SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
& Hilton M.
Briggs Library Special Collections
Bert Popowski papers
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COLLECTION SUMMARY Title: Bert Popowski papers Dates: 1935-1978 Creator: Bert Popowski Physical Description: 4.32 linear feet—8 containers, 93 photographs, 7 negatives Collection number: MA 5 Language: Collection material in English. Repository: South Dakota State University Archives, Hilton M. Briggs Library, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D. Abstract: Collection is composed of articles, manuscripts, and materials related to Popowski’s career as author and hunter. Included are photographs, illustrations, and many articles. Bulk of collection is copies of articles authored by Popowski on the subject of hunting and wildlife. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Provenance: Bert Popowski donated his personal library of books, photographs, manuscripts and wildlife-related materials to South Dakota State University in 1979. Popowski is noted as an outdoor writer. He wrote ten books concerning various aspects of outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing. His writings emphasized the important of habitat management. Access Restrictions: This collection is open to research without restriction. Items in this collection do not circulate and may be used in-house only. Copyright Status: Copyright 2008 by South Dakota State University and SDSU Archives. Please credit the SDSU Archives if you copy or reproduce material from this finding aid. It is the responsibility of anyone reproducing material to determine the copyright holders and obtain permission from them if necessary. Archives staff will provide available copyright information on request. Please note that most collections, especially those received before 1997, may not have complete information on file. (Revised 15 SEP 2003) Preferred Citation: [Identification of item]. Bert Popowski papers, MA 5, South Dakota State University Archives, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S. D. Processing Information: All of the photographs have been separated from the collection and placed in the Photograph Archives for preservation purposes. This collection was received prior to 1997, when SDSU Archives was established. The then acting archivist created a preliminary inventory of materials received. Final processing of this collection was conducted by Crystal J. Gamradt on 31 March 1998 with revisions on June 24, 2008 (cjg). SELECTED SEARCH TERMS The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the subject guide. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. Names:
Subjects:
BACKGROUND NOTE Bert John Popowski was born in Grafton, North Dakota on February 15, 1904. He lived in Grafton throughout his elementary and high school years. He attended South Dakota State College in Brookings, South Dakota and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in printing in 1926. He married Harriet Seymour of Aberdeen, SD in 1930. They had two sons, John Seymour and Jerome Bert. Throughout his career, Bert lived in various areas of the United States and held several different jobs, ranging from a high school principal to associate editor for Look Magazine. From 1951 to his death in 1982, he worked as a freelance writer, author, and contributing editor for several publications. During a career that spanned half a century, Bert wrote over 2,300 articles. His first feature story appeared in Outdoor Life in 1931. He served as contributing editor for The American Rifleman writing a column titled Dope Bag. He also wrote columns for several other magazines, including Hunting for The Outdoorsman, Guns and Ammunition for Hunting & Fishing, and The Shot Tower for Guns and Hunting. He wrote several major books and gained national prominence with his classic Hunting Pronghorn Antelope. Some of his works were translated into Spanish and Japanese. He was also an award-winning photographer, and his photographs illustrated many of his articles and books. In his earlier years, he was best known as an expert varmint hunter. Several of his books did much to popularize this form of hunting. In 1932, he built a log cabin near the Narrows on French Creek in Custer State Park. There he weathered the Great Depression and did most of his writing. In 1949 he won the National Crow Shooting Championship, using calls of his own design to take first place over 51 other contestants. Bert was always interested in natural history and wildlife management as well as hunting. In 1980, he donated a collection of his books, original manuscripts, and photographs to his alma mater, South Dakota State University. At the convention of the Outdoor Writers Association of America in Rapid City, the State of South Dakota presented him with a special award as the Dean of South Dakota Outdoor Writers. In the 1980’s, Bert contracted cancer and eventually suffered a stroke, which hospitalized him. He died on February 14, 1982. Bibliography: Calling All Game, Harrisburg, Pa., Stackpole Co. [1952] SK33.P6ca Calling All Varmints, Harrisburg, Pa., Stackpole Co. [1952] SK33.P6c Crow Shooting, New York : A.S. Barnes and Company [1946] SK325.C7 P6 Hunting Pronghorn Antelope, Harrisburg, Pa., Stackpole Co. [1959] SK305.A6 P6h Hunting Small Game, New York : Macmillian Co., 1948. SK36.P63 Manual dil Cazador de Alimanas y Grajos, [The varmint and crow hunter’s bible. Spanish], Barcelona : Editorial Sintes, 1964, c 1962. SK33.P58718 Olt’s Hunting Handbook, [Omaha?, c1948] SK313.P6 South Dakota Brags, Custer, S.D.: The Author, 1953. F651.5.P6 The Hunter’s Book of the Pronghorn Antelope, Tulsa, Okla., Winchester Press, c1982. SK305.P76 P66 1982 The Redbook of Big Game Hunting, Skokie, Ill., Publishers Development Corp., 1961. SK33.P588 The Varmint and Crow Hunter’s Bible, Garden City, N. Y., Doubleday, [1962]. SK33.P587 Varmint Hunting, Paterson, N. J., Athletic Activities Pub. Co., 1971. SK336.P66 SCOPE and CONTENTS NOTE This collection is composed of articles, manuscripts, and materials related to Popowski’s career as author and hunter. Included are photographs, illustrations, and many articles. Bulk of collection is copies of articles authored by Popowski on the subject of hunting and wildlife. ARRANGEMENT of the RECORDS The Bert Popowski Papers are arranged into eight series: General, Illustrations, Japanese Magazine: Modern Hunting, Manuscripts, Phonograph Record, Photographs, Published Articles, and Research Material. Many of the manuscripts are accompanied by correspondence sent to publishers and an information card, which notes to which publications Popowski sent his manuscripts, whether or not they were published and the amount he was paid for these manuscripts. Several of the manuscripts were published in books as collected works. The largest series is Popowski’s collection of articles he had published in various hunting and wildlife publications. These articles cover a wide range of subjects from big game, crow and varmint hunting to safety and conservation issues. Included also is an autographed copy of The Outdoorsman (June 1947) in which Popowski wrote an article titled “Off-Season” Duck Hunting. There are several black and white photographs, mostly of wildlife and hunting, and a few negatives. Some items of note are 22 matted and signed black and white photographs that Popowski entered into a photography contest at the Iowa State Fair. He won first prize for these photographs. The illustrations consist of several loose-leaf illustrations of crows drawn by Gordon Elliott for Popowski's book titled Crow Shooting and include 29 ink drawings. Also included are two folders of photograph proofs (37 pages) for Popowski’s book titled Hunting Pronghorn Antelope, 1 mat board drawing of a fireplace in what is suspected to be Popowski’s cabin and drawn by C. Greenidge and one phonograph record titled Crow Calling. SERIES I: General, 1942-1976, [n.d.] Box 1.
SERIES II: Illustrations, [n.d.] Box 8.
SERIES III: Japanese Magazine: Modern Hunting,1968-1970 Box 7.
SERIES IV: Manuscripts, 1946-1978, [n.d.] Box 2.
Box 3.
Box 4.
Box 5.
SERIES V: Phonograph record, [n.d.] Box 8.
SERIES VI: Photographs, 1937-1939, 1949, [n.d.] Box 7.
SERIES VII: Published Articles, 1935-1964, [n.d.] Box 5.
Box 6.
SERIES VIII: Research Material, 1946-1973 Box 1.
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Updated 23 June 2008 by cjg Email questions or comments to: arcrefs@sdstate.edu Copyright 2008 by South
Dakota State University and SDSU Archives. |