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Alice Henson Ernst letters to Hazel Mills

 Collection — Multiple Collection Box: [Coll 387] 1
Identifier: Coll 387

Scope and Contents

The correspondence from Ernst to Hazel Mills is arranged by date, 1951 to 1974.

The letters are mostly handwritten, with a few typed, and there is also one letter from Mills to Ernst. The letters contain information about Ernst's writings, and also cultural events, travel, and research. A note with the collection states Mills assisted with "research aspects" of Trouping in the Oregon Country.

Dates

  • 1951-1974

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Alice Henson Ernst (1880-1980) was a playwright, teacher, freelance writer, and reporter.

She was educated at the University of Washington and did graduate work at Radcliffe College and Yale University. From 1920 to 1923 she was an Associate Professor in English at the University of Washington, and from 1924 to 1950 served as Associate Professor of English at the University of Oregon.

Ernst received recognition chiefly as a playwright of one-act plays. "Spring Sluicing" was a prize-winning play in the National Drama League contest, and was produced by the Portland Civic Theatre and other groups.

In connection with her playwrighting, Ernst became interested in the history of the early theater of the Pacific Northwest resulting in the book Trouping in the Oregon Country. Her interest in primitive theater led her to study the masked ritual dances of Northwest Coast tribes and to the publication of several articles. She also published a major work, The Wolf Ritual of the Northwest Coast, which received recognition from critics and anthropologists in the United States and Europe.

Hazel Mills (1910-1999) was also a writer of Oregon history. She assisted in the research of the book Trouping in the Oregon Country. Her husband, Randall Vause Mills (1907-1952), joined the University of Oregon English faculty in 1938.

Extent

0.025 linear feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Alice Henson Ernst (1880-1980) was a playwright, teacher, freelance writer, and reporter. The collection (1951-1974) consists of correspondence from Ernst to Hazel Mills, often concerning Ernst's books Trouping in the Oregon Country and The Wolf Ritual of the Northwest Coast.

Arrangement

Correspondence is arranged by date.

Related Materials

Other collections relating to Alice Henson Ernst at Special Collections and University Archives include: Alice Henson Ernst papers, Coll 039; Alice Henson Ernst letters and cards to John March, SFM 127.

Other collections relating to Hazel Mills and Randall V. Mills at Special Collections and University Archives include: Randall V. Mills, Coll 088; Hazel Mills papers, Coll 388.

The University of Oregon also houses the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore, a repository of Oregon folklore, named for Mills, and that includes materials collected by him.

A collection of the papers of Hazel E. Mills are also available at the University of Arizona: Hazel E. Mills Papers (MS 446). University of Arizona Library Special Collections.

Physical Description

1 folder.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Tanya Parlet, 2013.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing.

Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.

Title
Guide to the Alice Henson Ernst Letters to Hazel Mills
Status
Complete Description
Author
Tanya Parlet.
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English
Sponsor
Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA