Tracking the Brothers Murie: On the Trail of Olaus and Adolph
Olaus J. Murie (1889-1963) spent 26 years with the US Biological Survey and its successor, the Fish and Wildlife Service; his brother Adolph Murie (1899-1974) spent three decades with the National Park Service. Their seminal studies of elk, coyotes, wolves, grizzly bears, and other mammals helped shape the emergence of wildlife research as a practice, and wildlife management as a profession. Yet surprisingly, given the Murie brothers’ contributions, no full biographies exist for either, and key aspects of their careers remain largely unexamined. In this presentation, historian Dr. John C. Rumm traces his ongoing efforts to track the Murie brothers, and shares some initial findings from his current research.
As Senior Curator of Western American History at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Dr. John C. Rumm recently oversaw a major reinstallation of the Buffalo Bill Museum.
Dr. Rumm came to the BBHC from Philadelphia, where he held senior-level positions with several museums. Prior to that, he spent 11 years with the Smithsonian Institution, and consulted on heritage for corporate and non-profit clients.
Dr. Rumm received his B.A. in the History of Science and Technology from Ohio State University, and did his graduate work at the University of Delaware, receiving a Master’s and a doctorate in American History. He was a Fellow in the Hagley Graduate Program at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware, where he also worked as an archivist.
Since 2009, Dr. Rumm has been vice-president and newsletter editor of Meadowlark Audubon Society. A lifelong birder, he also has deep interests in environmental and natural history.
Dr. Rumm’s research on the Murie brothers is supported by grants from the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Historical Society, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Please join us on Friday, October 11, 2013 at 7PM at the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Building at 2211 King Blvd. for this program about a very influential conservation family and our Chapter’s namesake. As always, the program is free and open to the public! Program Chair—Bruce Walgren