Donald L. Nelson Maritime Collection
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Includes research files on lighthouses, life saving stations, Coast Guard vessels, and other maritime topics as well as photographs, articles, and books written by Donald Nelson.
Dates
- 1904-2005
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
Donald L. Nelson was born on October 15, 1932 in Marquette, Michigan. He was raised in Marquette and graduated from the Graveraet High School in 1950. In his younger years, Don enjoyed playing hockey and was a member of the Sea Scouts. He grew up next to the Marquette Lighthouse and always had an affinity for maritime history. After high school graduation, he hopped a Lake freighter and worked for one season on the Great Lakes prior to enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard. He served four years at the Lower Entry Lighthouse in Portage Lake on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula during the Korean War, and served four more years in the Coast Guard Reserve. __Over the years, Don served on several Boards, including the Marquette Maritime Museum, and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. He was a local maritime historian, having several articles published, and for a short time he had a maritime column in a local newspaper. Don was a speaker at many functions about Coast Guard and lighthouse history on Lake Superior, and was a member of several historical societies. Donald Nelson passed away in 2006.
Extent
5.7 Cubic Feet (16 manuscript boxes (15 letter, 1 legal))
Abstract
Collection, 1904-2005, of Donald L. Nelson, a local maritime historian and former lighthouse keeper and retired member of the U.S. Coast Guard. Includes research files on lighthouses, life saving stations, Coast Guard vessels, and other maritime topics as well as photographs, articles, and books written by Donald Nelson.
Arrangement
MS-857 has been arranged into seven series with subseries in series three and four as follows:
Series I, Personal Papers, 1941; 1983-2005
Series II, Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, 1984-1989
Series III, Donald Nelson Creative Works, 1910-2005
Subseries 3.1, General, 1990-2005
Subseries 3.2, Stories, Essays, and Writing, 1910-2005
Series IV, Lighthouses, 1895-2005
Subseries 4.1, General, 1895-2005
Subseries 4.2, Photographs- Lighthouses on Lake Superior, 1910-2001
Subseries 4.3, Photographs- Lighthouses Not on Lake Superior, 1982-1988
Series V, Ships and Boats, 1949-2005
Series VI, Journals and Notebooks, 1875-1905; 1930-1941
Series VII, VHS Collections, 1993-2005
Acquisition
A gift consisting of nine cubic feet of research files about lighthouses, life saving stations, coast guard boats and other maritime topics. Includes photographs, articles, research notes and books, as well as information about and articles written by Donald Nelson were ddonated to the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections by Barbara Nelson on October 3, 2007.
Processing History
Elizabeth Russell,7/15/2011, revised by Rachael Bussert
- Articles
- Books
- Clippings (Information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Great Lakes (North America)
- Lifesaving stations -- Michigan
- Lighthouse keepers -- Michigan
- Lighthouses -- Michigan
- Michigan
- Notes
- Photographs
- Research (Document genres)
- Shipping -- Great Lakes (North America)
- Ships
- Shipwrecks -- Great Lakes Region (North America)
- Title
- Donald L. Nelson Maritime Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Elizabeth Russell, revised by Rachael Bussert
- Date
- 7/15/2011
- 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