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Ben R. Chynoweth Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MS-220

Collection Scope and Content Summary

Photographs showing the island's geographical features, the people, the fishing industry, and the Great Lakes ships. Also found in this collection are pamphlets, correspondence, maps, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings as well as an unpublished versions of Ben Chynoweth's manuscript on the history of Isle Royale, "Here's Isle Royale" with corrections. In addition, a bibliographic citation card index is included.

Dates

  • 1747; 1800-1975
  • Majority of material found within 1890 - 1970

Language of Material

English

Conditions Governing Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biography

Born in Rockland, Michigan in 1898, Ben R. Chynoweth became a social science instructor in the Detroit public school system before retiring to Hancock, Michigan. Mr. Chynoweth became interested in Isle Royale and began collecting materials, beginning with materials given to him by a Mr. A. A. Webster, who had been collecting since the early 1900s. Chynoweth added all the material he could acquire and made numerous trips to the island for research. Ben Chynoweth died in December 1986 and is interred at Forest Hill Cemetery in Houghton, Michigan.

Extent

22.93 Cubic Feet (28 manuscript boxes, 4 map drawers)

Abstract

Collection, 1747; 1800-1975, bulk 1890-1970, of Ben R. Chynoweth, a resident of Hancock, Michigan and amateur historian of Isle Royale, Michigan. Collection documents the shipping, mining endeavors and fishing industry of Isle Royale in addition to the formation of Isle Royale National Park in 1940. Photographs in the collection show the island's geographical features, the people, the fishing industry, and the Great Lakes ships. Includes pamphlets, correspondence, maps, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings as well as an unpublished manuscript by Ben Chynoweth on the history of Isle Royale, "Here's Isle Royale." In addition, a bibliographic citation index is included.

Arrangement

The Ben R. Chynoweth Collection has been arranged into seven series. The contents within this series have been arranged when possible by their numerical position in Chynoweth's original filing system. The series are arranged as follows:

Series I: Ben Chynoweth Isle Royale Research and Excursions Series II: Mining and Geology Series III: Fur Trade Series IV: Isle Royale Flora and Fauna Series V: Isle Royale Political Founding Series VI: Great Lakes Maritime History Series VII: Oversize Material

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Thirteen paige boxes of articles, photographs, artifacts, manuscript, etc. about Isle Royale and Great Lakes shipping history were donated to the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections by Ben Chynoweth on July 30, 1984. A later donation consisting of three flat boxes containing Ben Chynoweth's bibliographic index was anonymously received.

Related Archival Material

Ben R. Chynoweth's unpublished manuscript, "Here's Isle Royale," is found in this repository in MS-710: Here's Isle Royale Manuscript.

Title
Ben R. Chynoweth Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Elizabeth Russell, revised by Rachael Bussert and Lindsay Hiltunen
Date
9/13/2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Repository Details

Part of the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections Repository

Contact:
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton 49931 U.S.A. US