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Guide to the Howard W. Colvin Diary and Photographs, 1942-1962 MSS 125

Guide to the Howard W. Colvin Diary and Photographs, 1942-1962

MSS 125

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

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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.

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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.

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Arrangement

Materials are arranged in two series:

Series 1: Diary

Series 2: Photographs

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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

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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

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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.

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Collection Inventory

Diary 

Box Folder

Diary (photocopied), 1942 May-August 

1 1

Newspaper clippings (photocopied) that were inside the diary, circa 1940s-1959 

1 2

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Photographs, circa 1960-1962 

La Crescent, Minnesota 

Box Folder

Index to photographs and map, 2010 

Other Finding Aids note

The 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 

Overhouse Cash & Carry 

Wie-Mar Pre Cast Concrete 

Commodore 

La Crescent Farm & Orchard Supply 

Ranch Motel 

Shamrock Bowling 

Deep Rock Gas Station 

Joe's Twilite Zone 

Crescent Motel 

Crescent Inn 

Jorstad's 

Harris Grocery 

Bob's IGA 

Herb Krage's Sportsman's Bar 

Times-Chief newspaper office 

Craig's Dry Cleaners 

Keller's Clothing 

Caledonia Bakery and Soda Shop 

Pharmacy and Vindahl's Hardware Store 

La Crescent Laundry 

Mobile Gas Station 

La Crescent State Bank 

Vonderohe's Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning 

D. J. Quillin Realty 

Fay's Apple Stand 

Kletzke's Apple Stand 

Niebuhr's Coffee Shop 

Minnesota Motel 

Crescent Electronics 

Barbershop 

La Crescent Lumber & Coal 

Loechler's Chevrolet/La Crescent Motor Company 

Iverson's Building Supplies 

De Jarlais Broiler 

Consolidated Builders Supply 

Spande's Nursery 

William Cornforth Realty 

La Crescent Concrete 

Rudy's Skelly Service Station 

Other scenes 

1 5

Panorama Motel 

Trucks paving on the south end of Oak Street 

Post office 

Aerial view looking at west side of La Crescent from Stanke's apple orchard on Apple Bloomer Drive 

La Crosse, Wisconsin 

Businesses 

Box Folder

A-C 

1 6

Alden's Catalog Sales Store 

Credit Bureau of La Crosse 

Crescent Jewelers 

Becker Roffing Company 

The Borden Company 

Citizens Loan & Finance Company 

Click Distributing Company, Inc. 

Collin's La Crosse Sign Company 

Community Camera 

Culligan Soft Water Service 

D-H 

1 7

Dahl Motors La Crosse, Inc. (Ford) 

Dairyland Power Cooperative 

Dolly Madison Dairies 

Erickson's Bakery Company 

Eversole-Rogers Company (Dodge-Dart-Lancer) 

Fantle's 5th Avenue 

Gamble's Store 

W. T. Grant Company 

Great Surplus Stores, Inc. 

Hammond Organ Studios of La Crosse 

Hemstock Brothers, Inc. 

Ray Hutson Chevrolet, Inc. 

1 8

La Crosse Printing Company 

La Crosse Steel Roofing & Corrugating Company 

La Crosse Telephone Corporation 

La Crosse Tribune newspaper trade exhibit 

Lackore Electric Motor Repair, Inc. 

Lumbermen's Service 

M-P 

1 9

McDonald's Carry Out Restaurant 

Mid-West Restaurant Equipment Company 

New Villa restaurant 

Newburg Menswear 

Newburg Motor Company 

Carl B. Noelke Church Goods Company 

North Central Airlines planes 

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. 

Pittsburgh Paints 

The Pyroil Company 

S-Z 

1 10

S & H Inc. Sport Shop 

Servisoft Soft Water Supply Company 

State Road Liquor Store 

Super Valu grocery stores 

U-Do-It Rental Company 

Universal Photo Service 

Wettstein's Television and Electric 

WKBH (radio) and WKBT (television) 

WKTY Radio station 

Yerly Coal Company 

Religious Structures (Churches and Synagogue) 

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 

2442 State Road building in the Village Shopping Center under construction 

Stoffel Court apartment complex 

YWCA building at 110 West Avenue South 

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