Skip to main content

CHARLES C. BRADLEY

 Collection
Identifier: WH1498

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection spans 1941-2000. The materials primarily document Bradley's World War II service with the North Pacific Combat School. Included in the collection are drafts of Bradley's memoirs, which were published in book form as Aleutian Echoes. The collection also contains military records, instructional material from the North Pacific Combat School and limited correspondence with other World War II veterans. Bradley's pencil sketches, pen and ink drawings and water colors, including the original watercolors used to illustrate Aleutian Echos, form a portion of the collection, as do numerous 35mm slides that document his World War II service.

SERIES 1 CHARLES C. BRADLEY PAPERS 1943-2000 BOX 1

This series contains draft copies of Bradley's memoirs, which were published in 1994 as Aleutian Echoes. Orders, military records and instructional materials from the North Pacific Combat School are also included. Correspondence with World War II veterans, limited memorabilia and a biographical sketch written by Bradley's son complete the series.

SERIES 2 ARTWORK 1941-1944 BOX 1

The series contains pencil sketches, pen and ink drawings and watercolors that document Bradley's service with the North Pacific Combat School as well as his assignment to the 10th Mountain Division during World War II.

SERIES 3 PHOTOGRAPHS 1944-2000 BOX 1

Bradley's extensive collection of 35mm slides make up the bulk of the series. Black and white photographs and color prints are also included. Many of the color prints were made from original slides, although some images provide examples of Bradley's artwork.

SERIES 4 OVERSIZE 1944-1945, N.D. OVFOL 1

Sixteen pieces of artwork make up the series. Included are pencil sketches, pen and ink drawings and watercolors, which Bradley created during his assignment to the North Pacific Combat School.

Dates

  • TBD

ACCESS:

The collection is open for research.

OWNERSHIP:

Literary and copyrights as appropriate have been assigned to the Denver Public Library.

PUBLICATION RIGHTS:

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Charles Crane Bradley was born November 1, 1911 in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Harold Cornelius Bradley, was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and his mother, Mary Josephine (Crane) Bradley, a descendant of Richard Teller Crane, founder of the Crane plumbing company. Bradley’s older sister died in childhood, leaving Charles the eldest of seven boys. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin.

In 1920, Bradley accompanied his grandfather on a year-long trip to China, where he developed a fascination with acrobatics and learned to perform a number of difficult stunts. Upon his return, Bradley’s father introduced him to skiing. Bradley graduated from Brewster Academy, a private prep school in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Believing that he was not yet ready for college, Bradley worked for about 18 months on a ranch in Montana. When he entered the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Bradley studied agriculture and received a Bachelor’s degree in Geology in 1935. Later, he attended the Clarence H. White School of Photography in New York City to study photography. Partnering with a friend, he opened a photography business in Madison.

Knowing that war was imminent, Bradley enlisted in the Army July 3, 1941 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although he expected to become a pilot, aerial mapmaker or mountain climber, he was disappointed to receive an assignment to a medical replacement unit at Camp Grant, Illinois. With his father’s help, Bradley transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington to join the newly-formed ski troops. He was assigned to the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, which later formed part of the 10th Mountain Division.

Selected for officer training, Bradley was discharged with the rank of staff sergeant in order to accept a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia November 20, 1942. Bradley also married Mary Maynard “Maynie” Riggs in November 1942 and the couple moved to Camp Hale, Colorado, where Bradley taught recruits to ski. While at Camp Hale, Bradley was part of the Mountain Training Group and the 10th Mountain Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, both of which directed the early training for the Division.

From June 1944 to October 1945, Bradley served as an instructor at the North Pacific Combat School in the Aleutian Islands. This unit was primarily responsible to train troops for the eventual invasion of Japan. Bradley left the Army April 15, 1946 with the rank of Captain.

After the war, Bradley returned to the University of Wisconsin at Madison to earn graduate degrees in Geology. He received his Master of Science degree in 1947 and his Ph.D. in 1950. He then became Dean of the Geology Department at Montana State College at Bozeman.

Bradley’s wife “Maynie” passed away in 1969. Bradley then married Adelena Leopold Elder, better known as Nina, in August 1971.

During his academic career, Bradley’s research included work with snow and avalanches, as well as groundwater studies. He was concerned with human impacts on the environment and was a founder of the Montana Wilderness Association.

Bradley retired from teaching and administration in 1976 and moved to Baraboo, Wisconsin to become active in environmental research and education at the Leopold Memorial Reserve there. He wrote articles for the popular press on the outdoors, ecology and the environment, as well as his interactions with Aldo Leopold. In 1988, Charles and Nina Leopold Bradley were given a joint honorary Doctor of Environmental Studies degree from the University of Wisconsin. In 2000, Charles received a Distinguished Alumni award from the Department of Geology and Geophysics. He died May 18, 2002 at age 91.

Extent

1 Boxes

1 oversize folios

PROVENANCE:

Charles C. Bradley donated his papers in July 1995 and February 1996. His son, Charles C. Bradley, Jr., donated additional materials in April 2014

SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL

The Western History/Genealogy Department has other collections containing material related to Charles C. Bradley and to mountain and winter warfare including:

10th Mountain Division Records TMD1

10th Mountain Division Database Records TMD2

Mountain and Winter Warfare School and Training Center Records WH550

In addition, Bradley's book, Aleutian Echoes, is available under catalog number C940.5428 B728zbrad (ISBN: 0912006749).

SIZE:

Number of Boxes: 1 (1 linear foot)

Oversize: 1 OVFolio

LOCATION:

WH1498

PROCESSED AND ENCODED BY:

Dennis Hagen

May 2014

PROJECT MANAGER:

Abby Hoverstock

Title
CHARLES C. BRADLEY
Date
MAY 2014
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository

Contact:
10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
Denver CO 80204 United States