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Ben East was a prominent Michigan outdoorsman and outdoor writer. The bulk of his career was spent as a writer and editor for Outdoor Life, a nationally distributed outdoors magazine. Additionally, he wrote for a number of Michigan-based newspapers and publications, and was a prominent Michigan conservationist.

The Ben East papers contain material dating from as early as 1935 and spanning the next 45 years of his career as an outdoorsman, writer, and conservationist with the bulk of the materials focusing on his career as an outdoor writer and editor. The collection is divided into five series: Editorial Copy, Personal Papers, Photographs, Publications, and Topical Files.

The collection consists of correspondence, reports, minutes, photographs and negatives, publications, and newspaper clippings (copies) of units within the Council.

The collection consists of correspondence, financial and membership reports, and meeting minutes relating to Summer Trails Council, Saginaw Bay Area Council, and Lake Huron Area Council. Much of the correspondence and related materials concerns issues related to the merger of Summer Trails and Valley Councils in 1961 and the consequent transfer of ownership of Bear Lake Scout Camp. Also included are copies of newspaper clippings regarding scouting activities, 1936-1976 (scattered) and a nearly complete run of Saginaw Bay Area Council Scouter (later Lake Huron Area Council Scouter) (newsletter), 1961-1972. The Articles of Incorporation for both Bay City (Summer Trails) and Valley Trails Councils are also included. There is also an entire box containing photographs of camp activities and buildings as well as of general Scouting events. Oversized photographs, which are glued onto cardboard for an exhibit, document the organizational meeting of the council on June 29, 1971 at Delta College.

Part of the pre-merger troops are documented in the records of the BSA. Paul Bunyan Council No. 259 (Midland, Mich.), which is also in the Clarke.

The collection consists of photographs, artifacts, publications, and newspaper clippings (copies) of the Council.

The collection mainly consists of photographs, artifacts, some of the Council’s publications, and newspaper clippings (copies). The oversized materials consist mostly of merit badges glued onto cardboard, probably for an exhibit display, information about the history of the badges, and a retirement plaque presented to Arthur E. Henry in 1974. Most of the collection documents the dedication and early use of the P. B. S. R., 1959-1971 and undated.

Several artifacts and other materials of peripheral value to the collection, i.e. generic Scout items, were withdrawn during processing. Relevant Jamboree books were added to the Clarke’s book collection.

The collection documents the activities and history of the Isabella County Girl Scouts.

The collection of Organization Records, 1930-1980, undated, documents fifty years of the Council. Materials include: financial records, 1937-1945, 1953-1962; scrapbooks, 1951-1980; bulletins, 1951-1959; record book, 1947-1962 (with correspondence, bulletins, and meeting minutes); photographs, 1945, 1959, 1980; constitution and by-laws, 1938, 1955; journals of activities, 1930-1956 (meeting minutes of the Leadership Council); annual reports, 1952-1958; directories, 1940-1962; some loose correspondence and meeting minutes, which document the leadership, not the actual Girl Scout meetings, 1960-1962, 1954-1964. Special events such as Senior Round-Ups and conferences are also included in the collection. Boxes 1-2 contain letter-size materials while Box 3 contains legal-size materials and Box 4 has oversized materials.

The collection documents the history of the MOWA, through meeting minutes, photographs, and scrapbooks.

The collection, 1044-2012, and undated, totals 5 cubic feet (in 6 boxes, 2 Oversized v., 1 Ov. folder), and documents the history of the MOWA, through meeting minutes, photographs, and scrapbooks. Central Michigan University is mentioned in connection with MOWA for helping celebrate the 20th anniversary (see Folder 1964). All the boxes in the collection are .5 cubic foot letter-size boxes. Loose materials in the backs of the scrapbooks were sorted, sleeved, and are in Box #6.

The collection is organized by size and then alphabetically and chronologically.

A history of the organization is separately cataloged.

ALLERGY ALERT: Researchers, please be aware that here is a strong mildew smell throughout the collection. If you suffer from allergies, please take precautions before using the collection.

Processing Note: Two cubic feet of materials were removed from the collection during processing including: duplicates, acidic materials (copies were retained), membership applications, generic correspondence.