Preliminary Guide to the Ted Van Arsdol Papers circa 1880-2010
MSSM.021

Summary Information

Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Creator
Van Arsdol, Ted
Title
Preliminary Guide to the Ted Van Arsdol Papers
ID
MSSM.021
Date [inclusive]
circa 1880-2010
Extent
13 Linear feet, 14 Boxes
Location
(MASC STAFF USE) MS.2005.21 and MS.2009.13: 2-13-29-4; MS.2005.24: 2-6-10-3; MS.2016.26: 2-7-26-1
Language
Collection materials are in English.
Abstract
This collection consists of manuscripts and research materials of writer Ted Van Arsdol.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Preliminary Guide to the Ted Van Arsdol Papers, circa 1880-2010 (MSSM.021)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Return to Top »


Biography/History

Ted Van Arsdol is a freelance writer from Vancouver, WA, with numerous publications, including several books: Battalion from the Mojave: History of the 535th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion; Hanford: The Big Secret; Northwest Bastion: The U.S. Army Barracks at Vancouver, 1849-1916; Desert Boom and Bust: The Story of Irrigation Efforts and Town-building in Benton County, Washington, 1888-1904; and Keeping an Eye on Pasco, 1889-1901.

Return to Top »


Scope and Content

This collection consists of manuscripts and research materials of writer Ted Van Arsdol.

MS.2005.21: These papers dated from 1973 to 2003 include documents pertaining to American Indian fishing on the Columbia River (correspondence, legal documents, data tables, and newspaper clippings), as well as Van Arsdol's manuscripts for History and Development of the General Telephone Company of the Northwest, Robley Johnson Remembers, and Land of Prunes: The Rise and Fall of the Prune Industry in Clark County, Washington.

MS.2005.24: These papers dated from 1944 to 2004 consist of materials related to the history of Eastern Washington (the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Benton City, Moses Lake, Othello), and World War II. It includes printed ephemera, photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, and articles.

MS.2009.13: This accession contains two typescripts related to Ted Van Arsdol's research on C. C. Van Arsdol (one annotated photocopy and one carbon), with descriptive and financial information about electric utilities (Washington-Idaho Water, Light & Power Company). The carbon consists of pages 13-31 of a larger, unidentified document.

MS.2016.26: This accession includes 12 boxes of material, and forms the bulk of the Van Arsdol Papers. Primarily materials related to his research and writing on topics in Pacific Northwest history: manuscripts, publications, notes, and collected research material. Also several files of C.C. Van Arsdol photographs and correspondence related to surveys for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad, and the Idaho Road and Northern Pacific. Most of the C.C. Van Arsdol material is original documents, but some items are reproductions obtained from archival repositories. (A detailed preliminary inventory for this accession, prepared by the donor, is filed in box 11.)

Return to Top »


Arrangement

This is an unprocessed collection. Arrangement reflects a pre-existing order from the records’ creators or previous custodians.

Return to Top »


Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections  © 2020

http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/

Terrell Library

P.O. Box 645610

Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA

509-335-6691

mascref@wsu.edu

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open and available for research use.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Custodial History

Acquisition Information

Ted Van Arsdol donated three installments of these materials to the Washington State University Libraries between 2005 and 2009 (MS.2005.21, MS.2005.24, MS.2009.13). Matt Oftedahl donated the bulk of the collection on behalf of Carole Van Arsdol in 2016, with an additional installment in 2018 (MS.2016.26).

Return to Top »


Related Materials

Related Material

Ted Van Arsdol papers (Cage 117)

C. C. Van Arsdol papers (Cage 103)

Separated Material

One item, a large panoramic photograph showing an early 20th-century wheat harvest in Walla Walla, WA, was separated from this collection and added to the Historical Photograph Collection (PC 2).

Return to Top »


Names and Subjects

Geographic Name(s)

  • Hanford site (Wash.)

Personal Name(s)

Subject(s) :
  • Van Arsdol, Ted -- Records and correspondence.
  • Van Arsdol, C. C. (Cassius Cash) -- Records and correspondence.

Subject(s)

  • Concrete dams -- Design and construction
  • Agriculture -- Washington (State)
  • Agriculture
  • Washington (State)

Return to Top »