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Open to public research
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from David L. Crowder Papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the Special Collections Board of Curators.
David L. Crowder was born in American Falls in 1941. He earned a Bachelorâs degree in 1965 and a Masterâs degree in 1966 from Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. He received a Ph.D. in American History in 1972 from the University of Utah.
Dr. Crowder taught history classes at Ricks College for twenty years. He has been very interested in the history of Idaho, and has written several books to preserve the past.
The David L. Crowder collection includes research notes, drafts of books, typescripts, newspaper clippings, and correspondence relating to southeastern Idaho with a focus on Rexburg and Ricks College. The bulk of the collection is comprised of research notes and various drafts of the following books:
James Whaley Webster,
The notes and drafts for Crowderâs Centennial History are comprised of three boxes. The remainder of the collection is made up of papers from the Teton Dam Disaster Project, Chamber of Commerce papers, papers pertaining to the unsuccessful attempt by the church to give Ricks to the state of Idaho, correspondence related to the controversial proposal to move Ricks College to Idaho Falls.
David L. Crowder is an authority on the history of Ricks College. He defined three distinct phases to the collegeâs history. In his words he says, âFrom 1888-1929 the college was founded, went through hard times and name changes, and emerged with some stability. From 1929 to 1961 the college was in almost constant turmoil. From 1961 to 1988 the college entered a period of rapid growth with a sense of stability, with only minor chinks to keep things interesting.â His collection shows these time periods, as the collection is mostly chronological.
The Photograph collection, which includes images of Rexburg history, the Teton flood and Ricks College, has been separated.