Cage 588
Grace Baldwin Davidson
Papers, 1923-1974
Acquisition And Processing Information
Elaine Thomas of Lewiston, Idaho donated these papers of poet, teacher and librarian Grace Davidson Baldwin to the Washington State University Libraries in 1991. Mrs. Thomas had kept the papers for some years following the 1981 death of Grace Davidson Baldwin in New Zealand. The collection was processed in June 1992 by Liza Rognas. In 2010, a 1925 letter written by Baldwin was donated by Neil and Sandy Brandt of Everett, WA, and was added to the collection.
Extent/Quantity Information
Number of Containers: 2
Linear Feet of Shelf Space: 1
Biography
Grace Davidson Baldwin was born in Bernyn, Illinois on August 24, 1897 to Charles C. and Jessie D. Baldwin. Her brother Frank G. Baldwin followed two years later. Some time between 1897 and 1923, Grace Baldwin moved to the Flathead area near Whitefish and Kalispell, Montana. It is unclear whether she was alone in this move or had come with her family. There are several photographs in this collection which show her with friends hiking in the national forests of this region circa 1923. Some of the photos included written references to her father being part of the group. She was clearly living and writing poetry about the area as early as 1924, and she was teaching at the Flathead County school by 1926; she lived and worked for many years in Montana.
During the period circa 1923-1960, she wrote prodigiously and became known for her poems and epic verses. She fashioned her poems after those of Robert Frost whom she greatly admired. Baldwin primarily wrote tributes to and laments for the flora, fauna and people of the Flathead region. Photographs of Baldwin and friends in hiking gear during the 1920s indicate that the Flathead area, including the South Fork River drainage system, were her favorite places. Her poetry from this period references these Montana landscapes almost exclusively. She published her poems in stand-alone book form, and in popular history journals such as Frontiers. It is possible that she published under pseudonyms as well.
Sometime in the early 1960s, Baldwin moved to Lewiston, Idaho, where she worked as the chief librarian at the Lewis and Clark Normal School (later the Lewis Clark State College) for approximately 10 years. Her poetry reflects this change. It becomes centered in the college, in her relationship with the Episcopal Church of the Nativity and in her reminiscences of Montana. Grace Davidson Baldwin married for the first time at age 77, to Frank Hutchinson, after moving to to New Zealand. She died there in 1981.
Collection Description
The collection consists of ephemera, photographs, correspondence, and Baldwin's writings (plays, essays, and poems).
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series: Series 1: Ephemera; Series 2. Photographs; Series 3. Correspondence; Series 4: Plays, essays, and poems.
Series List
- Series 1: Ephemera. This series includes newspaper clippings, printed poems, a vocabulary building notebook, and one issue of the Flathead (MT) Bulletin.
- Series 2: Photographs. There are approximately 90 photographs, arranged into two chronological groups. The first (circa 1900-1963) consists primarily of images of Baldwin camping in Montana, Montana landscapes, and some old family photographs from Illinois. The second group (1958-1974) includes photographs of Baldwin taken in the 1950s and several photographs of unidentified people (possibly at a church gathering). There are also a few snapshots of Baldwin's 1974 wedding to Hutchinson in New Zealand.
- Series 3: Correspondence. This series, though small in volume, offers tantalizing glimpses into Baldwin's life. For instance, the 1932 correspondence between "L. Sterling Gray" and a poetry book publisher indicates that Baldwin may have written and published under this pseudonym. Her letter to "Frank" dated February 4, 1973 recounts a 1938 accident in which she suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Her 1971 letter to an Idaho legislator suggests she was in the habit of writing to government officials and also politically active.
- Series 4: Plays, essays, and poems. This series includes three plays, two of which were definitely written by Baldwin for her Flathead school students to perform as class projects. The third play, "The Gates in the Mountains," is set in 1949. The author of this undated one-act play is not identified. Baldwin kept many of her early college essays dating from roughly 1920 to 1930. She began organizing her poems into theme categories sometime in the 1950s. During the 1960s she published these arrangements in a book called South Fork, The Hope.
Subjects
Baldwin, Grace Davidson -- Archives
Poets, American -- 20th century -- Archives
Women poets, American -- 20th century -- Archives
Access
This collection is open and available for research use. Copyright restrictions apply.
Preferred Citation
The suggested citation for the collection is:
[Item Description]
Grace Davidson Baldwin papers, 1923-1974
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Washington State University Libraries
Pullman, WA
Languages
Materials are in English.