Doctor’s Orders; Cucumber Boats? The Wind River Reservation Physician’s Medical Notebooks

Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver Many of us are probably guilty of it. I certainly was; letting my mind drift during a cataloging course in library school and doodling palm trees amongst my class notes. It seems for Virgil Milo Pinkley, who graduated from the Vanderbilt University … Continue reading Doctor’s Orders; Cucumber Boats? The Wind River Reservation Physician’s Medical Notebooks

Pirates in Love, Walking Potatoes, and Barboncito; the Pageants and Plays of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Hunger enters stage right wearing a tight fitting black costume, a skeleton painted on the front and back. Hunger walks to the edge of the stage purposefully, then in a strolling fashion back to the house. Hunger peeps into the windows, inspects the adjacent root cellar, goes back to the dilapidated house, and enters.  The … Continue reading Pirates in Love, Walking Potatoes, and Barboncito; the Pageants and Plays of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Highlights from the “Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824–1880” (Microfilm M234)

Today's post is by Rose Buchanan, Archivist and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records When you hear the phrase “administrative correspondence,” what do you think of? It would not be surprising if you conjured up an image of dry, tedious paperwork full of legalese. Sometimes, that image is accurate! But in many cases … Continue reading Highlights from the “Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824–1880” (Microfilm M234)

Jewish American Heritage sites in the National Register of Historic Places

The month of May is, among other things, recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month, recognizing the contributions of Jewish Americans to American culture, history, and society.  There are a number of properties in the National Register series that include “Jewish” in the description, along with a number of synagogues and temples. Touro Synagogue & Burying … Continue reading Jewish American Heritage sites in the National Register of Historic Places

The War Comes to the Reservation – the Japanese Balloon Bombs of WWII

Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver Let’s take a trip back…80 years ago…to 1945. It is 8:00 PM in the late spring evening, so the endless Montana sky still lies atop the Crow Reservation in front of you while driving back home after checking some fencelines along Pryor … Continue reading The War Comes to the Reservation – the Japanese Balloon Bombs of WWII

The 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

Today’s post was written by Matthew DiBiase, an Archives Specialist from the National Archives at Philadelphia. The documents featured here are from the Interim Report of the Boston National Historic Sites Commission (led by Congressman and future Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr.) to the Congress of the United States submitted on … Continue reading The 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

The War Between the States – Civil War sites in the National Register of Historic Places

South Carolina, Fort Sumter (National Archives Identifier 533429) Last Saturday marked the 164th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, which started on April 12, 1861, when the Confederacy bombarded the Union fort, Fort Sumter in South Carolina.  There are a number of properties in the National Register, specific to the Civil War, including … Continue reading The War Between the States – Civil War sites in the National Register of Historic Places

Standardizing Color Television Systems

Today's post is written by Timothy Wilcox, an Archivist at the National Archives at Kansas City. Many born in the 1980s and after cannot recall a life without electronic visual media in vibrant hues. Few of us know the history that brought it to the masses. The advent of color television was a gradual process … Continue reading Standardizing Color Television Systems

Faces from a Vanished Ship: The Life and Afterlife of the S.S. Muskogee

Merchant Marine Vessel Logs for the Port of Boston; Muskogee, 12/31/1941 - 1/30/1942, Boston, MA (NAID 6991388) Today’s post was written by Katherine Terry, Archives Technician at the National Archives at St. Louis. The Sinking of the Muskogee The S.S. Muskogee was a merchant tanker built in 1913 by the Sun Shipbuilding Company in Chester, … Continue reading Faces from a Vanished Ship: The Life and Afterlife of the S.S. Muskogee

More than Samoas, Thin Mints, and Tagalongs! Properties about Girl Scouts in the National Register of Historic Places

Girls' Activities - Girl Scouts - Girl Scout Camp at Central Valley. The bugler of the girl scouts camp at Central Valley, New York (National Archives Identifier 31483120) Tomorrow, March 12, is Girl Scout Day, which commemorates the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA, when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization's first … Continue reading More than Samoas, Thin Mints, and Tagalongs! Properties about Girl Scouts in the National Register of Historic Places