ALBERT W. JOHNSON PAPERS

Collection

Identifier: WH607

Staff Only

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The bulk of the correspondence in this collection consists of correspondence received from Hebard, Hooker, Ellison and Le Clair from 1924 to 1945. It also contains an article written by Johnson (publication unknown).

SERIES 1 CORRESPONDENCE 1924-1945 BOX 1

Correspondence relating to historical research comprises this series. Johnson received correspondence from University of Wyoming historian, Grace Raymond Hebard, relating to research for her 1933 book, Sacajawea, a Guide and Interpreter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She discussed her research and its possible implications. William "Bill" Hooker, a reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Sentinel, wrote about his 1870s experiences in Wyoming. He claimed to have known Buffalo Bill Cody among other historical figures. Hooker also wrote about life in Wisconsin during the Great Depression, describing the farmers' milk strike and the desperation of people he knew. Johnson's correspondence from Edmo Le Clair was related to Le Clair's claim that he was a scout during the Indian Wars. The series also includes other correspondence from Johnson's acquaintances.

SERIES 2 PUBLICATIONS 1935, (1936) BOX 1

This series contains two articles written by Johnson on the topic of the American West during the nineteenth century.

Dates

1924-1945

ACCESS:

The collection is open for research.

OWNERSHIP:

Albert W. Johnson Papers are the physical property of 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

Albert W. Johnson was born August 9, 1865 in Vasa, Washington County, Minnesota where his father engaged in lumbering. At age eighteen, he went away to college, studied for three years and moved to Dakota Territory where he taught school, worked railroad construction for the Great Northern Railway and engaged in bonanza farming. In 1887, Johnson moved to Portland, Oregon. After working on various carpentry jobs, he studied law at the University of Oregon Law School. In 1891, he was admitted to the bar in Salem, Oregon. Johnson practiced law in Portland until returning to Minnesota in 1901 to take charge of his father's business.

After 1901, Johnson resided in Woodland Park, Marine-On-St. Croix in Minnesota. His interest in historical research led him to correspond with prominent western historians especially about the Indian wars. His correspondents included Grace Raymond Hebard, who published Sacajawea, a Guide and Interpreter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1933; William ("Bill") Hooker, reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Sentinel who claimed to have known Buffalo Bill Cody; and Edmo Le Clair (spelled variously). Le Clair claimed to have been a scout during the Indian Wars and to have delivered a message to General George Custer just before the Little Big Horn Battle. He also corresponded with Robert Ellison, who wrote and collected books about Western America.