Elza Ivan Edwards Papers: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Brooke M. Black, February 25, 2003.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Manuscripts Department

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2129

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Overview of the Collection

Title: Elza Ivan Edwards Papers

Dates (inclusive): 1948-1997

Bulk dates: 1966-1980

Collection Number: mssHM 65769-65811

Creator: Edwards, E. I. (Elza Ivan), 1897-1984.

Extent: 53 items in 1 box

Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2129

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Abstract: This small collection contains correspondence and some ephemera of Elza Ivan “Eddie” Edwards (1897-1984), who authored several books on the history of Death Valley, California. The letters primarily date from the late 1960s to 1980 and are chiefly personal in nature though some discuss history-related activities.

Language: English.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Elza Ivan Edwards Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Gift of Earl F. Nation, September 8, 2000.

Biographical Note

Elza Ivan “Eddie” Edwards (1897-1984) was born in Idaho in 1897. Later he moved to California where he opened an accounting advisory service for medical offices. Edwards‟ hobby was Death Valley history and he was the author of several books including The Valley Whose Name is Death, Desert Voices: A Descriptive Bibliography, and The Enduring Desert. He was an active member of the Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners and served as Sheriff in 1966. In 1964, he and his wife, Beryl, retired and moved to Yucca Valley, California. Edwards died in 1984.

Scope and Content

The majority of the 43 pieces of correspondence are written by Elza Ivan Edwards and are personal in nature; however, several of the letters discuss in detail the activities and publications of the Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners and the Death Valley '49ers. The letters also discuss Edwards‟ various books on Death Valley as well as the publications of George Koenig, Anthony Kroll, and Earl F. Nation (fellow Westerners and the addressees of Edwards‟ letters). One letter by Edwards recounts a hiking trip in Nevada and provides a good description of the area around Dayton, Nevada, as well as the ghost towns Delamar and Genoa. The ten pieces of ephemera include biographical information about Edwards and newspaper clippings.

Arrangement

Correspondence arranged alphabetically by author, followed by ephemera.

Indexing: Subjects

Death Valley '49ers

lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1976, Aug. 20) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65783.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1977, Jan. 29) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65784.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1970, Oct. 21) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65797.

Nevada – Description and travel

lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1966, Aug. 31) to George Koenig. HM 65774.

Westerners. Los Angeles Corral

rthur H. (Arthur Henry) Clark, 1912 -, letter (1966, May 31) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65770.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1964, Oct. 28) to George Koenig. HM 65773.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1966, May 14) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65788.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1966, June 12) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65790.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1969, Nov. 17) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65791.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1969, Dec. 30) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65794.
verett Gordon Hager letter (1966, May 26) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65808.

Westerners. San Bernardino Corral

lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1976, Feb. 22) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65782.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1975, July 22) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65798.
lza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, letter (1975, July

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.

Subjects

Edwards, E. I. (Elza Ivan), 1897-1984.

Death Valley '49ers.

Westerners. Los Angeles Corral.

Westerners. San Bernardino Corral.

Authors, American -- 20th century -- Archives.

Deserts -- Anecdotes.

Deserts -- United States.

Ghost towns -- Nevada.

California -- Description and travel.

Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) -- Description and travel.

Nevada -- Description and travel.

Forms/Genres

Letters (correspondence) -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.

Additional Contributors

Koenig, George, correspondent.

Kroll, Anthony, correspondent.

Nation, Earl F., 1910-., correspondent.

Box 1

Correspondence and Ephemera

Algar, James, 1912-. 1 letter (1966, June 10) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65769

Clark, Arthur H. (Arthur Henry), 1912-. 1 letter (1966, May 31) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65770

Includes two copies of the Westerners Los Angeles Corral Meeting Announcement, 1966, June.

Edwards, Beryl. 1 letter (1975, Aug. 28) to Evelyn Nation. HM 65771

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1971, Nov. 24) to “Dear Friends Dr. Milton and Mary.” HM 65772

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1964, Oct. 28) to George Koenig. HM 65773

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1966, Aug. 31) to George Koenig. HM 65774

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1980, May 29) to George Koenig. HM 65775

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1980, Sep. 30) to George Koenig. HM 65776

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1981, Sep. 17) to George Koenig. HM 65777

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1973, Sep. 29) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65778

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1973, Nov. 12) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65779

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1975, July 25) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65780

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1975, Aug. 6) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65781

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1976, Feb. 22) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65782

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1976, Aug. 20) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65783

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1977, Jan. 29) to Anthony Kroll. HM 65784

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1948, July 19) to Ben Massey. HM 65785

Includes audit report done by Elza Ivan Edwards, 1897-, for Drs. Massey and Nation, 1948, July 16.

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1959, May 10) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65786

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1964, Oct. 13) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65787

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1966, May 14) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65788

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1966, May 14) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65789

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1966, June 12) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65790

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1969, Nov. 17) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65791

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1969, Dec. 9) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65792

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1969, Dec. 21) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65793

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter ([1969], Dec. 30) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65794

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1970, Jan. 25) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65795

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1970, Feb. 5) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65796

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1970, Oct. 21) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65797

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1974, July 22) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65798

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1975, July 28) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65799

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1975, Oct. 13) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65800

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1975, Dec. 18) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65801

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1975, Dec. 31) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65802

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1976, Aug. 20) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65803

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1977, May 15) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65804

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1980, Apr. 27) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65805

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1980, Nov. 9) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65806

Edwards, Elza Ivan, 1897-. 1 letter (1980, Dec. 10) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65807

Hager, Everett Gordon. 1 letter (1966, May 26) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65808

McWilliams, Robert. 1 letter (1983, Dec. 29) to the relatives and friends of Eddie and Beryl Edwards. HM 65809

McWilliams, Robert. 1 letter (1984, June 8) to friends and relatives of Elza Ivan Edwards. HM 65810

Sagebrush Press. 1 letter (1970, Jan. 10) to Earl F. Nation, 1910-. HM 65811

Ephemera (1961-1991). 7 items.

Ephemera: Biographical Information (1984-1997). 3 items.