Erwin Thompson Papers

Collection

Identifier: WCMss-443

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Erwin Thompson papers houses the personal and research files of Erwin Thompson. This collection, dating from 1950 to 1998, consists most notably of research material for his book “Shallow Grave at Waiilatpu”, including correspondence, maps, notes, photographs, diaries, Whitman Mission and Nez Perce information, primary source material, and manuscripts.

Dates

circa 1950-1998

Creator

Thompson, Erwin (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Biographical Note

Erwin N. Thompson, born 18 August 1926 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a historian and author with an interest in Pacific Northwest history. He served in both the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Army, and was sent to Okinawa, Japan as part of the postwar occupation forces. In 1960, he graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a degree in history, subsequently becoming the head park historian at the Whitman Mission National Monument near Walla Walla, Washington. His book “Shallow Grave at Waiilatpu: The Sagers’ West,” which documents the Sager family’s circa 1843-1846 migration to Oregon territory and their deaths in the Whitman Incident, was published in 1969 to general acclaim. He died in Jefferson, Colorado, on June 15, 1998, at the age of 71.

Extent

5.0 Linear Feet (4 record cartons, 3 manuscript boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Erwin Thompson papers collection consists most notably of research material for his book “Shallow Grave at Waiilatpu," notes, photographs, and diaries. This collection, which dates from 1950 to 1998, also contains maps and other ephemera related to his published works.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Erwin Thompson bequethed this collection to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives after his death in 1998. The accession number associated with this donation is retro-0365.