Ted Trueblood Collection

Series 3: Manuscripts and Drafts

Most of the manuscripts and typescripts of Ted Trueblood’s published articles no longer exist, but those that do are arranged alphabetically by title in Series III.  This series contains approximately one hundred drafts and manuscripts written over a fifty-year time span, 1931-1982.  The material includes his earliest attempts to gain entry to magazine publication through his lobbying for the environment in the 1980s.  Also included here (in Box 15) are chapter drafts for an unfinished book, book contracts, and calendar schedules for publication. 

           Trueblood kept a running count of his magazine articles from 1949-1982; they total 656 (Box 15, folder 2).  These drafts and manuscripts reflect the hard work and disappointment that can be connected with a writing career, along with the successes.  Trueblood identified articles that never were printed as “misfires.”

           In Box 13, folder 12,  there are several versions of the same short story.  The main character, Billy, age 12, is introduced in various settings while the plot line remains the same.  The drafts demonstrate the author’s ability to polish his work until he was satisfied with the results.

           At least eight of these manuscripts were rejected and six of them are incomplete.  Among the rejections are three very witty pieces: “The Eyes and Bite Spiders,” “How to Fix Things,” and “The Trying Times of the Trueblood Cats.” 

        In Box 13, folder 48, is Ted’s last article, “Joe’s Christmas.”  While the article was not finished, it was published as “My Dog Joe” in the December 1982 issue of Field & Stream.

        Most of these drafts are about fishing and hunting, but other types of writing are represented as well.  For example there is a  short mystery story, “Luck,” as well as a one act play, “The Quest of the Golden Cross.”  A sample of Trueblood’s artwork is a sketch, “The Bells of San Gabriel.” 

           Three articles deal with the opposite gender: “The Indirect Answer,” “Shy Away If...,” and “Guns & Gals.”  The last has two versions, one written by Ted’s future wife, Ellen Michaelson, and one by the author.  Several outdoor-cooking articles are contained in Box 14: “Pie Baking,” “Sourdough Bread,” and “The Pot Hook.”

           Trueblood explored the short-story as documented here in five cowboy/western tales.  However, his best short stories are based on real-life experiences.   “Untitled” (Box 14, folder 51) is vintage Trueblood, a story written in 1938 about fishing trip with the woman who would become his wife.

           Those readers looking for biographical material will find informative facts in folders 24 and 49, Box 13, and folder 12, Box 14.  And finally, in contrast to the author’s humorous writing, there are several manuscripts that show a darker mood: “Heartbreak” (poem, 1934), “The Myth of Our American Mentality” (essay, 1932), and “A Need for Fulfillment” (1970). 

        The author typed many of his articles on highly acidic paper.  Many of these drafts were photocopied onto acid-free stock for preservation purposes.  Annotations of background notes and titles by his son, Jack, appear on a few of the drafts

Box 13: Manuscripts and Drafts

      Folder  1    Advice to the Keen of Hearing  
                  2    America's Largest Wilderness, Wild America, March 1979  
                  3    Barney, dog story  
                  4    The Bells of San Gabriel, drawing, 1933
                  5    Best Thing Around Boise,  Boise Vision  
                  6    The Big Steal, Field & Stream, March 1980  
                  7    The Biggest Ripoff, Field & Stream, March 1981
                  8    Bill  
                  9    Bill Pays a Bet, rejected by National Sportsman, 1934  
                10    Birds of Prey  
                11    The Boy From Back Beyond, incomplete short story  
                12    Buddy Shoots the Man [title by Jack Trueblood], 1931
                13    Campfire Talks, script  
                14    Carry a Spare, Rocky Mountain Sportsman, 1939
                15    Case of the Spotted Frog, submitted to National Sportsman  
                16    Cowboy Story, short story  
                17    Dear Harper, submitted to National Sportsman, 1938  
                18    The Decline of Evan McDevon, incomplete article, June 1948  
                19    Deer from the Middle Fork, with photos  
                20    Depression Outfitting,  under name J. W. Wintring,  1932  
                21    Disaster on the Western Range, Field & Stream, January 1975
                22    Down Under Spells Action, Fenwick Newsletter
                23    The Eyes and Bite Spiders, misfire submitted to Family Circle, 1955  
                24    An Eyewitness Account of Predators in Alaska
                25    An Eyewitness Account of Predators in Alaska (duplicate)  
                26    Fall Bass and the Fall Guy, submitted to Outdoor Life  
                27    Farm-Reared Rainbows of a Mountain State, submitted to Outdoor Life, 1938
                28    The Fisherman's Dream, 1934
                29    Fly Rods: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, retitled Fly Rods Take a Giant Step, True's Yearbook, 1973  
                30    Graphite Rods,  1973
                31    Gray Breaks the Dawn,  incomplete, introductory paragraph only, 1934  
                32    Guns and Gals,  (2 stories)  1937
                                    No. 1 by Ellen Michaelson
                                    No. 2 by Ted Trueblood
                33    Heartbreak, poetry, 1934
                34    Help Wanted--To Save a Wilderness, 1980?
                35    Hillybilly Trout are Smart,  Field & Stream, June 1941
                36    The Hoax, under name J. W. Wintring, 1934  
                37    How Not to Catch a Fish,  misfire, 1932
                38    How Not to Cripple A Duck
                39    How to Enjoy Wilderness, 1989 and 1978  
                40    How to Fix Things,  misfire submitted to Elks
                41    How to Have More Game,  Field & Stream, January 1974  
                42    'Hunting' Bass and Trout in Idaho
                43    Idaho's Million Acre Hassle,  written for American Wilderness Alliance,  revised  to "America's Largest Wilderness" ( see Box 12, folder 2)
                 44    Ideas That Work,  written for The Izaak Walton League
                 45    In Defense of  Pipes,  True, December 1967
                 46    The Indirect Answer,  misfire submitted to Reader's Digest, 1955
                 47    Joe's Christmas,  incomplete
                 48    Joe's Christmas, retitled My Dog Joe,  Field & Stream, December 1982
                 49    Knives in Our Lives, Field & Stream, August 1982  

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