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Guide to the Howard W. Colvin Diary and Photographs, 1942-1962
MSS 125
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Abstract
- Howard W. Colvin (1908-1991) was an artist who served in World War II in the U. S. Army Air Force. On his discharge from military service, he began a 24-year career with the La Crosse Tribune newspaper, serving as the Retail Advertising Manager for 18 of those years. A photocopied diary of Colvin's records his daily activites in military training from May-August 1942. Also photocopied articles that were with the diary exist which span circa 1942-1959. The bulk of the collection consist of black and white photographs Colvin took for advertising purposes. Businesses of La Crescent, Minnesota, and of La Crosse, Wisconsin, as well as churches and a synagogue in La Crosse, roughly spanning from 1960-1962. An index to the La Crescent photographs was created by a team of volunteers along with some historical facts. This collection contains some digital scans.
- Collection Title
- Howard W. Colvin Diary and Photographs
- Date of Materials [bulk]
- Bulk, 1960-1962
- Date of Materials [inclusive]
- 1942-1962
- Creator
- Colvin, Howard W., 1908-1991
- Creator
- La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, Wis.).
- Call Number
- MSS 125
- Amount
- 0.4 cubic feet
- Physical Description
- 1 archives box
- Language of Materials
- English
- Mixed materials [Box]
- 1
- Repository
- La Crosse Public Library Archives
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Howrd W. Colvin Diary and Photographs, MSS 125, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI
Biographical/Historical Note
Howard W. Colvin (1908-1991) attended the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota for two and a half years. He was an amateur and semi-professional artist and was involved in the Men's Sketch Club of La Crosse and began the Boy's Sketch Club of La Crosse, said to be the first in the country. Colvin founded his own advertising firm called the Howard Colvin Advertising until he entered the armed services in 1942.
Colvin served in World War II mostly with the 14th Army Air Force in India and China. He served 41 months of which 31 were spent overseas.
Upon his return, Colvin began a 24-year career with the La Crosse Tribune newspaper and started the paper's art department. He later held the position of Retail Advertising Manager for 18 years. He was also involved in the Downtown Rotary Club and several other local charitable organizations.
Colvin married Lugardia Gehrig in 1953. They had one daughter, Leah.
Scope and Contents
A photocopied diary in which Colvin recorded his daily activites while in military training from May-August 1942. Also photocopied articles that were with the diary exist which span circa 1942-1959.
The bulk of the collection consist of black and white photographs Colvin took for advertising purposes, roughly spanning from 1960-1962. Businesses of La Crescent, Minnesota, and of La Crosse, Wisconsin, as well as churches in La Crosse.
An index to the La Crescent photographs was created by a team of volunteers along with some historical facts. La Crescent, Minnesota, photographs include an index and map of La Crescent (2010) to help the researcher get geographically oriented. La Crescent businesses are arranged geographically, starting with some establishments on the edge of town, then working out from Chestnut Street. Other scenes include a motel near Dresbach, Minn., that became a nursing home; a street paving project on Oak Street; the post office; lastly a landscape scene looking down from an apple orchard onto the west side of La Crescent from Apple Blossom Drive.
Photographs of La Crosse include businesses alphabetically arranged and religious structures (churches and a synogogue) which are arranged by denomination. Some other scenes include a building under construction located at 2442 State Road that housed a Woolworth Store (1962-1988) inthe Village Shopping Center; Stoffel Court apartment complex operated by the city's La Crosse Housing Authority at 333 7th St. So.; and the YWCA building, the former 'Pasadena' or Abner Gile house at 110 West Avenue South.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in two series:
Administrative Information
Publication Information
La Crosse Public Library Archives 2016 November
800 Main St.La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for patron use.
Acquisitions Information
(Accession no. 2010.029) Photographs donated by Thomas C. Affolter, 2010
(Accession no. 1992.014) Diary owner Kenneth Jenkerson allowed the La Crosse Public Library to photocopy originals, 1992
Processing Information
Processed by Anita Taylor Doering, 2016 November
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
- Diaries
Geographic Name(s)
- La Crescent (Minn.)--Photographs
- La Crosse (Wis.)--Photographs
Personal Name(s)
- Affolter, Thomas C.
- Jenkerson, Kenneth R., 1945-2002
Subject(s)
- Advertising photography--Minnesota--La Crescent
- Advertising photography--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Advertising--Minnesota--La Crescent
- Advertising--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Photographers--Wisconsin--La Crosse
General note
La Crescent photographs were identified by a group of volunteers that included Latie Langen, Muffie Klug, Yvonne Voigt and Elaine Hunter. Digital images of the La Crescent, Minn., photographs were given to the La Crescent Area Historical Society in 2010.
Collection Inventory
Diary |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Diary (photocopied), 1942 May-August |
1 | 1 | ||
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Newspaper clippings (photocopied) that were inside the diary, circa 1940s-1959 |
1 | 2 | ||
|
|
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Photographs, circa 1960-1962 |
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La Crescent, Minnesota |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Index to photographs and map, 2010 Other Finding Aids noteThe index to photographs was not created by Howard W. Colvin, the photographer; photographs were identified in 2010 by a team of people; the map is a photocopy from 2010 to help the user generally orient themselves |
1 | 3 | ||
|
Businesses |
1 | 4 | ||
|
Bucket Drive-in |
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|
Overhouse Cash & Carry |
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Wie-Mar Pre Cast Concrete |
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Commodore |
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La Crescent Farm & Orchard Supply |
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|
Ranch Motel |
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Shamrock Bowling |
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Deep Rock Gas Station |
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|
Joe's Twilite Zone |
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Crescent Motel |
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Crescent Inn |
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Jorstad's |
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Harris Grocery |
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Bob's IGA |
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Herb Krage's Sportsman's Bar |
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Times-Chief newspaper office |
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Craig's Dry Cleaners |
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Keller's Clothing |
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Caledonia Bakery and Soda Shop |
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Pharmacy and Vindahl's Hardware Store |
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La Crescent Laundry |
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Mobile Gas Station |
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La Crescent State Bank |
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Vonderohe's Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning |
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D. J. Quillin Realty |
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Fay's Apple Stand |
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Kletzke's Apple Stand |
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Niebuhr's Coffee Shop |
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Minnesota Motel |
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Crescent Electronics |
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Barbershop |
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La Crescent Lumber & Coal |
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Loechler's Chevrolet/La Crescent Motor Company |
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Iverson's Building Supplies |
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De Jarlais Broiler |
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Consolidated Builders Supply |
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Spande's Nursery |
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William Cornforth Realty |
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La Crescent Concrete |
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Rudy's Skelly Service Station |
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Other scenes |
1 | 5 | ||
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Panorama Motel |
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Trucks paving on the south end of Oak Street |
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Post office |
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Aerial view looking at west side of La Crescent from Stanke's apple orchard on Apple Bloomer Drive |
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La Crosse, Wisconsin |
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Businesses |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
A-C |
1 | 6 | ||
|
Alden's Catalog Sales Store |
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Credit Bureau of La Crosse |
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Crescent Jewelers |
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Becker Roffing Company |
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The Borden Company |
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Citizens Loan & Finance Company |
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Click Distributing Company, Inc. |
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Collin's La Crosse Sign Company |
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Community Camera |
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Culligan Soft Water Service |
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D-H |
1 | 7 | ||
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Dahl Motors La Crosse, Inc. (Ford) |
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Dairyland Power Cooperative |
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Dolly Madison Dairies |
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Erickson's Bakery Company |
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Eversole-Rogers Company (Dodge-Dart-Lancer) |
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Fantle's 5th Avenue |
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Gamble's Store |
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W. T. Grant Company |
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Great Surplus Stores, Inc. |
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Hammond Organ Studios of La Crosse |
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Hemstock Brothers, Inc. |
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Ray Hutson Chevrolet, Inc. |
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|
L |
1 | 8 | ||
|
La Crosse Printing Company |
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La Crosse Steel Roofing & Corrugating Company |
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La Crosse Telephone Corporation |
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La Crosse Tribune newspaper trade exhibit |
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Lackore Electric Motor Repair, Inc. |
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Lumbermen's Service |
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M-P |
1 | 9 | ||
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McDonald's Carry Out Restaurant |
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Mid-West Restaurant Equipment Company |
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New Villa restaurant |
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Newburg Menswear |
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Newburg Motor Company |
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Carl B. Noelke Church Goods Company |
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North Central Airlines planes |
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J. C. Penney Company, Inc. |
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Pittsburgh Paints |
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The Pyroil Company |
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|
S-Z |
1 | 10 | ||
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S & H Inc. Sport Shop |
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Servisoft Soft Water Supply Company |
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State Road Liquor Store |
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Super Valu grocery stores |
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U-Do-It Rental Company |
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|
Universal Photo Service |
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|
Wettstein's Television and Electric |
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WKBH (radio) and WKBT (television) |
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WKTY Radio station |
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|
Yerly Coal Company |
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|
Religious Structures (Churches and Synagogue) |
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| Box | Folder | |||
|
Apostolic |
1 | 12 | ||
|
Baptist |
1 | 13 | ||
|
Catholic |
1 | 14 | ||
|
Church of God |
1 | 15 | ||
|
Church of Latter-day Saints (reorganized) |
1 | 16 | ||
|
Church of the Nazarene |
1 | 17 | ||
|
Church of the Open Bible |
1 | 18 | ||
|
Episcopal |
1 | 19 | ||
|
Evangelical Free |
1 | 20 | ||
|
Lutheran |
1 | 21 | ||
|
Methodist |
1 | 22 | ||
|
Presbyterian |
1 | 23 | ||
|
Salvation Army |
1 | 24 | ||
|
United Church of Christ |
1 | 25 | ||
|
Synagogue |
1 | 26 | ||
|
Other scenes |
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|
2442 State Road building in the Village Shopping Center under construction |
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|
Stoffel Court apartment complex |
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|
YWCA building at 110 West Avenue South |
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|
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