Archives West Finding Aid

Thomas Stanford corresponded widely. He kept copies of both his outgoing and incoming correspondence. Much of this correspondence pertains to his interest in sheep raising, wool marketing, grazing rights and fees, irrigation, etc., particularly in Blaine County. Letters to almost all of the members of Idaho's congressional delegation from 1910-1945 may be found in the papers along with their responses. With wide ranging interests in ranching and contemporary politics, Stanford's correspondence reflects a sharp mind certainly not isolated or unmindful of the flux of national and state trends in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

Mr. Stanford kept his correspondence in chronological order, interfiling incoming and outgoing letters. This collection preserves the original order. He received a number of letters from William A. Borah. In 1940 he sent originals of most of these to Washington State University to be used by Claudius O. Johnson in his biography of Borah. Typed copies were retained. The originals were never returned, although Washington State University Library has provided Boise State University with photocopies (Box 3, Folder 9). Stanford also sent Johnson several reminiscences of Borah, copies of which are included with the Stanford-Johnson correspondence (Box 3, Folder 3).

Other persons represented by correspondence include U.S. Senators John Thomas, James P. Pope, D. Worth Clark, and Henry C. Dworshak; Congressman Addison T. Smith; Governor C. Ben Ross; and friends Gibson A. Condie (of Hailey, Idaho), Joel L. Priest (of Boise), and Albert S. Erickson (of B. Harris Wool Company, Salt Lake City). The many letters to Erickson contain informal reports on the condition of the sheep industry in southern Idaho in the 1920s and 30s. A number of the letters to and from Idaho's congressional delegation relate to the boundaries of Craters of the Moon National Monument and grazing rights within the preserve. There is one letter (1908) from U.S. Senator Reed Smoot of Utah defending Gifford Pinchot's forest policies against Stanford's criticisms (Box 1, Folder 3). Stanford opposed Theodore Roosevelt's presidential candidacy in 1912, largely because of Roosevelt's conservation policies, which Stanford believed "tied up all our natural resources" (Box 1, Folder 4).

Mr. Stanford's dissatisfaction with the Republican Party and brief affiliation with the Progressive Party in the mid-1920s is also documented in his letters. Other items of particular interest in the collection include a short autobiographical memoir (Box 1, Folder 1); a one-page typescript entitled "What I Saw During One of My Severe Heart Attacks," describing an out-of-body experience (Box 1, Folder 1); naturalization papers (1935) for Pedro Cenarrusa of Blaine County (Box 2, Folder 10); and a microfilm of Mr. Stanford's missionary journal in New Zealand (1889-1893) (Box 5). The Stanford collection at Boise State University also contains Stanford's business and legal papers and information on the lobbying efforts of ranchers' associations and canal companies.

The Thomas C. Stanford papers were used by Ronald L. Hatzenbuehler and Merwin R. Swanson for their article, "Has Idaho Ever Had a Realigning Election?" published in Rendezvous (Idaho State University), vol. 24, no. 1 (1988).