Walter Mason Camp
Encyclopedia
Walter Mason Camp was a respected editor, author, railroad expert and historical researcher.
He was born in Camptown, Pennsylvania, and was educated at the Pennsylvania State College
. From 1897 until his death, he was the editor of The Railway and Engineering Review (later renamed Railway Review) a railroad construction and engineering journal, published in Chicago
. He was the author of the authoritative 1903 2-volume text Notes on Track, which continued to be a standard reference in the classroom and in the field for many years. Camp married Emeline L. F. Sayles in 1898. They had no children. He died unexpectedly at Kankakee, Illinois
.
Walter Mason Camp is also well-known for interviewing hundreds of both white and Native American
participants in the American
Indian Wars
of the second half of the 19th century. Although Camp wrote only a few brief papers and speeches, his interview notes are important source material, particularly for researchers dealing with the Battle of the Little Bighorn
. For many years after Camp's death, his notes were inaccessible, but most are now held in public collections, at the Brigham Young University
Library in Provo, Utah
; the University of Colorado at Boulder
Library; Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
at Crow Agency, Montana
; at the Indiana University Bloomington Library; and the Denver Public Library
in Denver, Colorado
. These collections also include photographs and maps. Some material remains in private hands. Much of the material (mostly that related to the Battle of the Little Bighorn) has now been published. Camp visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield many times, in the company of such notable participants as Curley
, Peter Thompson
, Gen. Edward S. Godfrey
, Sgt. Daniel Knipe, Stanislaus Roy, George Herendeen, and others. He used his engineering skills to survey and map the battlefield and Custer's
route to it. Camp also rediscovered a number of "lost" battle sites, including those of the Battle of Slim Buttes
and the Wagon Box Fight
.
He was born in Camptown, Pennsylvania, and was educated at the Pennsylvania State College
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. From 1897 until his death, he was the editor of The Railway and Engineering Review (later renamed Railway Review) a railroad construction and engineering journal, published in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He was the author of the authoritative 1903 2-volume text Notes on Track, which continued to be a standard reference in the classroom and in the field for many years. Camp married Emeline L. F. Sayles in 1898. They had no children. He died unexpectedly at Kankakee, Illinois
Kankakee, Illinois
Kankakee is a city in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,561, and 26,840 as of a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Kankakee County...
.
Walter Mason Camp is also well-known for interviewing hundreds of both white and Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
participants in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
of the second half of the 19th century. Although Camp wrote only a few brief papers and speeches, his interview notes are important source material, particularly for researchers dealing with the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
. For many years after Camp's death, his notes were inaccessible, but most are now held in public collections, at the Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
Library in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
; the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
Library; Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the June 25, 1876, Battle of the Little Bighorn, near Crow Agency, Montana, in the United States. It also serves as a memorial to those who fought in the battle: George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and a combined Lakota-Northern...
at Crow Agency, Montana
Crow Agency, Montana
Crow Agency is a census-designated place in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment known as Custer's Last Stand...
; at the Indiana University Bloomington Library; and the Denver Public Library
Denver Public Library
The Denver Public Library is the public library of the city of Denver, Colorado in the United States. Its administrative headquarters is on the 7th floor of the Central Library in Downtown Denver. , the library system had 2,519,977 items in its collection, and a library card base of 417,616 local...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. These collections also include photographs and maps. Some material remains in private hands. Much of the material (mostly that related to the Battle of the Little Bighorn) has now been published. Camp visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield many times, in the company of such notable participants as Curley
Curley
Ashishishe , known as Curly , was a Crow scout in the United States Army during the Sioux Wars, best known for having been one of the few survivors on the United States side at the Battle of Little Bighorn. He did not fight in the battle, but watched from a distance, and was the first to report the...
, Peter Thompson
Peter Thompson (soldier)
Peter Thompson was a Scots-American soldier who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.-Biography:...
, Gen. Edward S. Godfrey
Edward Settle Godfrey
Edward Settle Godfrey was a United States Army Brigadier General who received the Medal of Honor for leadership as a captain during the Indian Wars.-Early life and education:...
, Sgt. Daniel Knipe, Stanislaus Roy, George Herendeen, and others. He used his engineering skills to survey and map the battlefield and Custer's
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
route to it. Camp also rediscovered a number of "lost" battle sites, including those of the Battle of Slim Buttes
Battle of Slim Buttes
The Battle of Slim Buttes was fought on September 9–10, 1876, in the Great Sioux Reservation between the United States Army and Miniconjou Sioux during the Great Sioux War of 1876...
and the Wagon Box Fight
Wagon Box Fight
The Wagon Box Fight was an engagement on August 2, 1867, during Red Cloud's War between the U.S. Army and Lakota Native Americans in the vicinity of Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming.-Background:...
.
External links
- http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2FCamp, The Walter Mason Camp photograph collection includes links to 86 photographic images, centering on Camp’s interest in the Indian Wars of North America occurring between 1865 and 1890.