Archives West Finding Aid

The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, tearsheets, notes and research, and biographical material.

The collection is organized into series.

Series I: Correspondence is separated into Incoming: Personal, Incoming: Business, and outgoing sections.

Incoming: Personal correspondence is organized alphabetically by name and totals sixty-three letters (1936-1969) and includes letters from August Lenniger.

Incoming: Business correspondence is also organized alphabetically by name or title, totals forty-three letters, and includes letters from publishers and agencies such as the Register Guard, the Oregonian, Harper's, Western Publications, Western Writers of America, and the U.S Department of Agriculture.

Outgoing correspondence is arranged chronologically, 1936-1970, and totals 113 letters.

Series II consists of manuscripts of short stories, anecdotes, jingles, and poems. Manuscripts are arranged by title and material may include drafts, revised versions, anecdotes for story ideas, fragments, research notes, photographs, clippings and pamphlets, and novel versions. Topics include cowboys, Indians, Chinese in America, and forests. Included here is the first version and research notes for "Negro Cowboy."

There are separate files with additional anecdotes, jingles, and poems, and also short stories by other authors.

There are three folders containing an unidentified manuscript (over 400 pages) by Patch; one folder of submission records for short stories and articles; tear sheets of articles from newspapers and magazines; and a book, The Creeping Madness that includes a story by Patch.

Series III contains background information for stories regarding an early settler in Wallowa County; notes by Patch from writers' conferences, classes, and on writing techniques; an unidentified manuscript about Wallowa National Forest (286 pages); and a folder of miscellaneous notes, photographs, and disciplinary records from the Winona Council.

Series IV: Biographical material consists of certificates, citations, and a photograph.