J450: History of Journalism
Journalism J418/518 Ernie Pyle
Finding resources from the 1930s and 1940s from various states.
What was Leadville Colorado like in 1936? Who was Big Jim McDonald? Whether you are reading Pyle’s article about Leadville or Cheyenne or Pearl Harbor, there are descriptions and facts that can provide background to understanding where Pyle was writing from. I wish I had the time to explore all of Pyle's articles from the 1930s and pull supporting documentation to accompany them. The maps, photos and data compliment his writings.
Below are some sources that might used:
Census: The U.S. Census Bureau has collected statistics about the population, housing, economics since 1790. The data is available at: http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/hiscendata.html For print copies, consult staff in Wells Library, East Tower 2 Government Information, Maps and Microforms (libet2@indiana.edu; 855-6924)
Leadville had a population of 3,771 people with 1969 male, 1802 female. There were only 92 people indicating their race as non-white and only 756 foreign born. There were 65 persons over 75 years of age and 280 under 5 with most people being between 35 and 65. Most people were literate with only 49 reported to be illiterate (aged 10 and over). The Census also reports Native Americans by tribe, foreign born by country of origin, occupation, and school attendance. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/10612963v3p1ch03.pdf
Manuscript Census forms are confidential for 70 years so records for the 1930 Census is available. See Ancestry Library Edition: http://www.libraries.iub.edu/scripts/countResources.php?resourceId=14781679
For example in exploring Pyle’s article about Big Jim McDonald, the census record reveals the following: James McDonald lived alone, valued his worth at $600.00 was 65 years of age, born in Canada as were his parents, worked in the mines and was not a veteran.
IUCAT: The WPA (Works Progress Administration) published guidebooks for every state. Search IUCAT under the name of the state and WPA. or do an advanced search under the subject “Colorado--History. “but add a date range 1930-1940.
Example: Colorado, a guide to the highest state. The WPA guide to 1930s Colorado / compiled by workers of the Writer's Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Colorado ; with a new introduction by Thomas J. Noel. F774.3 .C62 1987
Worldcat: WorldCat is OCLC's Online Union Catalog. It is the world's most comprehensive bibliography, with more than 33 million bibliographic records from libraries around the world. Use WorldCat to do a comprehensive search of published material, to verify citations, or to identify other libraries that own an item. If IU doesn't own basic books/guides to the state of your interest, you might search WorldCat and request items on Interlibrary Loan. (usually takes 5-10 days).
JOURNAL ARTICLES
America: History and Life. BC-CLIO.1972-present. IUCAT/DATATBASES at Resource Gateway at http://www.libraries.iub.edu/. Presents citations and abstracts for books, articles and dissertations on all areas of United States and Canadian history from prehistoric times to the present. Beginning in 1998 also includes reviews of films and videos. These would be secondary sources.
Readers Guide Retrospective 1890-1982 - Provides indexing of general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America. Links to electronic text when available.
EXAMPLE: Pyle road about the condition of the highways driving up to Leadville in the 1930's. This article adds a little flavor to his own description. "Building city streets 10,000 feet above sealevel, Leadville, Colo." Detail Only Available By: Wilder, J. D.. American City, January 1930, Vol. 42, p123-126, 4p Database: Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (H.W. Wilson).
Other Helpful Resources
Historical Statistics of the United States: HSUS provides quantitative facts about the U.S. and its states from the earliest times to 2005.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index: Indexes biographical entries in about 2700 reference books, covering contemporary and historical figures.
Old News: A Selection of online newspapers and periodicals for keeping up with the past.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps including the Digital Sanborn Maps (http://sanborn.umi.com/) database for all fifty states. IUB has the print versions of these maps. We also have highway maps, many from the 1930s and 1940s....Just ask.
EXAMPLE: Leadville Sanborn map index from 1937 
American Memory: American Memory is the digital library site for the Library of Congress. It has digitized numerous historical resources including the U.S. Farm Security Administration's famous photos from the 1930s.
Don't hestitate to email.
Lou Malcomb Head, Gov’t Information, Maps and Microform Services
812-855-6924
http://www.indiana.edu/~libgpd
