This collection consists of personal information, journal entries, poems, and correspondence of Gene Stratton-Porter, 1904, 1914 - 1924, 2019, and undated, .5 Cubic Feet (in 1 box). The collection is organized alphabetically. All the correspondence is photocopies.
A large portion of the collection consists of letters sent from Gene Stratton-Porter to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cochrane, close friends of hers. These letters talk about her writing, surroundings (people, objects), and the environments (nature) she was in. There are also journal entries, where Stratton-Porter makes observations about the world around her. The box also includes poems with markings and edits that were probably made by Gene Stratton-Porter herself. At times, the markings themselves appear to be in another’s handwriting other than Stratton-Porter, in which the reader can make out through the content notes. Topics in her poems typically are nature and emotions. Gene made frequent mention of what her writing meant to her and how it made her feel. This correspondence helps to understand Stratton-Porter on a deeper, more emotional level. Some collection highlights include “A Collection of Poems” by Gene Stratton-Porter, edited poems and short stories, and letters revealing a deeper understanding of her love for nature. Most of the letters are typed. Some letters, from her later life, are addressed from California, her final permanent residence, to various parts of the country, including Arkansas, New York, and Indiana. Most of the letters, however, do not contain a location.
Processing Note: One folder of duplicates was withdrawn from the collection during processing.
Biographies:
Gene G. Stratton-Porter was born in Wabash County, Indiana, on August 17th, 1863 to Mary (Shallenberger) and Mark Stratton. She had eleven siblings including Catherine, Mary Ann, Anastasia, Florence, Ada, Jerome, Irvin, Leander, Lemon, Samir, and Louisa Jane. Stratton-Porter did not receive a large multitude of formal schooling, for she left Wabash High School in her final term to take care of her sister, Anastasia, who was ill with cancer. Stratton-Porter met her future husband, Charles Dorwin Porter, in Sylvan Lake, Indiana in 1884. The two had regular correspondence for months before they met again, to be engaged only a few more months later. Their only child, Jeannette was born August 27, 1887.
Stratton-Porter took up writing in 1895 as a way to express herself and earn her own income, for she wanted to be more than just a mother and a wife. She originally began to write about the birdlife surrounding her, for she grew up on a farm and had become heavily in touch with nature. She then went on to write twenty-six books; twelve novels, eight nature studies, two poetry books, and four collections of stories and children’s books.
Stratton-Porter also regularly contributed to magazines with her articles and photographs. She wrote and photographed for Metropolitan, Recreation, Outing, Country Life in America, Outdoor America, Good Housekeeping, and Ladies’ Home Journal. After all of her writing, Stratton-Porter still found time to follow another passion of hers; movie producing. Often times, Stratton-Porter was dissatisfied with the movie adaption of her novels, and as a result she became her own producer in 1924. Her daughter, Jeannette, even wrote the screenplay for one. A revolutionary of her time, Stratton-Porter was one of the few women to hold such a high-level job in this industry.
Gene Stratton-Porter was also an activist for environmentally sound practices. She noticed the impact cutting down trees had on the lives on animals as well as climate change, and promoted nature conservation. Stratton-Porter also saved the wild elk at Jackson Hole, Wyoming from extinction. As someone who grew up on a farm, Stratton-Porter had a passion for nature.
Gene Stratton-Porter spent the last few years of her life living in California, where she continued to write novels and poetry. She passed away December 6, 1924 due to a traffic accident. Her chauffeur had collided with a streetcar, and she was thrown from the vehicle and died a few hours later. Her husband passed just two years later. (This information is from the collection and a statement included with the donation.)
