Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
The Della Gould Emmons Collection, 1944
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Emmons, Della Gould
- Title
- The Della Gould Emmons Collection
- Dates
- 1944 (inclusive)19441944
- Quantity
- .3 cubic feet, (1 box)
- Collection Number
- OLPb088EMM
- Summary
- Correspondence between Della Gould Emmons and Jerome Peltier and other materials about Emmons' book Sacajawea of the Shoshones (1943).
- Repository
-
Lewis & Clark College, Special Collections and Archives
Aubrey R. Watzek Library
615 S. Palatine Hill Rd.
Portland, OR
97219
Telephone: 5037687758
Fax: 5037687282
archives@lclark.edu - Access Restrictions
-
This collection has no restrictions and is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Della Gould Emmons was born on August 12, 1890 in Glencoe, Minnesota. She attended the University of Minnesota and studied linguistics. After college, Emmons took a job teaching school in Sisseton, South Dakota. Emmons married Allen B. Emmons, a train dispatcher for the Northern Pacific Railroad. After marriage, Emmons taught at numerous Pacific Northwest towns along the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Lewis and Clark Trail including, Aberdeen (South Dakota) Miles City (Montana), Harlowton, (Montana), Three Forks (Montana), Missoula (Montana), Pasco (Washington), Yakima (Washington), and finally Seattle, where she lived for nineteen years.
Emmons' proximity to the Lewis & Clark Trail prompted her to investigate the life of Sacajawea, and in 1943, Binfords & Mort of Portland, Oregon published Emmons' historical novel Sacajawea of the Shoshones. The novel was successful, and in 1955 the book was adapted for the motion picture Far Horizons, featuring Charlton Heston, Fred McMurray, and Donna Reed.
Jerome Peltier was a bookman and scholar of Spokane, Washington, who wrote numerous books about the fur trade. Peltier corresponded with Emmons about her book, and specifically whether or not Sacajawea died in 1812.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Includes correspondence and leaflets.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Permission to publish, exhibit, broadcast, or quote from materials in the Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections requires written permission of the Head of Archives & Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
The Della Gould Emmons Collection (OLPb088EMM), Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Item | ||
| 1 | Letter from Emmons to Peltier |
April 3, 1944 |
| 2 | Postcard from Emmons to Peltier |
May 14, 1944 |
| 3 | Letter from Emmons to Peltier |
June 7, 1944 |
| 4 | Letter from Emmons to Peltier |
October 10, 1944 |
| 5 | Letter from Emmons to Peltier |
October 10, 1944 |
| 6 | Transcription of a letter from Sgt. J. Roberts to Olin Wheeler |
March 10, 1906 |
| 7 | Della Gould Emmons' notes about the chronology of Sacajawea's life intended to refute
the theory that Sacajawea died in 1812 |
ca. 1944 |
| 8 | Article titled "Wife of N.P. Dispatcher Writes Successful Historical Novel" in
The North Coaster newsletter for the Northern Pacific Railway |
July 1944 |
| 9 | Promotional brochure for Emmons' book Sacajawea of the Shoshones published by
Binfords & Mort |
1943 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Sacagawea
Personal Names
- Emmons, Della Gould--Archives
- Peltier, Jerome
Titles within the Collection
- Sacajawea of the Shoshones
Jeremy Skinner
2012
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
