985
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Outgoing correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
12-17
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1920-1955
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Box
3
Folder
1-10
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1956-1982, undated
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Undated
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Box
3
Folder
11
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To Bob and Vonnie
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Box
3
Folder
12
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To Joanne Johnson
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Box
3
Folder
13
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To Uhrenholdt Family, 1920s and 1930s
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Subject files
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Awards
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Box
4
Folder
2
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American Museum of Fly Fishing, 1990-1995
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Backes, David, 1982-1992
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1468A/1
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Biographical interview with Elizabeth Olson at Hayward Nursing Home, 1993
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Northland Mss 19
Box
4
Folder
4
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Capitol bust dedication, 1983
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Box
17
Folder
3
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Estate papers
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Friends of Boundary Waters, 1992
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Box
4
Folder
6
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International Wolf Center, 1993
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Lindholm, Robert, 1984
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Link, Mike, 1991
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Obituaries and funeral, 1994
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Pigeon Falls project, 1987-1990
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Singing Wilderness performance
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Box
4
Folder
11
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Correspondence and score, 1989-1991
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1468A/2
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Music by Cary John Franklin performed at the festival, circa 1989
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Northland Mss 19
Box
4
Folder
12
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Vickery, Jim Dale, 1983
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Box
4
Folder
13
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Olson, Kenneth, and family, 1917-1960s
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Olson, Lawrence J. and Ida
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Box
4
Folder
14-16
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1919-1941
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Box
5
Folder
1
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1942-1950
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Olson, Robert Keith and Vonnie
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Incoming correspondence, miscellaneous
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Outgoing correspondence
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Box
5
Folder
3-15
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1940-1959
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Box
6
Folder
1-12
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1960-1979
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Box
7
Folder
1-2
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1980-1982
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Subject files
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VHA 923
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Sigurd Olson series on Channel 6 (Ely), about Listening Point Foundation, 1999
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Northland Mss 19
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Literary correspondence
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Box
7
Folder
3-8
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General, 1982-2002
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Lake Superior Speaks, 1953-1994
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Box
7
Folder
12
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Urban Wilderness permission, 2000
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Box
8
Folder
1
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Voyageur Press, 1988-1992
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Box
7
Folder
10
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National Wildlife Hall of Fame, 1991
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Box
7
Folder
11
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Northland College donation inventory, 1995
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Box
8
Folder
2
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Wilderness Act photo identification, 2003
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Wilderness philosophy
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Olson, Robert T., and family, 1978-1990
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Olson, Sigurd Ferdinand
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Biographical information
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Box
8
Folder
5-6
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Biographical information and tributes
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Northland Micro 17
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Biographical clippings and scrapbooks
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Northland Mss 19
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Memorial services
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Box
8
Folder
7
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Guest books
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1468A/3
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Services at Northland, 1982 January 20
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1468A/4
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Services at St. Paul, 1982 February 9
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Northland Mss 19
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Backes, David
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Box
8
Folder
8
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Brief biography, 1983
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VHA 922
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“Northern Lights,” interview with Backes, 1999
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Northland Mss 19
Box
8
Folder
9
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Bio-bibliography, 1972
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Biographical interview of Olson conducted by Ray J. Christensen, 1979
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1468A/6-9
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Tape recordings
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Northland Mss 19
Box
8
Folder
10
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Robert Olson's notes on interviews
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Compilation sound recording (perhaps for Wilderness World film)
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1468A/10-11
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Sigurd Olson speaking on life, nature, places, and writing
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1468A/12
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Sigurd Olson and Sig Jr., around a campfire, also Elizabeth Olson
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VHA 921
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The Wilderness World of Sigurd Olson, a commercial video
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Northland Mss 19
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Incoming correspondence
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Box
8
Folder
11-14
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1927-1978
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Box
9
Folder
1-2
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1982, undated
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Outgoing correspondence
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Box
9
Folder
3-12
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1917-1949
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Box
10
Folder
1-13
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1950-1981
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Box
10
Folder
14-16
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Undated, but , 1930s, 1950s
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Box
11
Folder
1-2
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Undated, but , 1960s
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Subject files
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Awards
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Box
11
Folder
3-4
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Regular size papers
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Box
24
Folder
1
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Oversize papers
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Box
11
Folder
5
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Bacon, Charles, 1931
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Box
11
Folder
6
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Border Lakes Outfitting Company Papers, 1933-1934, 1999
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Box
11
Folder
7
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Campbell, Sam
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Box
11
Folder
8
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Colston Leigh Agency, 1970
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Box
11
Folder
9
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Conservation quotes
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Box
11
Folder
10
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Dogs
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Box
11
Folder
11
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Douglas, William O., 1958-1959, 1981
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Box
11
Folder
12
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Ely, Minnesota, miscellany
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Box
11
Folder
13
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Ely house documents, 1976-1994
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Box
11
Folder
14
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Erickson, Errol, Thesis, 1969-1970
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Box
17
Folder
1
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Estate papers, 1970-1982
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Box
11
Folder
15
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Golden Trout/Kern Plateau, 1960-1977
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Box
12
Folder
1
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Grogan, Lady Elinor, 1945-1947
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Honorary degrees
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Box
12
Folder
2-4
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Regular size materials
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Box
24
Folder
2
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University of Minnesota, oversize materials
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Box
13
Folder
5
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Income tax working files, 1975-1980
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Box
13
Folder
6
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Investments, 1956-1969
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Box
13
Folder
7
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Izaak Walton League
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Knopf
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Box
12
Folder
8
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Miscellany
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Box
17
Folder
2
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Contracts
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Box
12
Folder
9
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Langen, Ann (Olson's stenographer), 1980, undated
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1468A/13
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Law Day, brief interview in which Olson reads from Singing Wilderness, undated
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Northland Mss 19
Box
12
Folder
10
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“Lonely Land,” KVAL program, 1974
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Box
12
Folder
11
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Magie, Bill, 1972, 1976, undated
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Box
12
Folder
12
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Masland, Frank, 1964-1998
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Matteson, Robert E.
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Box
12
Folder
13
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Correspondence, 1981-1991, undated
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VHA 920
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The Last Canoe Trip, a documentary narrated by Matteson
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Northland Mss 19
Box
12
Folder
14
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Mayo Clinic, 1963
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Box
12
Folder
15
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Memorabilia
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Box
13
Folder
1-2
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Memorabilia and miscellany
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Box
13
Folder
3
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Memoranda books, 1946-1966, undated
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Box
13
Folder
4
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National Parks Association, 1967-1968, 1982
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Northland College
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Box
13
Folder
5
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Paper file, 1918-1992
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Box
24
Folder
3
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Alumni award plaque
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Northwoods Nights (Ely)
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Box
13
Folder
6
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Papers, 1972
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1468A/15
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Recording, 1972
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1468A/5
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Recording, 1982
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Northland Mss 19
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Notebooks
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Box
13
Folder
7
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Names and addresses
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Box
13
Folder
8
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Miscellaneous
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Centennial anniversary events
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Box
13
Folder
9
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Paper files, 1999
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1468A/14
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Speech by Vance Martin, 1999
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Northland Mss 19
Box
13
Folder
10
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Ottertale, Al, 1928, undated
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Box
13
Folder
11
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Passports
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Quetico-Superior region
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Box
13
Folder
12
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Paper file, 1951-1984
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VHA 924
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Wilderness Canoe Country, a film about the need for preservation
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Northland Mss 19
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Rodell, Marie F. (Knopf)
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Box
13
Folder
13-14
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1954-1955
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Box
14
Folder
1-13
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1956-1970
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Box
15
Folder
1
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Royalties
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1468A/15
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Sig Olson Night, Ely, 1972 July 19
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Northland Mss 19
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Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, Northland College
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Box
15
Folder
2
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Paper files, 1981-2001
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VHA 925
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20th Anniversary banquet proceedings, 1992
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Northland Mss 19
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Sigurd Olson Elementary School
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Box
15
Folder
3
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Paper files, circa 1971-1972
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1468A/16
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Dedication ceremony, 1971 November 29
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1468A/17
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Sigurd Olson Wilderness Center, discussion of proposed center on Minnesota Public Radio, 1999 December 28
: No Olson family member speaks.
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Northland Mss 19
Box
15
Folder
4
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Social Security, 1970-1975
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Box
15
Folder
5
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Teachers' Retirement Fund
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Box
15
Folder
6
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Trygg, J. William, 1952-1953
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Box
15
Folder
7
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Vermillion College, program for naturalists, 1977
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Box
15
Folder
8
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Voyageurs materials, 1955-1994, undated
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Box
15
Folder
9
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Voyageurs National Park, 1991-1992
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Box
15
Folder
10
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White Canoe Company, 1953
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Box
15
Folder
11
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Who's Who
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Box
15
Folder
12
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Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame, 1987
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World War II
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Box
15
Folder
13
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Army educational manuals
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Box
16
Folder
1
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Army educational manuals (continued)
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Box
16
Folder
2
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Shrivenham American University history, 1946
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Box
16
Folder
3
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Wartime miscellany
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Box
17
Folder
3
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SFO orders, 1945-1946
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Writings
|
|
|
Articles
|
|
|
Box
17
Folder
5-9
|
1921, 1928, 1930-1949
|
|
|
Box
18
Folder
1-7
|
1950-1980s, undated
|
|
|
Box
24
Folder
4
|
Sportalogue and layout for “Arrowhead” article, 1932
|
|
|
Northland Micro 17
|
Minneapolis Star Tribune series, 1941
|
|
|
Northland Mss 19
Box
18
Folder
8
|
Posthumous reprints
|
|
|
Box
18
Folder
9
|
Manuscripts for short pieces, undated
|
|
|
Box
18
Folder
10
|
Citizens National Resources Association of Wisconsin report, circa 1962
|
|
|
Box
23
Folder
1-8
|
Journals, 1930-1946, 1964
: These journals are closed until 2018.
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
1
|
Listening Point chapter drafts
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
2
|
Miscellany
|
|
|
Of Time and Place
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
3
|
Editorial correspondence, 1981
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
4
|
Manuscript (typewritten), circa 1981
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
5
|
Typesetter's draft, circa 1981
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
6-7
|
Galleys
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
1
|
“Packsack Adventures,” undated manuscript
|
|
|
Box
19
Folder
8
|
Planning an Awareness Environment, Foreword by Olson, 1974
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
2
|
Reflections, Printers proof sections
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
3
|
Singing Wilderness, Miscellaneous reviews
|
|
|
Speeches
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
4
|
Speeches and speech miscellany
|
|
|
Box
22
Folder
1
|
Speech notes and outlines
|
|
|
Box
22
Folder
2
|
“To do,” speech notes, 1950s
|
|
|
Teaching materials
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
5-6
|
Botany lectures, 1932-1934
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
7-8
|
Genetics lectures, 1934-1936
|
|
|
Box
20
Folder
9-10
|
Zoology lectures, 1934-1938, 1945
|
|
|
Box
22
Folder
3
|
Sex education lectures, circa 1946
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
1
|
Lectures/writings for Army I&E Division, circa 1946
|
|
|
Timber wolf materials
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
2
|
Master's thesis, 1932
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
3
|
, 1938 study
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
4-6
|
Olson, Sigurd Thorn (Sig Jr.) and Esther (Ess), 1944-1994
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
7
|
Thompson, Christine Uhrenholdt (Keegan), 1920s-1930s
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
8
|
Uhrenholdt, Jens, 1917-1975
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
9
|
Uhrenholdt, Soren, 1939-1944
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
10
|
Uhrenholdt Family
|
|
|
Box
21
Folder
11
|
White, Marie Uhrenholdt, 1919-1975
|
|
|
PH Northland Mss 19/PH 6614
|
Photographs
: PH Northland Mss 19 (Boxes 1-6) are at the Northland ARC; PH 6614, Negatives (Boxes 7-10) are in Madison.
|
|
|
Family members
|
|
|
Elizabeth Uhrenholdt Olson
|
|
|
General
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
1A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2A
|
Birthday events
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3A
|
Wedding, 1921
|
|
|
Honeymoon, 1921
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
4A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
4B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Family album
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5A
|
Album
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5B
|
Album negatives
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6A
|
Deteriorated color album, 1950s
|
|
|
Friends albums
|
|
|
Dismantled
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7A
|
1960s-1970s
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8A
|
post 1982
|
|
|
Kenneth Olson and family
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
9A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
9C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
L.J. (Lawrence J.) and Ida Olson and family in Ashland and Wilmar
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
10A-11B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
11B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Len Olson album, 1921-1945
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
12A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
13A
|
Album, 1915-1930
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
13B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Robert Keith Olson
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
14A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
14B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Sigurd Ferdinand Olson
|
|
|
Formal portraits (head and shoulders)
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
15A
|
Oversize prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
15C
|
Slides
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
16B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
16B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
17A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
18A
|
Framed Eisenstaedt portrait for exhibit
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
19A
|
Framed honeymoon portrait for exhibit
|
|
|
Tube
|
Oversize print (Bryan Stenlund), 1981
|
|
|
Candid portraits
|
|
|
As a youth
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
20A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
20B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
As an adult
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
21A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
21B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
22A
|
As an older man
|
|
|
With Elizabeth Olson
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
23A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
23B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
With sons
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
24A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
24B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
25A
|
Olson in groups
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
26A
|
Olson and friends before World War II
|
|
|
Sigurd T. Olson (Sig Jr.)
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
27A
|
Alaska trip
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
28B
|
Family
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
28B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Olson Family groups
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
29A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
29B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Subject files
|
|
|
Alaska, 1960
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
30B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
30B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Alaska caribou survey fly-in, 1961
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
31B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
31B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Alaska trip, 1963
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
32A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
32C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Alaska, Park Service Advisory Board, 1965
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
33A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
33C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
34A
|
“Arcanum Army” album, 1925
|
|
|
Awards and honorary degrees
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
35A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
7
Folder
35B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
36A
|
Posthumous awards
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
37A
|
Blacklock, Les, photographs
|
|
|
Border Lakes Outfitting Company
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
38A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
38B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
38A
|
Oversize Wallace Kirkland prints
|
|
|
AD 577
|
Untitled film
16 mm, b&w, silent; approximately 30 seconds
|
|
|
PH Northland Mss 19
|
Boy Scouts
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
39A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
39B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Canoe trips
|
|
|
1920s
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
40A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
40C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
41A
|
1924, Izaak Walton League trip with Hough and Dilg
|
|
|
1928, Family canoe trip
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
42A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
42C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1930s
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
43A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
43B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
, 1938 (Border Lakes publicity)
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
44A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
44B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1942, family trip
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
45A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
45B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1944, 2nd honeymoon
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
46A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
46C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1947, Saturday Evening Post
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
47B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
47B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1948, photos by Grant Halliday
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
48A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
48B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1954, “Don's trip”
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
49B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
49B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1954, “Grand Portage”
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
50A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
50B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1955, Voyageurs trip to Upper Churchill
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
51A-52B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
52B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1957, Northwest Territory, Great Bear Lake
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
53B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
53B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
54C
|
1958, Sigurd Sr. and Jr. trip
|
|
|
1961, Lower Churchill trip
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
55A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
55C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
1964
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
56B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
56B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
57A
|
Undated, Cooney's trip
|
|
|
, Undated family canoe trips
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
58A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
58B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Miscellaneous trips
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
59A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
59B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Conservation related images
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
60A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
60C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Deer hunting
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
61A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
61B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Douglas, William O.
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
62A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
62B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Duck and pheasant hunting
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
63A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
63B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Ely activities and scenes
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
64A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
64B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Ely friends and groups
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
65A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
65B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Ely house, shack, and other houses
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
66A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
8
Folder
66B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
67A
|
Dismantled album, circa 1993-1994
|
|
|
Family travel
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
68A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
68B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Fur and wolf trapping and hunting, 1927-1928
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
69A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
69B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Indian Service, 1936
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
70A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
70B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
71A
|
Izaac Walton League
|
|
|
Knopf, Alfred A., at Listening Point
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
72A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
72B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Lovink, Tony and Clara
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
73A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
73B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
74A
|
National Park Academy
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
75A
|
National Park Advisory Board
|
|
|
“North Shore” development (of Lake Superior?), undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
76A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
76B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Persons of note
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
77A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
6
Folder
77A
|
Oversize print with Lyndon Johnson
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
77C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Professional activities
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
78A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
78B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
79A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
79B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
80A
|
Trail Riders trip, 1948
|
|
|
Box
10
Folder
102C
|
Unidentified, Early
|
|
|
Unidentified
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
81A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
81C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Winter activities
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
82A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
82B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
World War II
|
|
|
Roll 4
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
83A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
83B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 5
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
84B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
84B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 6
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
85B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
85B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 10
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
86A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
86B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
87A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
87B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24A
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
88B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
88B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24B
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
89B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
89B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24C
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
90B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
90B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24D
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
91B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
91B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24E
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
92B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
92B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24F
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
93B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
93B-C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24G
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
94B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
94B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Roll 24H
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
95A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
9
Folder
95B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
“White paper prints”
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
96B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
10
Folder
96B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
“Yellow paper prints”
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
97B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
10
Folder
97B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Sightseeing
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
98A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
10
Folder
98C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Shrivenham
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
99A-B
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
10
Folder
99B
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Miscellaneous World War II images
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
100A
|
Prints
|
|
|
Box
10
Folder
100C
|
Negatives
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
101A
|
Small prints possibly used with articles
|
|
Appendix 1: Film and Videorecordings List (VHA 920-VHA 925)
|
Call Number
|
Description
|
| VHA 920 |
The Last Canoe Trip, a documentary narrated by Robert E. Matteson, about a canoe trip taken with his children and a handicapped person. The trip includes meeting Elizabeth Olson, and some of the footage (circa 1980) that appears in Wilderness World of Sigurd Olson, circa 1992 |
| VHA 924 |
Wilderness Canoe Country, a commercially-produced film about the preservation of the Quetico-Superior Region narrated by Paul Harvey. Photography is by Grant Halliday; direction by Sig Olson. Olson also appears in some footage. Copied from a film at the Minnesota Historical Society |
| VHA 921 |
The Wilderness World of Sigurd Olson, a commercially-produced video by Video Publishing, with footage and narration of Olson filmed about 1980, undated |
| VHA 923 |
Sigurd Olson series on Channel 6 (Ely), about the efforts of the Listening Point Foundation established by the Olson family to preserve the site, May 1999 |
| VHA 922 |
Northern Lights: A Look at Minnesota Books and Writers, an interview with Olson biographer David Backes filmed at Listening Point, 1999 |
| VHA 925 |
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, 20th anniversary banquet at Northland College, April 23, 1992 |
| AD 577 |
Untitled film of what seems to be outtakes from a film possibly related to Border Lakes Outfitting Company. Placard reads “Huskies for Winter Trips are here at Winton,” shots of dogs at a kennel, a woman in a store pointing to shelves with merchandise, a man by the water playing a stringed instrument and harmonica, a quick image of a canoe hanging in the rafters of a building, and shots of water plants |
Appendix 2: Audio Recordings List (Audio 1468A)
|
Call Number
|
Description
|
| 1468A/1 |
Biographical interview with Elizabeth Olson at Hayward Nursing Home, 1993 |
| 1468A/2 |
Singing Wilderness, commercial recording by Cary John Franklin, circa 1989 |
| 1468A/3 |
Sigurd Olson memorial services at Northland College, January 20, 1982 |
| 1468A/4 |
Sigurd Olson memorial services at St. Paul, February 9, 1982 |
| 1468A/5 |
Sigurd Olson night, 1982 |
| 1468A/6-9 |
Biographical interview of Olson conducted by Ray J. Christensen, 1979 |
| 1468A/10-11 |
Compilation recording (perhaps for Wilderness World film): Sigurd Olson speaking on life, nature |
| 1468A/12 |
Compilation recording (perhaps for Wilderness World film): Sigurd Olson speaking on writings; with Sig Jr., talking around a campfire; Elizabeth Olson also comments |
| 1468A/13 |
“Law Day” interview in which Olson briefly reads from Singing Wilderness, undated |
| 1468A/14 |
Speech by Vance Martin for the centennial of Olson's birth, 1999 |
| 1468A/15 |
Sig Olson Night at Ely, July 19, 1972 |
| 1468A/16 |
Sigurd Olson Elementary School dedication ceremony, November 29, 1971 |
| 1468A/17 |
Sigurd Olson Wilderness Center, discussion of proposed center on Minnesota Public Radio (no Olson family member speaks), December 28, 1999 |
|
