Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Howard A. Walsh papers contain diaries, technical papers, and other material related to the life and work of Walsh throughout the first half of the 20th century.

The Howard A. Walsh papers contain diaries, technical papers, and other material related to the life and work of Walsh throughout the first half of the 20th century. The collection's six diaries cover the years 1925, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, and 1931, and primarily consist of brief daily entries chronicling Walsh's work for the Doble Engineering Company. As a knowledgeable engineer, he toured the country and worked on a number of different systems, and though his diaries primarily record his professional exploits, they also contain some personal comments. Several entries throughout October 1929, for example, chart his mounting financial losses during the stock market crash, which eventually amounted to at least $2,000.

An engineering notebook contains photographs and colored illustrations of 1920s-era electric transformers and other related equipment, as well as notes about their operation and technical specifications. A series of technical papers and memos complete his professional papers, and provide a picture of the industry in the mid-20th century. Other material in the collection includes a series of photographs and ephemera related to cars, motorcycles, and boats owned by Walsh throughout his life, as well as a draft of his autobiography about his experiences during World War I.

The Rich Patch Iron & Ore Company collection is made up of correspondence, reports, financial records, maps, and other items related to mining operations in Virginia, West Virginia, Ontario, and Minnesota. Many items pertain to the geologic composition of lands in Alleghany County, Virginia, and Raleigh County, West Virginia, particularly with regard to iron and coal.

The Rich Patch Iron & Ore Company collection is made up of correspondence, reports, financial records, maps, and notes related to mining operations in Virginia, West Virginia, Ontario, and Minnesota. The majority of the items are reports addressed to individuals and companies about coal seams and iron mining in Alleghany County, Virginia, and Raleigh County, West Virginia, including geologic and chemical analyses; many concern the Glade Creek coal field in West Virginia. The collection also includes surveyor's map of land in Alleghany County, Virginia (November 14, 1874). A small group of "Daily Reports from Patch Mines" provides information on daily expenses, including the total cost of workers' wages. Other business letters and reports pertain to companies such as the Union Steel Company, and some of the notes contain illustrations of rock strata in coal lands. A smaller group of reports and maps concerns lands near Lake Nipigon in Ontario, Canada, and iron ore mining and shipments around Lake Superior. Another group of documents includes maps, notes, and reports about "Little Mesabi" (or "Mesaba") in Minnesota.