Travel and Description

"Down the Mississippi", 1895 (C4478)
0.2 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Account by P.W. Pogson of a trip down the Mississippi River in a small boat, from Davenport, Iowa, to Cairo, Illinois, in the summer of 1895.

A

Maynard Dale Allen Autobiography, 1963 (K1074)
0.02 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Maynard Dale Allen Autobiography consists of a single spiral bound notebook outlining the Allen family's genealogy as well as Allen's life from 1893 to 1937. Allen recalls his first interactions with automobiles and telephone service, visiting Kansas City as a teenager, moving, the Great Depression, politics, and war.

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American Field Service, Columbia, Missouri Chapter Records, 1975-2004 (C3990)
1.8 cubic feet (153 folders)

 Finding Aid

The records contain local, regional, and national newsletters, financial records, newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, correspondence, administrative information, publicity, and photographs of the student exchange program.

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James Arrot Letter, 1840 (C2614)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Letter to a colleague describing St. Louis.

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Nellie F. Ayres Collection, 1860, 1948 (C2752)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Typescript done by Ayres of a diary of Lavina Priest, written while on a visit to Kentucky in 1860 and a letter to "LOML" from Ayres describing a bus trip to Idaho and Yellowstone Park in June 1948.

B

Clara Baldwin Papers, 1947-1993 (C3953)
0.2 cubic feet (5 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers of Clara Baldwin, a trade reporter and published author of poetry and children’s books, consist of personal correspondence, biographical materials, published trade journal articles and poetry, and photographs.

Evelyn B. Baldwin Scrapbooks, 1898-1929 (C1381)
0.14 cubic feet (1 volume)

 Finding Aid

Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, letters, and telegrams relating to Baldwin's Arctic explorations with the Wellman polar expedition, 1898-1899, and the Baldwin-Ziegler polar expeditions of 1901-1902. Two copies.

George Randolph Barse, Jr. Papers, 1980 (K0419)
0.07 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The George Randolph Barse, Jr. Papers were written in 1889 to 1891 by George Randolph Barse, Jr. to his family who resided in Kansas City, Missouri. This photocopy collection also includes drawings, photos, and a summarized listing of the letters.

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Ralph C. Bedell Papers, 1929-1986 (C2543)
50.25 cubic feet, 36 audio tapes, 2 films, 1 filmstrip

 Finding Aid

Papers of educator and psychologist. Bedell directed NDEA Counseling and Guidance Institutes, taught at the Universities of Nebraska and Missouri, and served as secretary-general of the South Pacific Commission. Collection includes materials from Counseling and Guidance Institutes, counseling case files, and papers of South Pacific Commission.

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Ralph C. Bedell Papers, 1940s-1980s (CA5084)
14.9 cubic feet, oversize

 Finding Aid

Addition of papers relating to the South Pacific Commission, the National Defense Education Act, U.S. Naval Flight Preparatory Schools, the University of Missouri, and other topics. Includes photos and slides.

J. Calvin Berry Letter, 1842 (C1461)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Berry, immigrant to Missouri from Illinois, wrote his brother about a tour of Missouri and compared opportunities in Missouri and Illinois. Countryside, markets, Southern market route to Europe, fertility of soil, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, administration of land in Missouri, and business affairs in Illinois.

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Henry Vest Bingham Diary, 1818 (C0999)
1 volume

 Finding Aid

Diary kept by Henry Vest Bingham during his trip from Virginia to Missouri. Descriptions of St. Louis and St. Charles, MO, and the country through which he traveled. Published in MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW, Vol. 40.

Fields Trammel Bledsoe Letter, 1851 (K0229)
0.01 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Letter from Bledsoe to his brother-in-law William C. Rhodes of Harrisonville, MO. Written on letterhead with a woodcut entitled "View of Coloma, the place where the first Gold was discovered", Bledsoe mentions his gold claim in California, his concerns for the welfare of his wife and children in Harrisonville, and acquaintances they have in common.

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Blue Family Papers, 1818-1973 (R0105)
0.02 cubic foot (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Blue Family Papers contain photocopies of correspondence, legal papers, and miscellaneous papers of John W. Blue and his daughter, Minnie Blue and Anna Lloyd of Farmington, Missouri.

Abe Bograd Oral History Collection, 1977 (K0267)
.1 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Interviews touching on many aspects of Bograd's life, including recollections of his early years in Russia; his family's immigration; his education; the neighborhoods he lived in; his social life, and the political climate of the city under Pendergast; and his employment with the Kansas City Star.

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Boone County, Missouri, Reception Program, 1917 (C2958)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains a "To Our Boys From the Mexican Border," program for a reception by the citizens of Boone County, MO, at Union Building, 6 March 1917.

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Booth-Lang Family Papers, 1895-1987 (K0658)
6 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Papers and photographs documenting the history of the Lang, Imboden, Fornefett, Booth and related families. Includes genealogical information, certificates of baptism, confirmation, naturalization papers, military records, obituaries, and correspondence. Also family activities and interests, residences, military, and travel.

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John F. Bradbury, Jr. Postcard Collection, 1889-2022 (R1551)
4 cubic feet (122 folders, 4,432 postcards)

 Finding Aid

The John F. Bradbury, Jr. Postcard Collection contains postcards collected by Bradbury, containing images from the Ozarks and Southern Missouri. The postcards consist of real photograph, commercially printed, and illustrated postcards. The images mainly feature Missouri towns, railroads, Route 66, resorts, and rivers.

Brandt and Grant Family Papers, 1933-2000 (SP0042)
4 cubic feet (74 folders, 208 photographs)

 Finding Aid

The Brandt and Grant Family Papers contains 35 diaries written by Lena K. Grant from 1933 to 1976. They document the travels of her family during her husband’s many deployments, to places like the Philippines, Korea, and Crown Point, Indiana. The collection also contains clippings, pamphlets, a baby book, photographs and other mementos from the family’s life.      

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Raymond P. Brandt Papers, 1818-1899; 1917-1981 (C0850)
3.0 cubic feet (124 folders, 1 oversize volume, 5 audio cassettes, 9 oversize items)

 Finding Aid

The papers of Raymond Brandt contain correspondence, newspaper articles, interviews, notes, financial accounts, audio cassettes and photographs of a Sedalia, Missouri, man who was a Washington, D.C. correspondent for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1923 to 1967. Brandt wrote on politics, economics, and the Soviet Union, which he visited five times.

Branson Lodging Postcards, 1937-1972 (SP0010)
.25 cubic feet (3 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Branson, Missouri, Lodging Postcards collection includes postcards and a travel brochure from several motels and lodges that existed in Branson during its emergence as a tourist destination. The collection focuses on the Anchor Travel Village.

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Mary Dwight Eaman Bright Papers, 1912-1913 (C0960)
0.75 cubic feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

At age 24, Mary Dwight Eaman spent a year traveling around the world with her cousin, Mary A. Eaman. Traveling westward, they made stops in Hawaii, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, and New York City. The journal, correspondence, photographs, and postcards in the collection relate specifically to this trip.

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Jacob V. Brower Letters, 1901-1904 (C1761)
1 folder

 Finding Aid

A letter written in 1901 by Jacob V. Brower to a Professor Kingery in Crawfordsville [Minnesota?] and a letter written in 1904 by Julius Chambers of New York to explorer Jacob V. Brower describing travel in Minnesota.

John Brown Collection, 1855-1904 (K0218)
0.01 c.f.

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Photocopies of letters written from Kansas Territory by Brown and his son, John Brown, Jr. to Orson Day of White Hall, NY. Brown, who "just returned from the Kansas War," details his concerns for the Territory and gives travel instructions to Day who apparently planned to move his family to Kansas. Also copies of various newspaper accounts (1859) of the action at Harper's Ferry; and a reprint of an anti-Brown article.

Kenneth L. Browne Collection, no date (K0534)
0.01 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Humorous letter concerning events in Kansas City, including a dance.

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Besse Belle Buckeridge Papers, 1911-1960s (R1312)
(4 folders)

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of correspondence to Besse and her mother from friends, Besse's letters and postcards from travels in Europe in the 1920s, and miscellaneous papers and postcards. There is also a reminiscence of early days in the Lycoming Valley of Pennsylvania by her grandfather, J. W. Heylmun, circa 1911.

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Burford-White Photograph Collection, 1870-1948 (P0038)
64 photographs

Snapshot and studio photos, including tintypes related to the White-Burford-Taylor-Adkins-Harness-Marolf families plus scenes from Ladue, Vista and Independence, as well as vacation scenes outside of Missouri.

Bush Family Papers, 1819-1923 (C3887)
0.2 cubic feet, 1 roll of microfilm

 Finding Aid

Journals, farm records, and correspondence of a Boone County, KY, family who settled in southeastern Arkansas. Details 1819-1820 steamboat trips up the Missouri River from St. Louis to Council Bluffs, and farm operations in the 1850s and 1860s.

C

Mary Margaret Cairns Papers, 1901-2004 (C3996)
1.4 cubic feet (48 folders)

 Finding Aid

Papers relating to a Kansas City area woman, who was a lifelong employee of Sears Department Store and enjoyed travelling across North America and Europe. The collection consists mainly of photographs and slides from her travels, as well as travel notes, postcards, and brochures. The collection also contains materials concerning the family burial plots at the Huntsville Cemetery in Huntsville, Missouri and materials from her retirement party.

Camp Blackstone, Galena, Missouri Collection, no date (R1047)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

This is a small promotional pamphlet for Camp Blackstone, a resort on the James River near Galena in Stone County, Missouri. The proprietor was Dr. G. H. Black.

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Ruth Capehart Collection, 1831-1904 (R0045)
0.02 cubic foot (2 volumes)

 Finding Aid

The Ruth Capehart Collection contains two journals collection by Ruth Capehart. The first journal was written by J.W. Henderson regarding his trips from New York to the pottery manufacturing district in England. The second journal was written by Louisa Raff, a young girl living in Orange Grove, Mississippi.

Chain of Rocks Bridge Collection , 1997-1998 (S0283)
0.3 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The Chain of Rocks Bridge Collection consists of magazines, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and a scrapbook compiled by Karlene McAllister, former promotions director for Trailnet Inc.'s Old Chain of Rocks Bridge restoration project. The collection documents Trailnet Inc's early efforts to restore the bridge as a pedestrian walkway. The items in the scrapbook consist of photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, newsletters, and promotional flyers that chronicle several Trailnet Inc.-sponsored activities on the Chain of Rocks bridge, including Halloween events, birdwatching, and a marriage ceremony held on the bridge.

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Sarah Ann Chandler Papers, 1832-1938 (C0840)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The papers contain a copy of a diary of family’s trip from Louisa County, Virginia, to Cooper County, Missouri. Account of a similar trip in 1938 by Charles Quarles Chandler, II. Ralph Dickinson’s comments on the 1836 diary. Photographs and miscellany.

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CHINA JOURNEY, Robert M. White II, 1973 (C3410)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Report of 1972 tour by American newspaper editors of People's Republic of China, written by editor of Missouri's MEXICO LEDGER. Topics covered include trips to the Great Wall, Peking and Shanghai; meeting with Chou En-lai; and social, economic, and political conditions of life in China.

City of St. Louis Map, 1874 (S0407)
0.01 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

A map of the City of St. Louis compiled from surveys by Julius Hutawa, 1874.

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William Clark and Meriwether Lewis Memorandum Book, 1809 (C1076)
1 volume

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Journal of a trip from St. Louis, MO, to Washington, D.C. It contains the list of debts due by Clark; the trip expenses from St. Louis, MO, and Louisville, KY; a memorandum of instruction by Meriwether Lewis with a list of private debts; and memoranda of drafts and transactions with Indian agencies. Microfilm copy available for loan.

William Clark Notebook, 1798-1801 (C1075)
1 volume

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Notes on Clark's second journey to New Orleans from a starting point in Ohio, 9 March to 16 June 1798, thence from New Orleans to Kentucky, arriving 24 December 1798. Notebook also includes memorandum of distances and expenses on a journey from Kentucky to Philadelphia and back, 1801, and a map of the Mississippi River. Microfilm copy available for loan.

Crown Coach Company Collection, no date (R0975)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

This is a brochure for "Expense-Paid Tours to and thru the Ozarks and Ouachitas" offered by Crown Coach Lines of Joplin in Jasper County, Missouri. Eight tours are described, starting from Kansas City and extending as far as New Orleans and San Antonio.

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D

Julia Ann Dearing Letter, 1839 (C0494)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

To James Jones, High Hill, Missouri, from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, September 19, 1839. Letter to her father describing river travel on a wedding trip on the Mississippi.

Edward Buehler Delk Collection, 1917-1962 (K0243)
1 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Personal and professional photographs and some personal papers belonging to Delk, a prominent Kansas City architect, and his wife, Jane Willis Delk. They relate to the Delks' travels around the world; with a strong focus on the architecture; and photos of residences and buildings designed by Delk.

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William R. Denslow Collection, 1841-1929 (C0822)
0.4 cubic feet (21 folders)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains materials collected by William R. Denslow, including his father’s memoirs, articles on local history, letters dated 1859-1861 written by a young boy working on a whaling ship, and a typescript copy of an 1898 diary describing the Yukon gold fields.

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Lester B. Dent Collection, 1930-1987 (CA5569)
24.05 cubic feet, 4 16 film reels, 2 video cassettes, 7 oversize items

 Finding Aid

Addition of manuscripts, correspondence, publications, fan mail, photographs, newspaper clippings, published materials relating to the fictional character of Doc Savage, and other materials of a science fiction writer. Also includes over 15,000 jokes collected by Norma Dent and photographs taken for Dent’s aerial photography business, Airviews, c. 1950s.

Lester B. Dent Collection, 1924-1984 (C3071)
36.2 cubic feet (2156 folders, 234 volumes), 1 16mm film, 1 video cassette; also available on 64 rolls of microfilm

 Finding Aid

The Lester B. Dent Collection contains the manuscripts, publications, correspondence, personal papers, research notes, scrapbooks, and photographs of a native Missouri fiction writer, explorer, aerial photographer, and dairy farmer. Lester Dent is perhaps best remembered as the principal author of the Doc Savage adventure stories of the 1930s and 1940s.

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Alexander W. Doniphan Letters, 1880 (C2917)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Two letters to Jennie Hockaday, Plattsburg, MO, describing the landscape and population of Denver and Manitou Springs, CO.

Downing and Whinrey Families Papers, 1837-1929 (R0049)
0.25 cubic foot (11 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Downing and Whinrey Families Papers contain photocopies of receipts and correspondence of the Downing and Whinrey families of southwestern Missouri. Both families had members who went to California to mine gold in the 1850s, some of whom remained to settle in the West. Most of the collection consists of letters written to relatives in Missouri.

E

Robert L. Elgin Travel and Tourism Collection, circa 1930s-1960s (R0623)
0.25 cubic foot (15 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Robert L. Elgin Travel and Tourism Collection contains materials related to travel and tourism in Missouri. Included are maps, postcards, ephemera, and a series of promotional booklets produced by the Missouri State Division of Resources and Development.

Jennie Ellis Postcard Collection, 1905-1917 (SP0075)
.2 cubic foot (2 folders, 62 postcards)

 Finding Aid

The Jennie Ellis Postcard Collection contains postcards sent to Jennie (Raymond) Ellis and her family between 1905 and 1917. The postcards include images of various cities and landmarks throughout Missouri and the United States.

Patricia Shively Elmore Papers, 1878-2015 (CG0013)
2.4 c. f.

 Finding Aid

The Patricia Shively Elmore Papers contain diaries, correspondence, genealogy, scrapbooks, and photographs related to the donor’s family. This collection also contains diplomas, commencement programs, military documents, photographs, souvenir postcards, films, and funeral memorabilia of the donor’s second husband, William “Bill” Elmore.

Eminence Riversway Area Chamber of Commerce Collection, no date (R0825)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

This is a tourist brochure featuring scenic areas in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways around Eminence in Shannon County, Missouri. Illustrations include photographs and a map.

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European Tourist Company Letter, 1900 (C2347)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

To L.H. Jocelyn, Albany, NY, from New York, NY, Mar. 12, 1900.

Letter confirming Jocelyn's reservation for Professor Hailes's tour to the Paris Exposition.