Caroline Sandoz Pifer Collection on Mari Sandoz
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Finding Aid For the Caroline Sandoz Pifer Collection Of Mari Sandoz Papers Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Chadron State College Chadron, Nebraska 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations. Without their assistance, this project could not have been completed. Mr. and Mrs. John Gottschalk for their generous gift in providing funding for archivists. Archivists Ms. Susan Rolfsmeier and Ms. Ann Greenia for their work in processing the collection and creating this document. Drs. Katherine Bahr, Matt Evertson, and Richard Voorhees for their contributions to the finding aid and support of this project. Harris-Bishop Endowment for providing funding for this publication. Ms. Sarah Polak, Center Director, for her direction and determination. Dr. Janie Park, President of Chadron State College, and Dr. Lois Veath, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Chadron State College, for their support of the Sandoz Center and this project. The Mari Sandoz Heritage Society for their knowledge, support, and guardianship of the Mari Sandoz legacy. Mari Sandoz left an indelible mark on the literary world with her body of work. It is the hope of those involved with this project that this finding aid will foster learning through reading and research, as Mari would have wanted it. 2 Caroline Sandoz Pifer Collection of Mari Sandoz Papers MSS 001/1997.001.10460 Chadron State College Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Ethel S. Abbott Library Chadron, NE 69337 Descriptive Summary Creator: Mari Sandoz and Caroline Sandoz Pifer Title: Caroline Sandoz Pifer Collection of Mari Sandoz Papers Date Span: 1826-1999 Bulk dates: 1950-1970 Physical description: 33.36 linear ft. (boxes), oversize papers Language note: English and French (a few documents) Restrictions on access: Due to the nature of certain records in the collection, some files have been designated as restricted. This means that these records are not available to researchers. Researchers who believe that information in the restricted files will be of use in their research may write a letter of waiver to the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Director for access to the restricted files. Terms governing use and reproduction: The Center has the authority to grant non-exclusive rights, on behalf of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and Chadron State Foundation, for use of the materials held in this collection. The Center requires that the Collection name and repository be cited in all uses of the material. If the materials are to be used in publication or production – in any format – the author of the work, must receive written permission from the Center Director before publication. Acquisition information: Documents donated by Caroline Sandoz Pifer to Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and Chadron State College Foundation Finding Aids: Container lists available, Chronological index to manuscripts available Preferred Citation: Caroline Sandoz Pifer Collection of Mari Sandoz Papers 3 Biographical/Historical note: Mari Sandoz was born May 11, 1896 to Marie E. (Fehr) Sandoz and Jules A. Sandoz on the family homestead in Sheridan County in northwestern Nebraska. She was the oldest of six children, Caroline, Flora, Fritz, James, and Jules Jr. Mari was responsible for the care of her younger brothers and sisters from a very early age. Upon completing her elementary education, she passed the rural teachers exam and qualified as a teacher. She taught for the next seven years in rural schools in Sheridan and Cheyenne Counties in western Nebraska. She married Wray Macumber in 1914, but the marriage was dissolved five years later. Although Mari never attended high school, she avidly aspired to have a college education. She was able to persuade officials at the University of Nebraska to admit her and, for some ten years – between 1922 and 1932, she attended classes as a part time student, but never received her degree. She supported herself during the period in Lincoln, Nebraska, as a worker in a drug laboratory, as an English assistant, as a research assistant in the Nebraska State Historical Society, and as a proofreader of the Nebraska State Journal. Mari began her writing career as a young girl. She had her first story entitled “The Broken Promise” published in The Omaha Daily News when she was ten years old. In spite of her father's violent disapproval of her artistic endeavors, she continued writing. In 1927, the Prairie Schooner carried her short story “The Vine” in its first issue. Mari’s literary recognition came with the publication of Old Jules, a biography of her father. The manuscript was rejected multiple times by various publishers before winning The Atlantic Nonfiction Contest in 1935. The Trans-Missouri Series (or the Great Plains Series) that opened with The Beaver Men and was concluded with The Cattlemen in 1958 is undoubtedly Mari Sandoz' central achievement. She undertook the detailed, almost laboratory, study of one region, i.e., the Trans-Missouri Country, from the early stages of settlement to the recent times in order to learn more about human nature in general. The Series also included Crazy Horse, Cheyenne Autumn, The Buffalo Hunters, and Old Jules. Crazy Horse, the biography of the Oglala Sioux leader, was named, in 1954, as one of the Ten Best Books of the West by The Chicago Corral, the parent group of the Westerners. Cheyenne Autumn, depicting the struggle of a small band of homesick Indians on their way to their ancestral home, was made into a movie, though she was disappointed with the result because the movie did not follow the text. One of the goals of her writing was to correct some of the myths about the American West; therefore, she had little patience for typical depictions of Plains Indians, western outlaws and pioneer life. Mari Sandoz also wrote novels, several short stories, and essays. Slogum House, published in 1937, explores the darker aspects of the human character. It was followed in 1939 by Capital City, which was described by reviewers as an indictment of the sordidness of political and social life in a middle-western capitol. Other novels of note are Miss Morissa, The Tom-Walker, and Son of the Gamblin' Man. 4 She received numerous awards during her lifetime. The National Achievement Award by the Westerners Chicago Corral in 1955 could be singled out as it recognized her contribution to the preservation of the cultural background of the American West through her writing, and for her unequalled achievement in having four of her books selected by Westerners in a nationwide poll as ranking in the One Hundred Best Books on the West. In her busy writing career, Mari Sandoz also shared her literary talent with students. She was a staff member of the Writers' Conference at the University of Colorado in 1941 and at the University of Indiana in 1946. Between 1947 and 1956, Mari taught Advanced Novel Writing at the Writers' Institute, part of the University of Wisconsin Summer Program. The University of Nebraska awarded her in 1950 an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature. In 1954, Governor Robert B. Crosby declared August 23 as "Mari Sandoz Day" in Nebraska. Sandoz traveled widely, mainly in pursuit of research materials for her books. Eventually, she established a permanent home in New York's Greenwich Village in order to be close to essential libraries and archives, as well as to her publishers. In the eastern self-imposed exile she wrote about the West she loved. Mari Sandoz died on March 10, 1966. According to her wishes, her body was buried on the “Old Jules Place” south of Gordon, Nebraska, in the Sandhills. Caroline Sandoz Pifer was the youngest child of Marie E. (Fehr) Sandoz and Jules A. Sandoz. She was born in Grayson, Nebraska, on May 21, 1910. She graduated from Gordon High School in 1927 and attended Chadron State College from 1928-1929. Between 1929 and 1933 she worked as a teacher in Sheridan and Cherry Counties in Nebraska, serving 3 full terms. She married Robert Pifer in 1935 and the couple had two daughters - Eleanor and Mary Ann. In 1943-1944, she returned to teaching in Sheridan County and also taught two short terms between 1947 and 1974. While Caroline was very busy as a ranch wife and mother, she was active in her community. She served as a school district moderator for ten years and on the Election board for fifteen years. She was a member of the Sunbeam Calyx Federated Garden Club from 1954-1992 and the Nebraska State Historical Society from 1968-2001. In her role of executor for Mari Sandoz, Caroline was responsible for carrying out Mari’s last wishes and managing the literary estate. While the bulk of Mari’s research collection was deposited at the Archives at the University of Nebraska, her personal papers and belongings were brought to the Pifer Ranch outside of Gordon. Caroline wrote several books about Mari and co-wrote a biography about her brother Jules Jr. 5 Scope and Content note: This collection contains materials retained by Caroline Sandoz Pifer after Mari’s death in 1966. Included are some of Mari’s carbon copies of her own letters, thermo- copies of Mari’s correspondence produced by Caroline, multiple drafts of Mari’s books, short stories, as well as works in progress, financial records, and assorted clippings and collected materials. While some notes were found throughout the collection, it should be noted that the bulk of Mari’s research material is not included here. Caroline maintained and grew this collection between 1966-1997 adding memorabilia sent to her, collecting clippings related to Mari, and typing introductions to Mari’s letters and short works. Thus this collection is a blend of both Caroline and Mari and at times it is not easy to separate the two.