Ben R. Chynoweth Collection
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 Also found in this collection are pamphlets, correspondence, maps, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings as well as an unpublished versions of Ben Chynoweth's manuscript on the history of Isle Royale, "Here's Isle Royale" with corrections.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 Includes pamphlets, correspondence, maps, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings as well as an unpublished manuscript by Ben Chynoweth on the history of Isle Royale, "Here's Isle Royale."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.
- Citations (Bibliographic)
- Clippings (Information artifacts)
- Copper mines and mining -- Michigan -- Isle Royale
- Correspondence
- Fisheries -- Michigan -- Isle Royale
- Fishers -- Michigan -- Superior, Lake
- Fur trade -- Superior, Lake, Region.
- Indexes (Reference sources)
- Isle Royale (Mich.)
- Manuscripts (Document genre)
- Maps (Documents)
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
- Shipping -- Great Lakes (North America)
- Superior, Lake
- 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