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Howard C. Sarvis papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MG 531

Content Description

Howard C. Sarvis was a writer, artists, and outdoorsman. He served in WWI. Materials include correspondence with Frank Church and the Army; letters from the White House; articles and ideas that were published; a file on inventions; papers on a mining development he was interested in; and personal observations on the atomic blast in Nevada.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951-1976

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

Howard Ceril Sarvis was born on May 13, 1900 to Eugene and Geneva Sarvis in Cozad, Nebraska. He and his family moved to Boise, Idaho in 1910. Here he graduated from Boise High School and afterward attended the University of Idaho.

While in attendance at the university, Sarvis enlisted in the Army on October 1, 1918 when he was 18 years old. At the university he was a member of the Student Army Training Corps, Section A during World War I. While on campus he also participated in it's betterment. In 1922 he participated in Campus Day, a day where students volunteered to work on projects around campus. This included repairs, clean up, and other duties. He was a lieutenant for Project No. 33, who responsibilities included collection and handing out tools to other group members.

In 1931, Sarvis found himself in Mexico. He allegedly went their to write and while he was there met his wife Carmen Caray Chapa. They married in 1932. Sarvis served at Fort Benning, Georgia, in the Human Recourses Research Unit for the Army. He taught "Train Fire," a program he developed. A large part of his later life was spent working with the timber industry and the army engineers. He also owned a store near New Meadows, Idaho called Boudler Creek Station. One very incredible moment in history Sarvis witnessed was when the United States tested their first atomic bomb at the Nuclear Testing Site in Nevada. He was at ground zero.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Correspondence, newspaper reports on his carvings, reports on Desert Rock Test site, patents and inventions.

Arrangement

Collection left in original order.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The materials in the collection were donated by Carmen Sarvis, wife of Howard C. Sarvis. Other materials were donated by his niece, Pauline (?) Young, and relative Melanie Siebe.

Title
Guide to Howard C. Sarvis papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Sara Szobody.
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Repository