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Teacher, Historian, Author
LeRoy Reuben Hafen was born 8 December 1893 in a Mormon town known as Bunkerville (Nevada). The twelve-pound baby boy was born to polygamist father, John George Hafen and his second wife Mary Ann Stucki Hafen. Growing up in an experimental communal living with thirty-six households, LeRoy's character was shaped by two dominant forces: the Mormon Church and the Virgin River. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LeRoy developed the virtues of hard work, thrift, and the value of cooperation. From the periodically flooding Virgin River, LeRoy learned how to press forward in the face of adversity. Much of his youth was spent helping to take care of his family's farm, and working at a vineyard in Mesquite (Nevada) during the summer. He also developed a talent for playing the violin, which he played for many church functions.
To pursue his education, LeRoy attended high school in Ceder City (Utah) for two years. Then he attended St. George Stake Academy located in St. George (Utah) for two more years, graduating in 1913. It was also in St. George that Hafen met Ann Woodbury, the daughter of John Taylor Woodbury and Mary Elisabeth Evans Woodbury. It was love at first sight and the two were married 3 September 1915 in the St. George Temple. They had two children, daughter Norma born 25 June 1916 and son Karl LeRoy born 13 September 1918. Norma later died in 1935 at the age of 19 due to a serious illness. Karl LeRoy Hafen died 17 December 1997 in Fairfax County, Virginia.
To continue his education, LeRoy received his bachelor degree at Brigham Young University where he also spent three years on the collegiate debate team and was the Manager of Debating. He taught school at Bunkerville (Nevada) for a year, then became principal of Virgin Valley High School. Hafen also completed his master's degree in history at the University of Utah, with a thesis on the Mormon Hand Cart Migration. In 1920, after saving some money, LeRoy moved his family to Berkeley (California) where he became a graduate student at the University of California. In 1924, he received his Ph.D. in history for his dissertation of the Overland Mail, 1849-1869. While furthering his education, he taught a year in a private school. To put himself through college, LeRoy worked during the school year and during the summer at cantaloupe farms in Overton (Nevada), and a ranch near Las Vegas (Nevada).
On 1 July 1924, LeRoy took a job as the State Historian and Director of the State Museum at Denver (Colorado). Here he put in thirty years of service. Some of his responsibilities included: writing, researching, and editing Colorado Magazine, preparing and erecting historical markers, and acquiring and arranging exhibits for the state museum. During the Great Depression, LeRoy supervised forty to fifty people in the WPA, one of the New Deal's programs to increase employment. The project was a first for the U.S., in which he lead the group in gathering and filing historical data for the State Historical Society of Colorado and creating dioramas illustrating the history of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade. He also wrote and directed the first documentary color movie for the history of any state. Since this job paid less then living wage, he taught Colorado, Western and American history at the University of Denver to supplement his income.
During his thirty years as Colorado state historian, LeRoy published more than fifty articles, and edited and wrote several more historical works. His works primarily covered the history of the west. He edited a five-volume history of Colorado, as well as wrote a single volume history of Colorado. Hafen wrote a biography for mountain man, Thomas Fitzpatrick, completed the Southwest Historical Series, and much more. He also collaborated with several other authors to produce books such as:
In 1947, he had the opportunity to lecture at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. This gave LeRoy and his wife the opportunity to visit the land where their parents were born. From 1949-1950, LeRoy received a fellowship for a year to the Hunington Library.
In 1954, LeRoy accepted a job as a professor of history at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah). He spent seventeen years teaching Early American History and Latin American History, as well as a Western American History and Western History seminar. Between 1954-1960, the Hafens donated their collection of over three thousand books and two thousand pamphlets to Brigham Young University. Combining their efforts, LeRoy and Ann, who had a talent for poetry, completed a fifteen volume series of documentary material known as the Far West and the Rockies Series. They also wrote an autobiography entitled
Dr. LeRoy R. Hafen has received numerous awards and recognitions, which include: Jex Oratorical Medal in 1916, Who's Who In America since 1935, Litt. D. Degree at the University of Colorado in 1935, and the Rockefeller Fellowship at the Huntington Library. Hafen died in 1985 at the age of ninety-one.
* Information taken from
Chronology taken from "A Souvenir of Fifty Golden Years"
The collection includes correspondence between LeRoy and his wife Ann as well as friends and publishers. Included are autobiographical, biographical and family history materials. The collection also contains LeRoy's writings and publications as well as research notes. Other documents included are information on donations, clippings, publicity, membership information, legal, financial, medical information, etc.
The LeRoy R. Hafen Papers consist largely of correspondence between his wife Ann, family, friends, colleges, and publishers. The correspondence is filed by name and in chronological order. There are several folders of miscellaneous correspondence filed by date and to whom they are addressed (i.e. LeRoy or Ann).
Another item in the collection is autobiographical and biographical material. Much of the material concerns family members of Hafen. However, due to his research and many historical publications, there is much information regarding historical figures of the West.
Hafen's research, writings, and publications are also included in the collection. His writings revolve around the history of the west. He writes about people, events, trails, and expeditions. Along with his works, the collection also contains many of Ann W. Hafen's writings and poetry. It also includes the couples combined efforts to publish
The LeRoy R. Hafen Papers also include his financial, legal, IRS, and medical records. Not to mention, many of LeRoy and Ann's various membership cards, donations, and passports. It contains a file consisting of newspaper clippings and publicity material. Along with an account of the death of Norma Hafen, LeRoy's daughter, and some of her cards and letters. The papers also consist of various notebooks, date books, and note cards mostly regarding historical topics.
The LeRoy R. Hafen Papers is a valuable resource for those interested in the History of the West during the mid 1800s, as well as in LeRoy R. Hafen himself.
LeRoy Reuben Hafen Papers, 1913-1980. Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of Mary Hafen.
The LeRoy Reuben Hafen Papers are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.
Photographs have been removed and filed as